Epiphany- Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1-12

There are many things that we can think about at the Feast of the Epiphany, especially about the story of the Magi or Wise Men. Of course, these Eastern scholars and holy men were intelligent and learned in the disciplines of the time. In particular, they had a good knowledge of the skies. They also seem to have been people of natural goodwill and religious longings for redemption.

Yet, Matthew 2 shows that all their natural capacities only carried them so far. They needed more than their natural knowledge to find the Christ Child. In Jerusalem, they needed guidance from Jewish scholars of Scripture. Although many of these Jerusalem priests and scribes were not very spiritually sensitive, they did pay attention to Holy Scripture. And the Wise Men needed to learn from Scripture. The Judean scholars of Scripture pointed them to Micah 5, verse 2 where the prophet speaks of a great new ruler born in King David’s hometown, Bethlehem. The Wise Men were only able to complete their pilgrimage with this Biblical basis.

Thus, as important as natural knowledge and hopes are, they are not enough. They can not in themselves bring us to the Savior. Like the Wise Men, we need guidance from Holy Scripture. The natural world and our human nature can help point us toward our King, but we need more specific guidance from the prophets, evangelists, and apostles inspired by the Holy Spirit to write the Bible. Our Savior is not some unidentified light in the skies; our Savior is the One spoken of by the Scriptures. Jesus Christ is not some vague idea; He is the personal Incarnation and Revelation of God. He is the One born in Bethlehem, the same One later crucified and raised from the dead at Jerusalem and ascended into heaven. The manifestation of God suggested through nature must find completion in the specifics of divine revelation.