The Epiphany

Getting to share a bit over at Village21:

Today, January 6, many Christians around the world will celebrate the Epiphany, or Three Kings Day. It is the traditional remembrance of when the Three Wisemen would arrive from afar with gifts to the newborn King. They sought Him. They found Him. They honored Him. 

We three kings of Orient are
Bearing gifts, we traverse far
Field and fountain
Moor and mountain
Following yonder star

But on this day, I find myself thinking again of the faith of Mary...and then of Joseph. You see, when the angel appeared to Mary her heart only knew ONE thing: “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” (Luke 1:38). But I suspect her brain knew the following: Joseph is required to dump me, my family will disown me, we'll have no where to life, I won't be able to work, how will I support my child, there is no way to make this work, what will we do!?  SHE SAID YES IN FAITH ANYWAY. 

Joseph, was the same. He knew not of the precious life & emotional burden that his sweetheart was already carrying. When the angel asked Joseph to be the Savior of the world's forever daddy his heart & actions responded in faith (Matthew 1:24)...but I can guarantee his earthly eyes saw the practical path of destruction in front of them: His career would be over. There would be no inheriting his own father's business. There would be no working in his hometown. They would have to start new--where? how? with what provisions? HE SAID YES IN FAITH ANYWAY. I can imagine his panic that cold winter night as he struggled to keep his wife and newborn adopted son warm in a dank, filthy barn in Bethlehem. 

There was no way for either Mary or Joseph to know as they started down their adoption road (history's first embryo adoption??) that IF they said yes...WHEN they said yes, God had prepared their finances in full...above and beyond anything they could have imagined. 

Enter the Three Kings.

With gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Enough financial provision to last beyond a lifetime.

Now there is no mention in the scripture of the precise amounts of gold, frankincense and myrrh which composed the gift from the Wisemen but these were extremely wealthy kings, so it is reasonable to assume that they did not cheapen the event. They would have been very generous given the circumstances for sure. 

I'm not sure of the historical economic values, but solid frankincense in today's economy would be more than $25 per pound, myrrh would be more than $50 per pound and today's gold is nearly $1,200 per ounce. Add in some serious exchange values and the Joseph-son family would now never have to worry about finances, in fact I believe there was enough to cover Mary well into her 'retirement' with the Apostle John after Jesus's death & resurrection. 

Mary never could have known.

Joseph never could have known.

BUT THEY SAID YES ANYWAY.

That is an epiphany.