The season of Epiphany is one that is not very well known, so what is Epiphany? Mr. Stelling says, “It’s the day that we celebrate when the Magi came to Nazareth and identified Jesus as the Messiah they had been looking for.” Mr. Schlecht also said similarly, “The time where the wisemen went on a journey to visit Jesus and to give Him gifts.” Mr. Oberdieck added to that by saying, “It is the time of the church year where we study and celebrate that Jesus was truly human and that by all respects, He appeared and seemed ordinary and yet we see He is also fully God via His miracles, His life, His death and the resurrection. So this is that point in time where we see that He really does understand what it was like to be human in every single way.”

The main focus of this time is in fact the Magi coming to see Jesus and Mr. Stelling likes to remind us that, “[The Magi] weren’t at the Nativity scene”. It would have been a few years after Jesus was born that the Magi followed a star and came to see Jesus to give him their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. This is not only important biblically but it also has a large significance to a lot of people. Mr. Oberdieck referenced one of his favorite bible verses, Hebrews 2:17, which says, “Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God to make appreciation or payment for the sins of  the people.” We have a God who is human in every way and yet the Magi came to give Him gifts and single Him out as a leader and a high priest.

So why is this so important for students to learn about? Mr. Stelling determines that it’s significance comes from how, “It’s a part of the historical documentation we have of Jesus’ life.” Jesus is our savior and He sacrificed so much to be able to get us freedom that we don’t even come close to deserving to the point where He was tormented and hung up on a cross to die. And yet, it is so important that students know and understand the fact that He is fully human and understands what it’s like to live in humanity’s imperfections, even without sin. Mr. Oberdieck said, “If God didn’t get it, I would be scared to talk to him. I would be terrified of him. But instead what I see is that we have received a merciful God who has experienced every part of my life and gets it.” And while this story starts with a baby lying in a manger in Bethlehem, the first time He is really recognized as a king and treated as such in the way that we believe kings should be treated is when the Magi come and give him the gifts that they see fit for a king.

It is so easy to forget that Jesus is more than a miracle worker or a man sacrificed for our sins, so it’s important that we know and recognize that Jesus was a baby and lived a life in a human form. It’s also vital that we remember and celebrate this time where the Magi are the first to come see Jesus and set him apart as a baby who has much more right to any riches or gifts than we ever could and yet they found him young and humble and poor. As Mr. Schlecht says, “God can use and chooses to use all things to ultimately bring glory to Jesus.”