Good Heavens! The Star of Bethlehem
Good Heavens! The Star of Bethlehem.
“Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of king Herod. About that time, some Magi from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his Star as it rose in the East, and we have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:1-2).
The Magi. The Mede language had a general term for spiritual advisors, “magoi,” which was the plural of “magos.” Down through history there has been much speculation about what is meant by that title in the Christmas story in Matthew 2:1-12. Some have speculated that the Magi were Persian priests, or astrologers, or dream interpreters, or even official advisors to King Darius at that time. Others have said the Magi were astronomers who were adept at reading the stars. We do know from biblical historians that the Magi were definitely not sorcerers or magicians. According to the biblical scholar Dr. David Stern of the Complete Jewish Bible, the most recent biblical scholarship and archeological evidence points to the Magi as being Jewish sages that descended from the Babylonian Jewish school established by Daniel 500 years earlier. Stern points out that Daniel was named as the “Chief of the Magi” more than once in his Book. It is not surprising that there were established Jewish wise men in Persia at that time. “Babylon (Persia) was still the place of residence for the majority of the Jewish community even as Matthew was writing his Gospel in the 1st century.” (Dr. Kasdan, as quoted by Dr. Stern). These Jewish wise men were most probably well-acquainted with Hebrew Scripture and their prophecies about the coming of the Messiah, particularly Micah 5:2 which refers to Bethlehem as the Messiah’s birthplace, and Numbers 24:17 as it prophesied about “a star coming out of Jacob.”
The Star. Balaam’s prophecy in Numbers 24:17 about the rising of a star out of the Jewish family was taken literally by many rabbinic authorities. They claimed that the birth of the Messiah-King would be marked with an appearance of a supernatural star in the sky. And so many Jewish historians referred to that prophesied star as the “Star of the Messiah.” Jewish thinking also leaned toward the belief that this star out of Jacob was intended to be a reminder of God’s promise to Abraham that his offspring would be “as numerous as the stars in the sky” (Gen. 15:5). There has been much speculation about what the Star of Bethlehem actually was. Some claim that it was a natural phenomenon, such as the reported conjunction of Jupiter, Saturn and Mars around 6 BC. Others say that the star was a special appearance of the Shekinah Glory of God’s Presence that marked the arrival of the Son of Man prophesied in Daniel 7. Others say the Star was a guiding angel sent from the Father just for this special occasion. Everything seems to point to the Star of Bethlehem being a supernatural event, and not a natural event, such as a comet or shooting star, because there was a reappearance of the portable Star directly over the house in Bethlehem in which the Holy Family were living at the time (Matt. 2:9). The Star moved around and settled over that one particular house, so a natural phenomenon seems unlikely.
Bethlehem. This small village, which means “House of Bread,” nonetheless has historical significance. It was the ancestral home of Isreal’s greatest king, David. And so Joseph and Mary were required to travel to Bethlehem for the census decreed by the Roman emperor. By the time the Magi found their way to the Holy Family in Bethlehem, Jesus would have been between 1-2 years old. That’s why the notoriously evil king Herod ordered “the slaughter of the innocents,” the execution of all male children under the age of two in that village. Historians say that this probably resulted in around 30 baby boys being slaughtered.
The Magi Meet Jesus. When the Wise Men saw that the Star had settled directly over one particular house in Bethlehem, they inquired at the house, probably knocking on the door with incredible anticipation, and they were absolutely overcome to find “the King of the Jews” they have been searching for. One translation described it this way: “They were so ecstatic that they shouted and celebrated with unrestrained joy!” (v. 10). There at the humble home of the Child Messiah, these three wealthy, sophisticated and highly placed foreign dignitaries were so overcome in the moment that they prostrated themselves, laying themselves flat on the ground at the feet of Jesus, and they began to worship this holy Child. After the long and arduous journey of at least 800 miles, if they had followed the traditional trade routes, they had to manage a caravan of at least 100 servants and associates. If they had traveled at the brisk rate of 20 miles per day, the journey would have taken at least 40 days. Some scholars claim that they would have taken other routes to Bethlehem which may have been over a thousand miles. These Magi were seriously committed to finding this Messiah-King. It was no light matter for them. The must have been totally convinced that the Star was for real.
The Gifts for the Christ Child. It is only assumed that there were three Magi because of the offering of three gifts to Jesus. These “baby shower” presents were exceedingly generous, and would have been considered quite a fortune at that time. These treasures given by the Magi were actually rather exorbitant, and would have easily provided living expenses to the Holy Family for many years. The three gifts offered to Jesus seem unconventional for a young child, to say the least, but they make more sense when one thinks about these gifts as symbols that applied to the future life of Jesus. In other words, the gifts of the Magi, the gold, frankincense and myrrh, were inspired by God to be practical financial support as well as containing spiritual significance. The gold would be a symbol of royalty and Christ’s Kingship. The frankincense would have been associated with the holy priesthood, since that variety of incense was the only acceptable incense used in Temple ceremonies at the altar, its smoke rising to God as the prayers of the faithful. The myrrh was not only a stimulant tonic used to heal wounds, but also was the embalming spice of choice for the burial of dead bodies. The early church leaders believed that the myrrh was related to the Passion, Christ’s prophetic role as the Suffering Servant in Isaiah. It is not a great leap of logic to consider that the gold, frankincense and myrrh points directly to the three official offices that required an anointing, and that Jesus, as the Anointed One, was filling the roles of prophet, priest and king for all people. The three gifts of the Magi truly announced the coming of the Messiah in His complete saving role as the Deliverer of mankind.
Wise Men Indeed. It is reported in Matthew 2:12 that the Magi were warned in a dream to completely avoid King Herod on their return journey to the East. They were wise enough to heed the dream, and they returned to their home “by another route.” Perhaps they were dream interpreters after all!