Today is Epiphany. Yesterday was the infamous twelfth day of
Christmas (“twelve drummers drumming”).
Epiphany comes
from a Greek word which means “to shine”. Light has always been a primary
symbol of God and truth.
Epiphany (or
the Sunday before) is the day the church celebrates the revealing of Jesus, not
only as a lamp unto my feel and a light to my path, not only as a light to the
Jews, but also as a light to the nations—the “Light of the World”. Matthew sees that revealing through the
adoration of the “Wise Men from the East” (2:1-12). In the original language of
the New Testament the word is μαγοι (pronounced "magoi")
·
Magi
(note the similarity to the word, “magic”)
·
Magicians
(Moffatt)
·
Astrologers
(Goodspeed)
·
Wise
Men (most versions)
They generally
are understood to be from a caste of priests from the Medes who adapted
Zoroastrian religion when the Persians conquered the Medes.
Zoroastrian
priests were forerunners of modern astronomy; but in their day the stars held a
magical attraction. The religion began about the time Jerusalem was destroyed
by the Babylonians; a religion that said light from the stars represented
knowledge and goodness. They taught that
one would come, whose nature was light—one who would be born of a virgin, and
whose light would overcome the darkness of evil. They were on the right track, at least. And
their timing was right, too. And they
got all this from the stars. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?
But this was
the first time the Christ was acknowledged by the wider world. Epiphany.
Tradition says
there were three wise men—probably because of the three gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. But there also
is a story about a fourth wise man who never saw Jesus. Henry Van Dyke is the author of the story,
which is entitled, The Other Wise Man.
It tells about a "fourth" wise
man, a priest of the Magi named Artaban. Like the other Magi, he sees signs in
the heavens proclaiming that a King has been born among the Jews. Like them, he
sets out to see the newborn ruler, carrying treasures to give as gifts to the
child - a sapphire, a ruby, and a pearl of great price.
Artaban chooses his fastest steed and
sets out for Borsippa, located in what we know as Iraq, where he is to meet the
other Wise Men at the temple to Nabu, known as the Temple of the Seven Spheres.
At Babylon he encounters a man who is dying, and battles
within himself whether to minister to him. "God of truth and
purity," he prayed, "direct me in the holy path, the way of wisdom
which Thou only knowest."
Then he turned back to the
sick man and ministered to him until he died, and then performed the proper
funeral and burial rites. As a result of the delay he is late to the meeting place, and the caravan
of the other three wise men has moved on without him.
Having missed the caravan, and realizing he
can't cross the desert with only a horse, he is forced to sell the sapphire in
order to buy camels and supplies for the trip.
He then sets out on his journey, but
arrives in Bethlehem too late to see the child, whose parents have fled with
him to Egypt. In Bethlehem he is offered hospitality by a young mother, and Artaban muses, "Why couldn't this child have been the king?"
The peace of the moment is interrupted by confusion and the sound of screaming women as Herod’s soldiers move through the streets killing boy babies. Artaban blocks the door to the house where he has given hospitality, and bribes one
of the soldiers with the ruby he has brought as a gift to the king. A child is spared.
He then travels to Egypt and to many
other countries, searching for Jesus for many years and performing acts of
charity along the way.
After thirty-three years, Artaban is
still a pilgrim, and a seeker after light. He returns to Jerusalem just as the
crowds are dispersing after the crucifixion of Jesus. He spends his last
treasure, the pearl, to ransom a young woman from being sold into slavery.
He is then struck in the temple by a
falling roof tile and is about to die, having failed in his quest to find his
king, but having done much good through charitable works.
As his life slips away, he has a vision
in which a voice tells him "Verily I say unto
thee, Inasmuch as thou hast done it unto one of the least of these my brethren,
thou hast done it unto me." (Matthew 25:40)
Artaban dies in a calm epiphany of wonder
and joy, having found his King--or, rather, having been found by his king--through his own acts of kindness and generosity.
May you find him--and may he find you--in a similar fashion.
That’s how I see it through the flawed
glass that is my world view.
Together in the Walk,
Jim
No comments:
Post a Comment