Light and Darkness

Solemnity of the Epiphany

Opposites attract, and that’s rarely truer than when it comes to a juxtaposition. Juxtaposition means placing two things side by side so as to highlight their differences - day and night, light and darkness, beautiful and ugly. But juxtaposition is also used to present us with contrasting moral behaviour. Think of Cinderella—her goodness and moral virtue are all the clearer to readers because her wicked stepsisters are there for contrast. Or closer to home - think of the selfless members of the public who reached out to strangers during and in the aftermath of the floods, in contrast to the self-engrossed and narcissistic politicians who turned up days later just to get a selfie at the expense of someone else’s misery.

Today, we don’t have Cinderella and her stepsisters to serve as subjects for our discussion and comparison. Neither are we going to waste our time ranting about the gross inaptitude or negligence of the authorities to mobilise any rescue and salvage efforts. Instead, the Gospel story provides us with a contrast between the wisemen and king Herod, a contrast that perhaps encouraged tradition to turn the magi into kings, that they might stand beside Herod as marking a very different kind of king. Here we have two utterly different reactions to the new-born Jesus, the promised Messiah.

The magi, whom we can safely assume to be men of considerable wealth and status, go to extraordinary lengths, endured great pains and inconveniences, willingly made many sacrifices to find and see the Messiah. They leave behind their homes and its securities, and travel to a distant land; even risking the humiliation of seeking directions from a cynical Herod and his “expert” advisors. These foreigners finally get to see the Child. Take note that they do not ask favours or seek special privileges from the infant king, unlike our Lord’s future disciples. They are just content to meet the Lord and leave their treasures before Him without any fuss or fanfare.

Herod, by contrast, does not leave the comfort and security of his palace, even though Bethlehem is just a stone’s throw away from Jerusalem. As a king, he expects his subjects and his subordinates to make their way to see him. Visiting his subjects is just below him. In fact, he had little interest in the mysterious star that had appeared in the sky, or the rumour that the Messiah had actually come in the flesh. His entire way of life is secured against such bothersome events, and the last thing he wants to know is that a messenger from God, a potential rival, has been born in his neighbourhood, without his permission.

The contrast between the three kings and Herod, could not have been any more pronounced. This is the contrast between the search for God and that of power, between knowledge and ignorance, between worship and hostility, between faith and unbelief, between truth and hypocrisy. The wise men are in tune with what God is doing; Herod is clueless. The wise men are excited about these events and want to worship this newborn king. Herod can only see a threat to his authority. The wise men are empowered by their belief; Herod is blinded by his ambition and fear. And what makes this all the more fascinating is that the three kings are foreigners; non-Jews from a distant land. Herod is a Jew – raised in the faith that had talked for centuries about a promised messiah.

And it makes you wonder, as you read this story, if there’s a greater reason for it being here in the first place: more than just recounting history. It makes you wonder if this story is here to reveal to us two very different ways of seeing the world, and two very different ways of responding to light and darkness; these polar opposites, these symbols are about good and evil; but even more, they’re about hope and its polar opposite, fear.

Can you remember what the gospel described as Herod’s first reaction, when the wise men told him about the newborn king they had come to see? He was “perturbed,” a translation that could suggest that he was confused or unsettled. A better translation would be that he was “afraid”. Both hope and fear were present when our Lord was born; and both are still very much with us today. When we hear the patter of the first few drops of rain on our roof or begin to experience a scratchy throat or a runny nose; could these be signs of something worse to come? There is fear in our hearts even as we whisper our supplications to God. The light and the darkness are all around us, constantly clamouring for our attention. And usually, it seems, the darkness wins.

And then suddenly, in the midst of this never-ending, all-consuming darkness, something changes. The Prophet Isaiah in the first reading announces this:

“Arise, shine out, Jerusalem, for your light has come, the glory of the Lord is rising on you, though night still covers the earth and darkness the peoples. Above you the Lord now rises and above you his glory appears. The nations come to your light and kings to your dawning brightness. Lift up your eyes and look round: all are assembling and coming towards you, your sons from far away and your daughters being tenderly carried. At this sight you will grow radiant, your heart throbbing and full…”

Such powerful imagery. God’s people who lived in darkness will be able to see again because of this wonderful light – a light that gets a little brighter and a little brighter, until the light shines in full and you can see everything as it’s meant to be seen. And when this happens, this light does more than just show us what is there: it gives us hope. Such hope is not based on wishful thinking or false optimism that things will get better. It arises from knowing that the One whom the prophets had been waiting for, has finally arrived. So, our Epiphany juxtaposition actually draws our attention to the true star of this story - the One whom the wise men thought was the true infant king of the Jews and whom Herod believed to be his rival - but we Christians know Him as the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, Jesus Christ, the Son of God! It is He who truly is the One who is in control. He is the creator of the star which shows the way, He is the One who inspires the wise men to make this treacherous journey, and He is the One who reveals the coming of the Messiah in Scriptures. Herod is just a clueless petty ruler who is a pawn in God’s plan of salvation for His people.

So, in the harsh dark, as well as light of Epiphany, we see ourselves at our best and worst. We can either choose to imitate the three kings illuminated by God’s light; or be like Herod, imprisoned in the darkness. But more importantly, let us not lose sight of the true star of the story - our Lord Jesus Christ. Like the wisemen, let us offer Him our gifts of love, faith and hope, knowing that He has come to offer us something so much more valuable - the gift of His life and salvation. While other kings expect their subjects to die for them, our Lord and King has the distinction of coming to die for His subjects, for you and for me.