David Bahn – Reflections

Ephesians 1:15-22

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, ¹⁶ I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, ¹⁷ that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, ¹⁸ having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might ²⁰ that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, ²¹ far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. ²² And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, ²³ which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

I recall one Christmas Cantata vividly. It wasn’t the music – though the music was wonderful. It wasn’t the venue – though that did play into my vivid memory. It was the moment in the cantata when three kings knelt before the baby Jesus. They were dressed in costumes that were extraordinarily beautiful – gold and silver leme, royal purple, green and deep blue robes. One was very tall. Another had a very distinguished looking beard. The train of another was more than 20 feet long – that made a huge impression on me. When these three mighty men knelt before the baby Jesus it was a powerful moment. I think now of Psalm 72:11, “May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!”

To be sure, there are some problems with this scene. The wise men who visited Jesus after his birth were not kings. There may have been three – but that’s never stated in the Bible. And it is likely that they came as late as 2 years after Jesus was born. Nonetheless the image of mighty and powerful men of this world kneeling before the baby Jesus is a powerful one. It does reflect the truth of Jesus’ glory, and the honor that is due to him. So when we read that all things have been put under Jesus’ feet, and that he is head over all things, perhaps we should embrace the honor and glory of Jesus more fully. He is King of kings and Lord of lords.

Today is Epiphany: the Christmas of the Gentiles. While the world has long forgotten Jesus’ birth, and quickly laid aside their Christmas/holiday decorations, millions of Christians in the eastern churches (Greek and Russian Orthodox in particular) have waited these 12 days to celebrate Christmas. Epiphany is their high and holy day. This is called the Christmas of the gentiles because this is the day traditionally associated with the visit of the magi – men from the east, gentiles, or non-Jewish people – who brought their gifts and worshipped Jesus.

We might properly say, “Wise men still worship Him.” And that is most certainly true. We might recall that the gifts of the wise men were symbolic of Jesus’ three-fold office of prophet, priest, and king. That’s true as well; so is the connection between their gifts and our practice of gift-giving today. But it is better simply to recognize Jesus as God’s gift to the world, and ponder the mystery of the Word made flesh. Jesus is over all things, seated at the right hand of God, and worthy of our worship, honor, praise, faith, and love.