Summary
Eureka: The Epiphany of Christ to the Nations
In common usage, an epiphany is a flash of personal insight—the detective's "aha" moment when the case finally cracks open. In the Church, however, Epiphany is not something we figure out. It is something God has done. Epiphany celebrates the moment God chose to make Himself known, stepping into human flesh and revealing His salvation not only to Israel but to the whole world. The visit of the Magi to the Christ child marks the first revelation of Jesus to the Gentiles, and the Church has kept that day ever since as the unveiling of God's hidden plan.
Paul writes about this unveiling in Ephesians 3, and to grasp what he means we have to look back at the end of chapter 2. There Paul reminds the Gentile believers what they once were: "without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world" Ephesians 2:12. Circumcision had been the sign of the covenant between God and Israel, and the Gentiles stood entirely outside it. "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ" Ephesians 2:13. The dividing wall has been broken down. Gentiles are not granted some lesser resident-alien status in Israel; they are made full members of the household of God, co-heirs with the Jewish people through the blood of Jesus.
This is the "mystery" Paul speaks of. In Scripture, a mystery is not a puzzle awaiting clever solution. The mystery of Christ is God's plan of salvation, hidden for ages and now openly revealed: that Gentiles "have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel" Ephesians 3:6. When Jesus died and rose again, the mystery was solved. No detective work is required. We are told plainly who did it—Jesus did—and what He did was to win redemption for all people.
Paul calls himself a prisoner for Christ Jesus, not merely a prisoner of Him. He had been entrusted with a stewardship of God's grace toward the Gentiles, an office given directly by the risen Lord on the road to Damascus Acts 26. His commission was to open Gentile eyes, to turn them "from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God," that they might receive forgiveness of sins and a place among the sanctified by faith. Everything Paul did flowed from that calling; as he wrote elsewhere, "I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified" 1 Corinthians 2:2.
The same mystery is now made known "through the church"—and the Greek word ekklesia means the called-out, the believers themselves, not a building. The wisdom of God in its rich variety is to be displayed through His people. There is nothing secretive about Christianity; unlike the pagan mystery religions, our faith hides nothing from the beginner. The whole gospel is laid out at the front door: we are sinners; we cannot save ourselves; the eternal Son of the Father came to die for us; in His blood we have forgiveness and bold access to the Father. The deeper "mystery" is simply that the more we grow in this revealed truth, the deeper our faith goes and the more eagerly we share it.
This is why Epiphany is good news for every hearer. The light that drew the Magi shines now in Word and Sacrament: Christ made known in the waters of Baptism, Christ made known in His Supper, Christ made known from the lips of His called-out people. The revelation is for you. The "eureka" is not your discovery but God's gift—the Eureka of a Savior who has stepped out of mystery and into our midst.
Video citations
- "Eureka" January 6, 2019 — I've never had one of those, ah ha, ah ha moments when everything becomes clear and everything just makes sense. My kids and I have been watching an old detective show and recently in toward the end…