Epiphany Archives - Renewed Heart Ministries

Epiphany, Baptism, Solidarity and Justice

Posted on January 6, 2024 by Herb Montgomery

New Episode of JustTalking!

Season 1, Episode 45: Matthew 2.1-12 & Mark 1.4-11. Lectionary B, Epiphany 1

Each week, we’ll be talking about the gospel lectionary reading for the upcoming weekend. We’ll be talking about each reading in the context of love, inclusion, and societal justice. Our hope is that our talking will be just talking (as in justice) and that during our brief conversations each week you’ll be inspired to also do more than just talking.

You can find the latest show on YouTube at

Season 1, Episode 45: Matthew 2.1-12 & Mark 1.4-11. Lectionary B, Epiphany 1

or (@herbandtoddjusttalking)

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Epiphany, Baptism, Solidarity and Justice

Herb Montgomery | January 5, 2024

To listen to this week’s eSight as a podcast episode click here.

“Wherever we are working for justice in our world today, these stories remind us of the biblical witness that we are not alone. The God of the Exodus stories, the Hebrew prophets, and the Jesus of the gospels has always stood in unflinching solidarity with whichever communities and voices throughout the ages have cried out for liberation and justice. And we are with that God too, whenever we are standing in that same solidarity.”

This weekend our readings from the gospels are from Matthew and Mark. Let’s begin with Matthew’s story of the epiphany:

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

‘“But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for out of you will come a ruler

who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. (Matthew 2:1-12)

The first thing to note is how the author of Matthew appropriates and incorporates a famous Roman mythic event into the narrative of the birth of Jesus to lay the foundation for contrasting Jesus and his kingdom with Caesar and the Pax Romana.

The event that Matthew’s author lifts from Roman storytelling is related to the Julian Star. In July of 44 BCE, a comet appeared in the night sky for seven days. The Romans interpreted it as a sign that the recently assassinated Julius Caesar was divine, and so it came to be known as the Julian Star or the Star of Julius Caesar. Caesar Augustus even put this star on the back of the Roman coins he made to bolster his claim that he was the “son of the Divine Caesar Julius.”

Publius Ovidius Naso wrote in Metamorphoses:

“Then Jupiter, the Father, spoke…”Take up Caesar’s spirit from his murdered corpse, and change it into a star, so that the deified Julius may always look down from his high temple on our Capitol and forum.” He had barely finished, when gentle Venus stood in the midst of the Senate, seen by no one, and took up the newly freed spirit of her Caesar from his body, and preventing it from vanishing into the air, carried it towards the glorious stars. As she carried it, she felt it glow and take fire, and loosed it from her breast: it climbed higher than the moon, and drawing behind it a fiery tail, shone as a star.” (Ovid, Metamorphoses, 15:745–842)

Here in Matthew’s birth narrative of Jesus, the author states that another star (comet) appears, not at a caesar’s death as a token of his divinity, but at Jesus’ birth as confirmation of the claim that this child will grow up to be special too.

But those who follow the star are not Romans. They are Rome’s closest enemies: Persians “from the east.” Would their presence be interpreted as Herod conspiring with Rome’s enemies? What did they mean when they said “king,” and how would such talk impact Herod’s standing with Rome if it escalated and was reported back? What is the narrative purpose of Jesus being recognized by Rome’s enemies? What is the narrative purpose of baby Jesus being the victim of attempted murder by Rome’s servant Herod, who was in charge of maintaining the Pax Roman in this region?

There is no stable in Bethlehem in this passage. The Magi find Mary and the baby Jesus at a house in Bethlehem.

Who were these visitors? In The Liberation of Christmas: The Infancy Narratives in Social Context, Richard Horsley explains that the Magi were the royal advisers and priests to Eastern Kings (Medes and Persians) (p. 57). This is no story of the personal piety of individual “wise men.” When we understand this story in its historical context, we can see it was filled with political tension, and the Persian characters call our attention back to another ancient liberation figure in Jewish history: Cyrus. First, here are a few verses from Isaiah 44:24-45:25 regarding Cyrus as Jerusalem’s liberator:

“This is what the LORD says—

your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb:

I am the LORD, . . .

who carries out the words of his servants

and fulfills the predictions of his messengers,

who says of Jerusalem, ‘It shall be inhabited,’

of the towns of Judah, ‘They shall be rebuilt,’

and of their ruins, ‘I will restore them,’

who says to the watery deep, ‘Be dry,

and I will dry up your streams,’

who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd

and will accomplish all that I please;

he will say of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,”

and of the temple, “Let its foundations be laid.’”

“This is what the LORD says to his anointed,

to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of

to subdue nations before him

and to strip kings of their armor,

to open doors before him

so that gates will not be shut:

I will go before you

and will level the mountains;

I will break down gates of bronze

and cut through bars of iron.

I will give you hidden treasures,

riches stored in secret places,

so that you may know that I am the LORD,

the God of Israel, who summons you by name.

