Reflections on Epiphany – the Yesu ‘Darśana’ by Manoj Kurian

The following epiphany reflection was written by Dr Manoj Kurian who is involved in the WCC's HIV/AIDS programme. Manoj comes from an oriental orthodox church and is from Malaysia although his family originally come from India.
The footnotes have not been included in this post but may be added later.

Bible Text: Matthew 2.1-18

Two aspects of the narrative that grip me are the ‘visit of the Magi’ and the massacre of the ‘holy-innocents‘ These are the bright and dark side of the narrative of Yesu ‘Darśana’.
Yesu ‘Darśana’
Darśana is a Sanskrit term meaning "sight" (in the sense of beholding; from the root" to see"). It is most commonly used for "visions of the divine," in the sense "to see with reverence and devotion”. The term can also translate to epiphany, and could refer either to a vision of the divine or to being in the presence of a highly revered person . Darśana could also be described as having ‘seen’ and ‘being seen’ by the Deity .
Yesu ‘Darśana’ is to see with reverence and devotion the God child. To see God and to be seen by God. To worship God and to be blessed by God. God in the form of a vulnerable and marginalized child. Seeking and finding God in the most unlikely of places.

Magi
In the Aramaic and Arabic translations St: Mathew’s Gospel the Magi are called "Mgoshi" The word also indicates that they were ‘worshippers of fire’ . The word is probably derived from maguš in old Persian / mâgî in Proto-Kurdish. The Magi were a tribe from ancient Media who, prior to the conquest of the Medes by the Achaemenid Empire in 550 BC, were responsible for religious and funerary practices. They accepted the Zoroastrian religion, but followed a variant of the faith known as Zurvanism, which would become the predominant form of Zoroastrianism during the Sassanid era (AD 226–650).
Zoroastrianism has an important place in the history of religion because of its possible formative links to both Western and Eastern religious traditions. It is also the oldest of the revealed creedal monotheistic religions. The Zoroastrian name of their religion is “Mazdayasna”, which combines Mazda from “Ahura Mazda”, - the one universal, transcendental , uncreated creator God - with the Avestan word yasna, meaning "worship and devotion".
From the 1st century AD onward the word in its Syriac form (Magusai) was applied to magicians and soothsayers, chiefly from Babylonia, with a reputation for the most varied forms of wisdom. As long as the Persian empire lasted there was always a distinction between the Persian magi, who were credited with profound and extraordinary religious knowledge, and the Babylonian magi, who were often considered to be outright impostors. It is in this context Magi, in the English language may refer to a shaman, sorcerer or wizard and is the origin of the words magic and magician .

Visit of the Magi
From wherever we come from, seeking Jesus in unlikely places a couple of thousand years later, with a much narrower vision and shallower wisdom , the narrative of the Magi is very reassuring. It is reassuring that the quest for God is universal and should consume the whole of creation. It is striking that apart from the pure and obedient parents of Jesus and the humble shepherds, the first ‘learned’ persons God chose to reveal the God- child to were the ‘heathen’ Magi, seekers of truth, who ultimately reached Jesus and did not destroy him. They depended on the wisdom of God –by being perceptive to the message from the Angel and obeying it; depended on God’s creation and signs – by keenly studying the night sky and interpreting what nature manifested to one and all.
They came a long way, from a very different cultural and religious setting. Taking a lot of trouble and risk and investing time and effort. They were analytical, methodical, systematic and thorough in their search. They were prepared for the journey and knew what they had to offer. The tributes the Magi brought for Jesus reveled their deep understanding of whom they were seeking. ‘Gold’- worthy of a ruler who has dominion over the earth and symbolizing the infant's royalty. ‘Frankincense’- incense worthy of a child of God to be worshiped and symbolizing the infant's divinity. ‘Myrrh’ as an expensive embalming resin- making reference to the infant’s future, sacrifice and death.

The Magi’s religious, cultural or racial identity, beliefs and practice did not hinder them from approaching God and Jesus Christ being revealed to them.

The massacre of the ‘holy-innocents‘ (Matthew 2: 1-18)
The unfortunate massacre took place because the Magi initially searched for God in the wrong place. When they initially targeted their search to Palestine they decided that the final identification could be made with the assistance of the rich and the powerful. The king is in charge- he should know! So when they approached King Herod, his consultations with the chief priests and teachers of the law revealed that a great ruler was prophesized to be born in Bethlehem . Herod’s deep sense of insecurity prompted him to scheme nipping the new King in the bud! But when the Magi saw through this and slipped away without reporting their findings from Bethlehem, Herod resorted to massacring all male children of Bethlehem two years and younger. This was a horrific strategy in Herod’s quest to eliminate all potential threat to his own power base.
The Christian community has traditionally considered these children as martyrs and as Saints and commemorate this sad event as Childermas, Children's Mass or Holy Innocents' Day
In the gospel the massacre of the holy innocents comes after the story of the Magi. Yet the western church's marking of that date coming after Christmas on the 28th of December and before celebrating the Epiphany in January 6th seems almost to hide this story away – almost as if it would be rather bad taste to have such a sad unpleasant story spoiling the celebration of Christmas and Epiphany .
So by conveniently separating this sad event and the celebrations of Epiphany , we risk losing the holistic understanding of the consequences of Epiphany. By sanctifying and elevating to sainthood the massacred children we cannot sanitise the fact that the martyred children were victims of raw human greed for power and control and their massacre was the horrific consequence of wise people searching for God and salvation in the wrong place.

Let us seek God among the poor and the vulnerable. Let us recognise God around us. Let us discern God within us. But let us not delude ourselves into thinking that salvation is dependent on the power and resources that are linked exclusively with people and our own enterprises. Let the choices we make in life be dependent on how we can contribute to the extension of the reign of God on earth, with a liberating vision of a God centred world.

“Let Your reign prevail, and Your will be done”

By being humble;
By stepping outside our comfort zones;
By sharing in the pain and suffering of people and the environment;
By retaining a sense of justice in the face of adversity and by responding in useful ways;
By being sensitive to the needs of those around us and responding with compassion and competence;
By reflecting the love of God in our lives;
By pursuing holiness and purity in our personal and community life;
By striving for harmony and peace;
By withstanding evil, hatred and persecution;
By recognizing that all we achieve is through the Grace of God:
We see you God, here on earth, TODAY!
O Lord and our God, “Let Your reign prevail,
And Your will be done”

Dr Manoj Kurian, copyright (c) WCC