It doesn’t take long for us to see that the expectations we have for the Christ Child might not match the plans of God. The Epiphany season of the Church Calendar is here to disrupt our expectations of Jesus.
After Advent and Christmas, Epiphany rolls on in with equal amounts of celebration and confusion. Following up on an already tumultuous birth narrative, the magi come to worship the Christ Child, giving us some reassurance that this baby is a holy one. Our excitement though is tempered by the words of Simeon when Jesus is presented at the temple, who tells Mary and Joseph that this child will suffer and that they too will suffer because of him. Our hopes are then almost dashed entirely when we hear that the regional ruler Herod is out to destroy the child and gives orders for all the infants in the region to be killed. The Holy Family narrowly escapes to Egypt for safety before returning back to their homeland after Herod’s death. (Matthew 2, Luke 2)
As the Epiphany season continues, so do the surprises, as we continue to discover a Jesus who does not fit the expected mold of a messiah. He asks to be baptized, instead of taking the greater role of baptizing others. He declares a message that lifts up the low, vulnerable, weak, poor, immigrant, native, marginalized, and nonviolent peacemakers. He questions the teachings of the religious leaders and the faith traditions of his day. He eventually even refuses to take up a sword to win the day as a king, and instead takes up a cross to die an undeserved death.
In the gospels, Jesus defies expectations and lives out an extraordinary life that leaves everyone stunned—his parents, neighbors, and disciples, as well as the religious and political leaders are all baffled by this unusual savior. We are meant to be baffled like them too. That is an intention of the gospel writings and a key epiphany. Indeed, God has sent us a savior of His choosing, not of ours.
Living in an age so removed from the original hearing of these gospels we can easily miss the shock of who Jesus is versus who Jesus was expected to be. Many of us know at least the basic narrative of the gospels and put it into context with 2,000+ years of commentary and history. We can easily lose sense of the unexpectedness that is at the heart of Jesus and the good news being delivered.
During Epiphany, we should seek out the Savior who makes people marvel and ponder at his good works, and then ask ourselves how we can do the same in our world today.
Relevant Reformation 