Sermon Brainwave 1062: Epiphany of Our Lord - January 06, 2025

Join hosts Rolf Jacobson, Karoline Lewis, and Matt Skinner as they explore the profound themes of divine guidance, resistance, and illumination in the story of the Magi for the Day of Epiphany, January 6th.

This episode unpacks how the Magi's journey represents not just a physical pilgrimage but a theological model for following God's leading—even when it requires non-compliance with earthly powers and going "by another road."

The conversation examines how Matthew's Gospel presents multiple pathways to knowing Jesus: through celestial signs, scriptural interpretation, and the accumulated wisdom of seekers from beyond Israel's borders.

The hosts discuss the Magi's act of resistance when they refuse to return to Herod, highlighting how Christmas and Epiphany demand non-cooperation with tyrannical agendas. Dreams and divine warnings play crucial roles as God redirects the Magi and the Holy Family, demonstrating how God persistently seeks to guide us through various means.

Drawing on Warren Carter's commentary, the discussion emphasizes how "the other way" the Magi take thwarts the tyrant's will and refuses cooperation with empire. The episode also explores the rich intertextuality between Matthew's narrative and the Old Testament readings, particularly Isaiah 61's themes of illumination and wealth, and Psalm 72's vision of an ideal Davidic king fulfilled in Jesus—a very different type of lordship than political dominance.

The hosts wrestle with the nature of the Magi's act of prostration (proskuneo), discussing whether it represents worship, homage, respect, or political acknowledgment, and how this ambiguity enriches our understanding of who Jesus is. They also reflect on what it means to follow God when competing voices and apparent certainties pull us in different directions, acknowledging the human tendency to stop listening or refuse God's direction.