Gifts of the 3 Wisemen - Epiphany

Homily for the Feast of Epiphany (for the ME Bible Study Group)

Based on Mt. 2:1-12

RELIGION AND CIVIL SOCIETY, PART III

“They brought him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh” (Mt. 2:11).

After discussing the desert’s role in the reformation and renewal of both religion and civil society, we are now ready to consider each of these two items separately.

In fact, last time, the Fourth Sunday of Advent, we already considered the two kinds of Religion: one, supernatural religion which is FAITH, and the other, natural religion which is paganism.

Today, the feast of Epiphany, let us discuss Civil Society.

This feast presents to us the gospel story about the visit of the wisemen from the East, bringing their gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus Christ.

This story was not written to be a mere additional attraction to the manger scene, or to make the nativity story look like history and for real. The lesson or teaching that we can get from this gospel story is more important than its historical value. Whether they were indeed kings, as traditional believed in the Church, or they were mere wisemen or astrologers, and that they numbered three, or more than three, is not a matter of great importance for us now because we are not biblical exegetes or scholars of the bible but mere simple believers in the word of God. It is this teaching or lesson of Christianity which we wish now to convey.

The first lesson we wish to convey is the fact that, by using the imagery of kings or wisemen coming from the East who brought their respective gifts, this gospel narrative puts forward or volunteers the information about a homage paid by the nations of the earth to the God of Israel, particularly the new-born Christ of God, Jesus Christ.

Speaking then of nations, we also speak of some human society where these nations are founded.

Why should the nations pay homage to Christ?

Since Jesus Christ is the savior and redeemer of humanity, hence, he is also the savior and redeemer of their society. Through his incarnation and birth as man like us, he brings new hope and new perspective for the rebirth and renewal or transformation of the human society, not only the society of his time but also ours for all times and in all places.

This is because Jesus Christ is not only just plain and simple human being, not even one who was a very extraordinary or gifted man, but was God himself who assumed our humanity and lived and felt and thought like one of us. Hence, his coming to the human society has an impact which was far more surpassing than any of the greatest men who have come before and even after him.

For God himself to come down from heaven and to intermingle with men, then it would just be for some flimsy or superficial reason but one of great importance. Since the transformation, rebirth, renewal and reformation of society is impossible to accomplish through just one man without guidance and aid from God who is the originator and author of human life and his society, hence it is for this purpose that Christ became incarnate and lived as a member of the human society.

For this end, the  gospel story invited the presence of some wisemen to be placed at the mange scene. It is to show that Christ’s coming has something to do with the rebirth, renewal, transformation and reformation of the human society, not just the religious sector of society, which he wanted to rebuild.

To rebuild with what and for what?

Just to give us some idea, let us take up the script of a short Christmas presentation entitled “Gifts Brought to the King” and try to see the significance of the wisemen’s gifts for our present society.

The second lesson of the story about the Wisemen is regarding the element of the star which guided them to their destination and shone brightly on top where Jesus Christ was born. This star was believed by the ancients to be an angel, in fact, considering its huge brightness, a big choir of angels.

The presence of a huge choir or army of angels at the manger during the brith of Christ confirms, not only the divine origin of the new-born baby but the ministerial role of angels as messengers of the good news of salvation and transformation of man and his society. As heavenly beings, angels are also party to God’s work of creation and the recreation of the materials world. They share the pure thoughts and plans of God for the clewan-up of the world from all evil and malice.

Hence, when they were shown by the gospel to have guided the wisemen to the mange scene so that they could bring him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, it is certainly to show to us that the angels were directed by God to use these wisemen to cooperate with Him in the final realization of the plan of salvation. It is alsoto bring to us the lesson that human society is ever in need of divine guidance and assistance, and that the moment for such guidance or assistance has already come and is already here.

The divine intervention in human history, particularly during the time of Christ, had in view the renewal or reformation of our religion and huan society. This event of divine intervention or coming constitutes the good news, or gospel, or chrstianity. In fact, it is through the announcement of the gospel that Christ carried out the reformation of both religion and society.

Christianity therefore is not merely a philosophy or a set of moral doctrines and teachings, or rules and laws to be kept, but basically an event. Therefore it is also a good news.

Doctrines are crystalizations or fossilizations of some actual event in human relationships or experiences that influenced to some large extent the formation of habits, customs and traditions among a group of people or society. But in the beginning, Christianity is first and foremost, a historical event, before becoming a set of moral rules and laws, doctrines and teachings as they are now.

(If there is sufficient time, and if the people are very interested, you can explain briefly, by use of a chart, the “Kerygma”. It would be necessary to discuss the Kerygma now, before taking up the topic of “Baptism” (for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord”. Otherwise, postpone the discussion of the Kerygma for the next meeting.) 

The third, and last, point for now, is regarding the meaning behind the three kinds of gifts of the wisemen.

The symbolism behind the wisemen’s gifts to Christ are the three most important moments or epochs during the Christian era, namely, frankincense for the agricultural civilization, myrrh for both feudal and slave societies, and gold for the industrial civilization which may extend its sphere of influence up to our present age, the Cyberspace Age, because capitalist globalization is its most important vehicle.

The wisemen’s gifts, therefore, speak about human civilization, which could indeed be interpreted as frankincense, myrrh and gold for the different civil societies that have cropped up in human history as they were foretold by ancient biblical prophecies for the Messianic times.

When these gifts were offered to Christ, all the nations of the earth, represented by the wisemen, wanted to say that the past, present and future outcome of their societies, including the kind of civilization that these societies will spouse, were in the hands, or in the wisdom , or living memory, of Christ.

When agricultural civilization cropped up, it was like a “frankincense”, a sweet offering to God, because farm work was created by the “Most High himself” (Sir. 7:15). Civil society during the agricultural civilization was described in history as “primitive communalism”, which was a perfect society since both the ideal and the real world was perfectly united as one. This kind of society, the agricultural society, was halfway between the ideal and the real, between idealism and reality, and was in the middle or crossroads of both religion and society’s history. In short, during the agricultural civilization, society was itself religion, and religion was also society. There was no divorce between religion and society at this time. That is why, it was indeed a “frankincense” to God.

The next period to agricultural society was the slave and feudal societies. This epoch is represented by the second gift of the wisemen, the myrrh. Myrrh is symbolical  of suffering, bitterness, and death, being an embalming spice. And indeed, because of the much bitterness and sufferings that humanity suffered during the slave and feudal civilization, its most apt symbol is the myrrh.

Gold may symbolize the third and final civilization of man, which is the Industrial civilization. With the great wealth and progress, both in terms of physical and in knowledge, that the industrial age has brought, it could very well be symbolized as gold. This progress was already foretold by Daniel that is going to happen before the End of the times. “But you, Daniel must keep these words secret and the book sealed until the time of the end. Many will wander this way and that, and wickedness will go on increasing” (Dn. 12:4).

These gifts of the wisemen already define the societies that have cropped up during the time of Christ, or the time of the Christian era. These gifts have also foretold that the gifts of God’s patience and mercy for mankind are almost spent. Now is the time of the end of the third and final civilization. After this are the end of the times and the second coming of Christ will happen. The next epoch during this is the Milleniar Civilization, where Christ will reign for a thousand years with the just.

Through this feast of Epiphany therefore, let us follow Christ as he manifested himself in the flesh before all the nations in order to lead us now towards the reform of our civil society before the End of the times happens.