On Epiphany and Australia

It's Epiphany in Christianity, one of the far-western religions. According to St Matthew, Magi 'from the east' come to Bethlehem to visit Jesus, for that is where the family of Jesus lived. Jesus is no longer a baby. He is a toddler around 2 years old. The arrival of the Magi prompts a political crisis when Herod, puppet-king in the Roman province of Judea, gets wind of a prophecy that a child from Bethlehem may become a 'king of the Jews'. So he orders a massacre of all children under two years old in the district of Bethlehem. Jesus' family escapes to Egypt where they find refuge until Herod is dead.

There are no white people in this story, though the Romans are a possible analogue. But there are tyrants, outsiders, massacres and refugees. Here are some themes that may find some resonance in Australia.

1. It is 'gentiles', those whom most Jews considered unclean and outside of the divine covenants, who were the first witnesses to the importance of Jesus. I would suggest that this is often the case with divine things. Religious insiders often miss the point because they are focussed not on divine things but on the expansion of political power. It is therefore non-religious people or adherents of a different religion - those regarded as 'outsiders' - who are more sensitive to prophecy and become prophets themselves.

2. The Jewish king, who is actually a puppet-king of the colonial power at the time, does not hesitate to kill his own people to cling onto power. This is how collaborators work. They cling to power by making enemies of their own people. Here in Australia, this is how goverment and church successfully turned Aboriginal people against Aboriginal people. By dividing us into 'good', subservient, 'Aborigines' and 'bad', resistant 'Aborigines'. 'Good Aborigines' were deployed against 'bad Aborigines' and rewarded for doing so. Still are. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm generally regarded as a 'bad Aborigine' by church hierarchies.

3. Jesus' family was forced to flee when the massacre of innocents got underway in their home town. When governments turn bad or homelands are invaded, good people sometimes have to flee for their lives, to seek refuge in some other country or region. In this case, Egypt provided refuge for the holy family. And even when the family felt it was safe to return to their own people, they still did not regard their ancestral home of Bethlehem to be safe. They had to move to Nazareth in a different province. They had to start again. Twice. Compassion and practical support for refugees - including those of us who have been 'internally' displaced in our own country - should therefore be a cornerstone of ethical responsibility for people who revere the holy family.

Thanks for listening. A blessed Epiphany to all who celebrate. Art is by Lynda Syddick Napaltjarri.

Garry Worete Deverell

Epiphany 2026