Publisher's Synopsis
Epiphany is always on January 6 to commemorate the Magi who are the first non-Jewish people to visit and worship Jesus. The Sundays after Epiphany and before Lent explore what it means that the expected ruler of the world, the Messiah, has been born. This Epiphany sequence is structured like a novella and features Gaspar, an astronomer and Brahman Buddhist from India who previously devoted his life to achieving Nirvana. In a desperate quest to achieve salvation, he renounced all things and became a Samana, the poorest of the poor. When Gaspar finds Jesus, he knows he has reached the end of his quest for truth, for purpose, and for salvation. He forsakes his homeland and former ways, remains in Israel, and devotes his life to Jesus.
Gaspar's epiphany in chapter one is to comprehend the irony that God has given him just enough wisdom to know that he cannot find the path to God through wisdom. In chapter two Gaspar meets Zechariah, Elizabeth, and little John the Baptist who are hosting the holy family in Bethlehem. When Joseph has the dream that sends the holy family into hiding to escape murderous King Herod, Gaspar provides more than just his camel to achieve success. Gaspar gets religion in chapter three. The epiphany is not just that he understands the profound significance of faith in Jesus, he also studies Jewish scripture, history, and tradition in Jerusalem under the great teacher Gamaliel who finds a wealth of both knowledge and wisdom in this new student from India. Three Josephs figure largely in chapter four, one Gaspar learns about from history, one he knows personally as the adult male in the family of Jesus, and one savvy businessman he meets in Arimathea. His epiphany is the realization that nobody is better prepared than he to prepare in the wilderness a training ground for John the Baptist such that John will be equipped to prepare the way of the Lord.
This Epiphany series explores what happens when an emotionally mature pagan receives Jesus into his heart and devotes his life to achieving spiritual maturity and receiving eternal life as a gift.
