Scripture Reflection, January 6: Beyond Our Expectations

Scripture Readings:
Isaiah 60: 1-6
Psalm 72
Ephesians 3: 2-3a, 5-6
Matthew 2: 1-12

If we were to attempt to trace the entire history of the Christian tradition in the search for one common tendency, I believe we would probably discover that the most frequently reoccurring theme is that every time believers begin to feel that they have understood definitively who God is and what God is all about, God proves to be bigger than the definitions allow. I know from personal experience that each time I start to get a handle on God or make an attempt at defining (or confining) God, inevitably, God reveals himself to be well beyond my expectation. The readings for Epiphany Sunday provide a useful illustration of how God’s revelation throughout time has continued to show believers how much bigger God is than any of our definitions will allow.

This Sunday’s readings develop a pattern of God’s expanded revelation to the faithful throughout history. The first reading comes from Isaiah. In this we hear Isaiah’s prophecy that “a light will come to Jerusalem.” While the rest of the Earth is covered in darkness God will shine a spotlight on Jerusalem and all people will come to pay homage and give praise to the Lord. In the psalms this vision begins to widen. Here a prayer for the king, who is exemplified in the person of Jesus, is offered. The king will reign from sea to sea, and all kings and nations will offer him homage and serve the Lord. With these first two readings we can see an important expansion; not only is God the God of Israel, but Christ is king of all the Earth and all people will come to recognize this. The psalm ends with an affirmation that the king will rescue the poor and have pity on the lowly. But this is not just the poor of Israel; it is all who call out to him. The psalm is followed by a reading from Ephesians that shares the very significant news that the gentiles are coheirs to Christ’s promise. This expands the vision of God’s nature yet again. With these three readings we have moved from a God of Israel who will make Jerusalem shine in glory, to a King to whom all nations will pay tribute, to Christ who has come for everyone, Jew or gentile, male or female, old and young.

The Gospel gives us Christ; God’s ultimate revelation. In the Gospel reading, kings from far away come to pay homage to the child-king. Christ’s life and teaching expanded our perception of God to a state which we struggle with even now.

Because our understanding of God is ever developing, there are always more questions that we must attempt to answer. Right now these may be questions such as, how does the Gospel apply to people of other faiths, or to Christians whose practices seem strange to us, or what is the Gospel’s message for homosexuals, or immigrants, or others who are at the margins of society? However, the most important question that each Christian must struggle with is: Did Christ come for me? It’s the most basic, most essential and most challenging question we can face.

To state that Christ’s message is for everyone is a wonderful affirmation of our faith, but to truly believe that Christ’s message is for ourselves can prove much more challenging. Probably very few of us, when we think especially deeply and critically, are all that impressed with who we are. We just know ourselves too well to get caught up in delusions of grandeur for very long. We know that we’ve made mistakes along our journey. We’ve hurt people in ways that are very difficult to admit. And we’ve just plain failed; time and again we have failed at one thing or another. Failures are very hard to let go of.

We know ourselves well enough not to like us, but God knows us in a much more profound way, God knows us as our creator, as the one who fashioned us and shaped us with the beautiful uniqueness we each possess. God accepts us for who we are, as we are yet we struggle to accept ourselves and accept a God who could love us despite or weaknesses. God sees our shortcomings and our failures even more clearly than we do, yet God’s love is so complete that these are as nothing in comparison.

God’s continued revelation not only tells us who God is, but God reveals to us who we are. It is only by giving ourselves to Christ that we find ourselves. It can be a challenge to let go of our weakness and give our lives to Christ, but it’s a challenge that should be taken on regularly. Christ came for everyone, and that everyone includes me and you.

By Jake Kohlhaas

Jake is a Bernardin Scholar at Catholic Theological Union and is currently working as the youth minister for Edison Park Lutheran Church in Chicago.