“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”
7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”
9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.” (Matthew 2:1-12)
For 40 years, God led the Hebrew people through the wilderness by a column of cloud by day which became a column of brilliant light or pillar of fire by night. This was indeed the Presence of God Himself guiding and encouraging His chosen people through years of judgment for their disobedience to His command to go and take the Promised Land. God’s ways are not our ways.
God has provided, or prepared, unusual things and occurrences which would fit the need at the time. How about that world-wide flood?! How about that prepared fish to swallow Jonah, also giving him safety and protection?! What an awesome thing Manna was! Would it be too big a task for God to prepare a one time needed star? How about a star that would move in ways differing from other stars? How about a star that only certain persons could ever see, and then when its one and only purpose was fulfilled, it would never be seen again?
The so called “star of Bethlehem” is linked with the birth of Christ and the visit of the magi (wise men). This passage implies the star of Bethlehem appeared only to the unknown number of magi while they were in the East, most likely the region of Persia, or present Iran.
Only God could arrange that men of interest in the heavenly bodies would take note of something new and different. These magi saw something in the heavens—this Star of Wonder—that signaled them to the piece of evidence they were familiar with, that the Jewish Messiah/King was born. They referred to it as being “His star,” since it was a sign to them that a King was born. The star sighting prompted them to journey to Jerusalem, the capital of Israel. This would be the reasonable point to begin their search for the birth of the King of the Jews. Though they had enough understanding of the prophecy of the birth to get them this far, they did not have the awareness that He, the Messiah, was to be born in Bethlehem. These wise men had no need for the star to lead them to Jerusalem.
While in Jerusalem, they dropped in on Herod, the King, and while there, they were advised that this new king they were seeking was to be born in Bethlehem. As these wise men departed Herod’s palace, the Star of Wonder then reappeared to them. When they saw the star once again, they were overjoyed and encouraged. Again, there is no indication that anyone else saw this wonder. It must have been for their eyes only. Besides, the star went ahead of them until it hovered over the place where the young child was to be found. This prepared star, the Star of Wonder, obviously supernaturally movable, led this band of wise men to the exact spot on earth where they could find Jesus.
What exactly was the star of Bethlehem/star of wonder?
The word for “star” in the Greek text translates as the word aster, which is the common word for a star or celestial body. In the New Testament it is used 24 times, and more often than not, it refers to a celestial body. It can also refer to angels, as in Revelation 12:4. Something in the heavens provided a brighter-than-normal light in the sky, which was not a natural lunar observable fact, but something totally unexplained by the sciences. This was no ordinary star; this was a Star of Wonder!
So, if the usual use of the word star doesn’t fit this circumstance, what then?
The Star of Wonder in Matthew 2:1–12, was probably an angel, or even better, the appearance of the Shekinah Glory, the visible presence of the LORD. Earlier to this, the most outstanding manifestation of the Shekinah was the pillar of cloud that led the Hebrew people by day, and the pillar of fire that stayed with them by night (Exodus 13:21). This mobile presence of the LORD can clearly direct people to precise sites of intent. This should not be of surprise to any follower of God that He would use a miraculous sign to indicate the arrival of His only begotten Son into the world.
Do you see what I see? . . .
Said the night wind to the little lamb,
do you see what I see
Way up in the sky, little lamb,
do you see what I see
A star, a star, dancing in the night
With a tail as big as a kite
With a tail as big as a kite.
(“Do You Hear What I Hear?” composed in October 1962, with lyrics by Noël Regney and music by Gloria Shayne Baker).
I pray that the Star of Wonder is guiding you toward the reason for the season you are celebrating this Christmas; for the first time, or as a reminder of Who’s you are. MERRY CHRISTMAS!
