Tyranny and the Epiphany

Five years after the January 6 insurrection, the lie of tyranny persists. Epiphany reminds us that unjust power has always trembled before a different kind of king.

Tuesday marked the fifth anniversary of the January 6 coup at the United States Capitol. An insurrection attempt incited by Donald Trump to overturn a free and fair election and remain in power. We all remember the violent nature of the day. We all watched it unfold in real time. Yet again, the White House continues to circulate new lies about what happened on that frightening day.

At the time, I recall historians and political commentators warned that a dictator’s first coup does not always succeed, but it can prepare the way for a second or third more successful attempt. That is exactly what we are witnessing now. After winning the 2024 election, Trump is now attempting a continuing coup to derail or even destroy American democracy. He has even pardoned those convicted of their crimes on January 6, including the most violent among them.

What struck me on January 6, 2021, however, was something else entirely. That day also marked the beginning of Epiphany in the Christian liturgical calendar. Epiphany always begins on January 6, following Advent and Christmas, and lasts until Ash Wednesday. It commemorates the visit of the Magi from the East, also known as the three “wise men” every church kid learns about and is fascinated with, who followed a star to find and worship the baby Jesus.

Let’s briefly reflect on the test of the story in Matthew 2.

It all starts with Magi from the East arrive in Jerusalem asking, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?” These were obviously “three kings” who were not Jews coming to worship Jesus. The clear message was that this savior and liberator was not just for the Jews, but for the whole world and all humankind.

Then King Herod hears this and is “disturbed,” says the text. So is all Jerusalem. Herod gathers the religious leaders and learns that the Messiah is to be born in Bethlehem. They quote the prophet who had written:

“But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for out of you will come a ruler

who will shepherd my people Israel.”

The language is not just spiritual, it is in nature political. And it is very evident the threat that King Herod of Judea, the Roman ruler over the Jewish people, felt. A new ruler. A new way of leading.

But, if this new faith was meant to only be private, and only be about personal salvation or getting souls into heaven, as the evangelical faith of my upbringing often claimed, then why would the most powerful political leader in the region be “frightened,” a word used in other translations. This Jesus child was clearly perceived as a political threat to Herod. Jesus was an alternative leader with a different set of values and a different vision of power.

This leads Herod to secretly question the Magi and send them to look for this child king, pretending he, too, wanted to worship him. I’ve always wondered what the “wise” men from the east thought when they heard that? At last, the three wise men follow the star, find Jesus, and offer gifts fit for a king. Apparently, gold was a gift for kings, frankincense was an incense that filled a room, and myrrh was a special oil to use for the body and spirit. Warned in a dream, they return home by another route, refusing to cooperate with tyranny.

Baby Jesus, and the kingdom of God which he came to bring on earth, was a political threat to the principalities and powers of his time or any time. Those who ruled the world were terrified by one who came to change the world. They always are. In fact, when Herod realizes he has been deceived by the wise men, his fear turns to rage. He issues an executive order (earthly rulers love executive orders) to kill every child under two years old in the region. This massacre is also known as the “Slaughter of the Innocents”. Herod took the lives of countless babies and infants, leaving behind massive collateral damage to their families, just to eliminate the perceived threat that was Jesus the child. It is an act of unimaginable cruelty. As the grandfather of an eight-month-old, I cannot fathom that kind of murderous fear. The Catholic church remembers this atrocity on December 28th as the “Day of the Holy Innocents,” where the killed children are recognized as saints and martyrs, and protests are held at places like the Pentagon by Christian peacemakers.

The main point of all of this is that the kingdom of God has always been a threat to tyrants. During my podcast conversation with Matthew Taylor, we discussed the tyranny we see today and compared it to the story of Epiphany.

Like Matthew pointed out, “God is not a tyrant, and God does not support tyranny.” This is evident through Jesus’s lived life. He was born under the law as a humble human to embody the love God had for us, and risked and lost his life for humanity. Those who rule through fear are terrified by those who seek to change the world through justice and love. Donald Trump, like Herod, is petty, morally small, and willing to harm the innocent to preserve his power. Like Herod, he longs to appear strong while revealing deep weakness. He is a fake. He is a loser. And like Herod, he is a weak historical figure who will not prevail.

As Christians, we should use Epiphany as a guide not only to unveil and name modern-day tyrants, but also to look for new ways that God’s goodness can lead us to justice. We must stand against Trump’s petty tyranny with faith, truth, and courage. We are seeing some of those who were once entranced by the MAGA propaganda begin to wake up to the realities of Trump’s violence. We should welcome those willing to see their wrongs and shepherd them with love as our Jesus would. History is not on Trump’s side. Neither is God.

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