Scenes from this year's Epiphany pageant at Good Shepherd, Asheboro
The Epiphany sometimes gets forgotten by us westerners. For centuries it was the Epiphany, not Christmas, that was the big wintertime Christian celebration; in fact, it can be argued that only the Feast of the Resurrection has held a greater meaning over time for Christians than the Epiphany. Why is that exactly? I suspect that it's because the Epiphany marks the moment when the Gospel was made available to the whole world. Tradition holds that wise ones called Magi came from the east to meet the Christ child at his cradle in Bethlehem. They are not named in Scripture (nor are they numbered), though legend gives names to three of them: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. Herdotutus, that great Greek historian, tells us the Magi were from Persia. So we know immediately that they are not Jews, not part of the same story as this child that they have come to adore. Why then did they do it?
It could be because they respected God in all of God's forms, not just their own. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, as well as non-Jews like Seutonius and Tacitus, the Mediterranean world was groaning (in those "labor pains" that Isaiah spoke of), waiting for God to do something in the world, particularly in Judea. It's pretty incredible that folks who were not part of the story still waited with anticipation for God's action in the world. Could it be that there was a sense of respect and admiration for other cultures and religions in the ancient world that we simply do not experience today? I'd say yes.
When I traveled to the Holy Land several years ago our group was led by an Episcopal priest from California. Everywhere we went with him we were met with respect, and not a single person was harassed for being a Christian or proselytized by Jews or Muslims. When someone asked him why this was the case--they had apparently been expecting to be met with hostility for being Christian--he pointed to his collar and said, "They respect this." Even though he was not of their tradition, they respected him enough to let him lead his group without any worry of judgement. The example of those non-Christians in the Holy Land made me realize that it is entirely possible to love one's own tradition while respecting the traditions of others.
This, I believe, is one of the lasting legacies of the Magi. Did they convert to following Jesus after their encounter? Not likely. Firstly, Jesus was a mere baby, so the thought of "following" him is quite absurd. Secondly, Scripture tells us they returned to their own country, which would strongly suggest they held on to their own beliefs. Still, even they could see God at work in this child, and so they offered him their gifts, their admiration, and their respect.
Can we do no different? In this day when Christians are so quick to throw non-Christians under the bus, I think we can stand to remember the example of those Magi. We can love our own traditions, but that does not mean that we have to condemn the traditions of others. We can respect other faiths and traditions because we know that God is bigger than just our own customs. God is bigger than the people of Israel. God is bigger than Christianity. God is bigger than Islam. God is big enough to encompass all people, all traditions.
So may we follow the example of the Magi, who saw God in this little child who was not of their own faith and tradition. May we too respect what God is doing in all faiths until we come to that day when we all truly realize that we are all God's children. Thanks be to God for the Magi and this Epiphany!
