January 6th is Epiphany. The day is also known as Theophany. This day is the second oldest Christian holiday after Easter. Before the calendar reform, it marked the beginning of the year.
Today, the revelation of Jesus’ divinity is celebrated on this day. Depending on the region and church, this day commemorates the birth of Jesus with the worship of the Jewish shepherds, the adoration of the wise men, the baptism of Jesus or the first miracle at the wedding in Cana.
We remember the story from Matthew 2:1-12.
There it is not written that the men were kings. The number is also unclear.
It is striking that only the astrologers knew about this star, but not the people in Jerusalem. Therefore, it cannot have been a comet.
If Jesus was born in 7 BC according to the meeting of the planet Jupiter and Saturn, Herod had the opportunity to meet the wise men and try to kill the child before his death in 4 BC.
The three gifts ensure the family’s survival as they flee to the Jewish diaspora in Egypt.
God knows what we need and when. Help came out of nowhere at just the right time.
God’s timetable is not always comprehensible to us. He does not protect us from difficulties, but he helps us through them. God’s timing and his help are what make up the Christian faith.
Jesus says in John 14:6: ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’.