“And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased’”(Lk. 3:22).
Epiphany means “manifestation” or “appearance,” and the season traditionally commemorates three events: the appearance of the star and the journey of the wise men to Bethlehem; the miracle of water into wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee; and Jesus’ baptism by John in the river Jordan (our Gospel reading today). These events are more properly “mysteries”: occasions that invite us to go deeper into their significance and deeper in our faith.
The common thread through all three is the revelation of the glory of Christ. The magi from the east follow the star, bring gifts, and pay homage: an acknowledgment by the gentiles of the coming of the Messiah. At the wedding in Cana, Jesus performs his first miracle, as John’s Gospel tells us. “Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him” (Jo. 2:11). And in our Gospel today, as Jesus is baptized, the voice from heaven says, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased”(Lk. 3:22). Once again, through God’s designation, Jesus’ identity is manifested and revealed to the world.
There’s a montage-like quality to these separate scenes in Jesus’ life. They happen at different times but are lifted out of their strict sequence and then brought together by the season. In bringing them together much is skipped, and time is bent, in order to press a point. “Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his work (Lk. 3:23), after his baptism, it says in the Gospel of Luke. Three scenes to tell a story that unfolds over thirty years. Together these three scenes chronicle Jesus’ first appearances, his manifestation in the world.
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, he took on a real human life. “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us” (Jo. 1:14), as it says in John’s Gospel. Human beings are born not knowing where they came from and not knowing where they’re going. We appear and we interact with the world, which was here when we arrived and will remain after we’re gone. We appear to others, and there’s no telling what they make of us! There are so many angles and perspectives involved, none of which tell the whole story. It’s also in the nature of things for us to make an impression on the world, to have an impact. In the course of our lives, we manifest who we are.
Jesus’ life was like ours. Obedient to God, he became the person he was meant to be. His appearance had been prepared by prophecy, as in our first reading today, from the prophet Isaiah. “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine” (Is. 43:1). Again the prophet says, “Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life. Do not fear, for I am with you…” (Is. 43:4-5). Isaiah uses the language of redemption, of liberation from slavery. It’s ancient Israel’s vocabulary of emancipation that is on display in our reading, preparing the way for the coming of the Messiah.
Jesus appeared in the world, in order to bring redemption. Through his death and resurrection, new life came into the world. Jesus made an impression. He was revealed at the creche in Bethlehem and at the wedding in Cana of Galilee. Who he was became manifest at his baptism, through the power of the Holy Spirit. “And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased’” (Lk. 3:22). There’s the echo of the prophet’s words, “I have called you by name, you are mine” (Is. 43:1). Jesus not only appeared in the world: he was sent to be its redeemer.
There was more to him than first appeared. In this sense, he truly knew where he came from and where he was going. When he heard the voice from heaven, it confirmed for him and for others that he was the Messiah. But not everyone believed. Again, as John’s Gospel says, “He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him” (Jo. 1:10). Yet the good news is still for everyone. “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God” (Jo. 1:12).
For us, our response to his appearance, to his manifestation, is crucial for our own identity. In the world of appearances, he’s made an impression on us, his disciples today. It says in the story of Cana that he manifested his glory, and his disciples believed in him. The world did not know him but his disciples believed. Are we ready to see and to believe, to hear and to obey? As it says in our first reading today, this good news is for “everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made” (Is. 43:7). May all of us, the children of God, have the grace to hear the word and to answer the call.