Epiphany Story

"In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." [Matthew 2:1-2]

Tomorrow is the celebration of Epiphany and in many churches the story of the wise men is read. The first thing we notice about this text is that the wise men do not journey directly to Bethlehem. They stop in the city that was the epicenter of Jewish life and Roman power in that region...Jerusalem. When they hear that a new king was born, they go to the place where all new kings and rulers appear. It is the most logical location.

The interesting thing about this detail, however, is that this new king is NOT found in Jerusalem but in a little, podunk town called Bethlehem; a city in the "hill country" of Judah, five miles south of Jerusalem.  This tells us that the king the wise men are searching for is a different kind of king than the ones they are used to dealing with. This king appears, not in places of power, hobnobbing with the rich and famous. This king appears in a rural town, among a forgotten people.

This is good news for us who live in a world where rulers are easily corrupted and governments cave-in to lobbyists and special interest groups. It serves as a reminder that Jesus, the ruler of our hearts, is found among the poor and the needy, the lost and abandoned. If we really want to see him face to face we will NOT see him in Baptist ministers running for political office or in T.V. preachers living lavish lifestyles.  We will find Jesus sitting with the homeless on a park bench, shivering in the cold, waiting for a shelter to open for the night. We will find Jesus holding the hand of the victim of a hate crime who is crying out for justice and for safety. We will find Jesus huddled close to a space heater with a family of five because it is the only source of heat in their entire house.

The story of the wise men is much more radical than first meets the eye. It's just that we have romanticized this story and whitewashed its details. We have filled it with kids in bathrobes and fake beards or silent statues looking down blissfully at the Christ child. Let's keep our eyes wide open this Epiphany season and look for the many places the Christ Child appears among the "least of these" in our world."