For the sake of Jacob my servant,

of Israel my chosen,

I summon you by name

and bestow on you a title of honor, . . .

I will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness:

I will make all his ways straight.

He will rebuild my city

and set my exiles free,

but not for a price or reward,

says the LORD Almighty . . .”

What is fascinating to me is that Cyrus has his own birth narrative, too. When Cyrus was born, the Median Magi, royal advisors to Cyrus’ grandfather King Astyages, interpreted the strange dreams Astyages was having to foretell that baby Cyrus would grow up to usurp Astyages’ throne and become a great king and conqueror himself. We know today that King Astyages was the last king of the Median Empire. But at the time, feeling threatened like Herod in our story, Astyages tries to have baby Cyrus killed. The Jerusalem audience for whom Matthew was written would have understood the Persian Cyrus as more than the usurper of the Median throne. He not only became king of the Persian Empire but also liberated the Jewish people and authorized their return from the diaspora to rebuild Jerusalem (see Isaiah 44 and 45 above.)

Here in Matthew, then, as with baby Cyrus of old, Magi from the East show up to recognize Jesus and proclaiming that this baby boy will grow up to be “king” and liberator too.

All of these political details speak of the liberation hopes of the marginalized living under Roman oppression for whom the Gospel of Matthew was written. With the Matthean star, Jesus was to be placed on the same playing field as the Caesars. Through the presence of the Magi, Jesus was to be interpreted as a second Cyrus and a conduit of liberation for the oppressed. And just as Cyrus was a threat to Astyages long ago, Jesus now would be interpreted as a threat to the powerful, privileged, and propertied (including Herod and Herod’s household), a usurper of the status quo, with liberation effects rippling all the way back to Rome.

The entire Epiphany narrative in Matthew speaks of liberation and justice for those pushed to the undersides and edges of their society. It calls us to work alongside those same communities today and to work for change, for justice, for a world that is a safe, compassionate, and inclusive home for all.

Let’s now take a brief look at Mark’s story of Jesus baptism, since it also is part of the lectionary readings this coming weekend.

And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:4-11)

My favorite part of Mark’s version of Jesus’ baptism is the way Jesus’ baptism is tied to these words that Mark’s audience would recognized from Isaiah:

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold,

my chosen one in whom I delight;

I will put my Spirit on him,

and he will bring justice to the nations.

He will not shout or cry out,

or raise his voice in the streets.

A bruised reed he will not break,

and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.

In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;

he will not falter or be discouraged

till he establishes justice on earth.

In his teaching the islands will put their hope.” (Isaiah 42:1-4)

The purpose of this delight, this upholding, this chosen-ness, is that this servant in whom YHWH delights and upon whom the Spirit descends will “bring justice to the nations.” It’s all for the purpose of “establishing justice on the earth.”

As this new year begins, and we reflect on the liberation themes of Epiphany and the establishment of justice in the themes of Jesus’ Baptism, where are we working for justice today? So many areas come to my mind.

Wherever we are working for justice in our world today, these stories remind us of the biblical witness that we are not alone. The God of the Exodus stories, the Hebrew prophets, and the Jesus of the gospels has always stood in unflinching solidarity with whichever communities and voices throughout the ages have cried out for liberation and justice. And we are with that God too, whenever we are standing in that same solidarity.

HeartGroup Application

1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s eSight/Podcast episode with your HeartGroup.

2. How does the Jesus story inform your own justice work today? Share and discuss with your group.

3. What can you do this week, big or small, to continue setting in motion the work of shaping our world into a safe, compassionate, just home for everyone?

Thanks for checking in with us, today.

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You can watch our new YouTube show called “Just Talking” each week. Todd Leonard and I take a moment to talk about the gospel lectionary reading for the upcoming weekend. We’ll be talking about each reading in the context of love, inclusion, and societal justice. Our hope is that our talking will be just talking (as in justice) and that during our brief conversations each week you’ll be inspired to also do more than just talking.

If you teach from the lectionary each week, or if you’re just looking for some thoughts on the Jesus story from a more progressive perspective within the context of social justice, check it out, you might like it. You can find JustTalking each week on YouTube at youtube.com/@herbandtoddjusttalking. Please Like, Subscribe, hit the Notification button, and leave us a comment.

And if you’d like to reach us here at Renewed Heart Ministries through email, you can reach us at info@renewedheartministries.com.

My latest book, Finding Jesus: A story of a fundamentalist preacher who unexpectedly discovered the social, political, and economic teachings of the Gospels is now also available at renewedheartministries.com

Right where you are, keep living in love, choosing compassion, taking action, and working toward justice.

I love each of you dearly,

I’ll see you next week.

Now Available at Renewed Heart Ministries!

Herb’s latest book Finding Jesus: A story of a fundamentalist preacher who unexpectedly discovered the social, political, and economic teachings of the Gospels, is available at renewedheartministries.com.

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