Epiphany- Day 24
1 Peter 1:3-12 NIV
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
CONSIDER THIS. . .
Followers of Jesus are granted epiphanies because they have privileged access to revelation. This is not some kind of secret, specialized knowledge reserved for the few. No, the revelation here spoken of is common knowledge for those who share in and await the kingdom of God. Note how many times the word “revealed” appears in the text above. Be wary of those who claim to have private revelation. This is often not the stuff of epiphany but rather thinly veiled plays for power or influence.
Epiphanies are not discoveries as implied in the term “eureka” which is often used to describe an epiphany. An epiphany is more of a deep and often sudden realization of an already present revelation. It is to finally “see” what you have been gazing at for so long. A true epiphany requires humility yet it produces an ever deepening humility and joy rather than pride and power. Even the text from Peter above is laden with revelation, waiting to be realized. Read it again, slowly. He bears witness to another realm, a concrete reality, both invisible and palpable. “Even angels long to look into these things.” So let us not squander our every day access but “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:1) (jdw)