Revealed to the World

The Feast that we continue today to celebrate is called in Holy Orthodoxy Theophany.  In the west, it is referred to as Epiphany.  Neither word is one used often in the English language, although epiphany is perhaps used more broadly.

We say Theophany because—well, words have meaning.  The word Theophany comes from the Greek theophania, which means “the appearance of God.”

We all know that our Lord didn’t begin His ministry until He was roughly 30 years old.  And we know that He was ‘revealed’ at His birth in Bethlehem.  The wise men knew of Him.  The shepherds were taught by the angels of Him.  Herod had His birth proclaimed to him.  So why the focus on “appearing” and “revealing”?

At our Lord’s Nativity, the Son of God was revealed to the world.  And His presence in the world was not heralded broadly.  We’ve already discussed those who knew of His coming.  And we know nothing more about His being revealed for the next 30 years, except for His presence in the Temple when He was 12, as He spoke with the Pharisees (Lk 2:40-52).

It is not until today’s Gospel (the Sunday After Theophany, Matthew 4:12-17) that we learn more.  In the verses that precede today’s Gospel we find Jesus in the wilderness, being tempted by Satan.  Beginning with today’s Gospel, we find our Lord hearing that John the Forerunner had been imprisoned.  Note that God the Son obeys His own appointing of His Forerunner, whose “job” was not finished until he was removed from the world.  From prison, John will ‘minister’ only to Herod, convicting him of adultery, and ultimately giving his life for the Truth!

St. Matthew then proceeds to teach from the Prophet Isaiah.  In today's reference (Isa 9:1-2) he sheds this light upon the Savior:

The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles.  The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.

When our Lord came to John in the Jordan, it was not Christ Who was revealed, it was God in Trinity Who was revealed for the first time in all of scripture.  We capture this revelation in the Troparion for the Feast:

When You, O Lord, were baptized in the Jordan, the worship of the Trinity was made manifest.  For the voice of the Father bore witness to You, and called You His beloved Son.  And the Spirit, in the form of a Dove, confirmed the truthfulness of His word.  O Christ, our God, Who has revealed Yourself, and had enlightened the world, glory to You!

The final Who has revealed Yourself points not to the Son, but rather to Christ as One of the Holy Trinity!

St. Matthew records from this point:  From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.’

These are the very same words that St. Matthew records for the Forerunner:

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.’ (Mat 3:1-2)

Let us heed the words of the Forerunner, and obey the command of our Savior, and repent.  The Kingdom of Heaven is here!