Please read the passage before the commentary.
It is the feast of the Epiphany. In some cultures, as in Mexico, gifts are given on today’s feast instead of on Christmas. The word epiphany means revelation. We have minor epiphanies when we unwrap packages and reveal when has been hidden there all the time.
So the Lord has been with us the whole time and we missed earlier revelations? To Jerusalem in shambles after the Exile when darkness covered the face of Jerusalem, the prophet shouts, “Rise up in splendor; your light has come. Over you appears God’s glory.”
The Queen of Sheba came to visit King Solomon. She brought the wealth of her kingdom to him. She is a symbol that all nations shall flock to the Lord. Dromedaries from Midian and Ephah shall come with their gold and frankincense. Midian and Ephah are Abraham’s children by Keturah. The whole family is getting back together with all the nations. All these people will be praising the Lord. Therefore, the Lord shouts out to each of us, “Rise up in splendor; raise your eyes and look about. You shall be radiant at what you see.
To whom is the prophet speaking in this passage? It could be those Israelites returning from exile. It could be all the people of Jerusalem, which had be demolished and depopulated seventy years earlier. Matthew would have us see it referencing the wise men and the other peoples of the East who had come to adore the Child Jesus, who had risen from the dead.
This, then, is an Epiphany reading. It is meant for us. We should be lifting up our eyes and seeing the splendor of God in our midst. I walk every morning before dawn; If I look down, I only see hard ground. If I look up, however, I can see the dawn. If all we see in our lives is the hard ground, then perhaps we need to look up for a change of scenery and see the glory of God in our midst.