God's Star
Matthew 2:1-12
2:1 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2:2 asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." 2:3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 2:4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 2:5 They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 2:6 'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'" 2:7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 2:8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." 2:9 When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 2:10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 2:11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 2:12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
----------------------------
Have you ever wondered what happened to that star after its rising? I haven’t. Not before today. But, it seems clear to me today that the wise men from the East lost sight of the star some time after its rising.
And because they lost sight of the star, they first went to Jerusalem instead of Bethlehem. The star started them in the right direction – Israel – but somewhere in between the first sighting and the last sighting, they couldn’t see it. But, they were already on their journey, and they kept going. The Gospel is light on these details. But, we can conclude that the star put them in the right direction, so that they went towards Israel, instead of any other country in that neighborhood. And, we can surmise they kept going even when they lost sight of the star because some indescribable gut instinct urged them on, telling them it would be worth the journey. As seers of stars and other heavenly bodies in the vast universe, they were probably accustomed to finding their way in darkness and in star-studded vastness.
In these Scriptures, here they are first in Jerusalem at King Herod’s palace, asking, “"Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews?” How did they come to that place, I wonder? They say that they saw the star at its rising. Yet, here they are looking for this king of the Jews in the wrong place. In a terribly wrong place as it turns out. How did they end up here, having begun well enough? Probably because, when they couldn’t see the star anymore, these wise men trusted their wisdom, and figured that the king of the Jews could be found in the palace in Jerusalem. That makes sense. It’s completely logical thinking. That’s probably what most of us would have guessed, if it were up to us without Scriptural reference to depend on.
Do you see how the wise men from the East might have ended up in the wrong place in Israel because they relied on their own wisdom? Somewhere along the way, they had lost sight of God’s star, which they had observed at its rising. After a length of some time (isn’t it frustrating how nebulous time is in God’s word? Maybe that should tell us something, too.), when they come out of Herod’s palace, the wise men see the star again. Herod has just told them to go to Bethlehem, but it looks like God had already set about putting them on the right road. They were asking for directions in the wrong place from the wrong person, while God had gone ahead of them, to show them the way: “When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star.” That star, that mystifying God-sent star, reappears and takes them directly to the place where Jesus is!
The good news is that God put them back on the right road, even though they were in the wrong place. The good news is that the star reappeared to guide them, even as they were seeking directions from the wrong person. The good news is that God’s path led them straight to Jesus, and their wrong turn didn’t prevent that.
I think we can learn from these wise men’s journey – from the fact that they never stopped looking for Jesus. They didn’t give up and go on home when they lost sight of the star. They had begun a journey that they knew was worth the effort. They began this journey of faith when they saw this star at its rising, and they kept going in that general direction, even when they couldn’t see it anymore.
It’s significant, I think, that they faltered when they probably depended on their own wisdom, ending up in Jerusalem. It’s comforting to me that God brought them back on the right road eventually. He reaffirms the strange faith that prompted them to begin this journey.
This is good news for followers of Jesus Christ. Have you ever been in a place where you’ve lost sight of that “Star” – God’s guiding hand -- that you saw so clearly and followed so eagerly before? Those of us who have begun this journey of faith will, inevitably, lose our way somewhere, some time, even if we’re headed in the right direction, even with the best of intentions. There will come a time when God’s guiding hand is no longer visible. We could even end up in the palace of the enemy. But, it doesn’t mean He isn’t there, still guiding. Here’s the lesson from these wise men: if we earnestly seek the Lord Jesus Christ, He will guide us. He will not fail us, even when we lose our way. Eventually, we will find our way again – not by our wisdom or our sense of direction, but by God’s guidance and God’s intervention.
You can’t follow a star that you cannot see. But you can trust God’s faithfulness even when you’re lost.
Do you see all that God uses to bring these seeking wise men to His son? Do you see how He brings them to Jesus? First He uses something they are familiar with to draw them on that journey -- a star brings these stargazers to Israel. Somewhere along their journey, they end up in the wrong place. But, even here God’s truth shines through. Bethlehem is to be their destination. So, off they go. But, suddenly they are no longer groping in the dark. The star reappears. It takes them exactly where God intended for them to go all along – the place where they find Jesus Christ.
It’s not clear if it was the wise men’s negligence that made them lose sight of that star for a while, or whether God, in His mysterious wisdom, hid that star from their view temporarily. (Did these seasoned stargazers need to learn about the limits of their own wisdom?) Still, they persevered. And God was faithful through it all.
When they finally arrive at the place where Jesus is – when the star stops -- these Gentile stargazers are “overwhelmed with joy.” And they very appropriately bow down and worship the Lord, before giving Him their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. What an extraordinary thing for them to do to a young child found with his unknown mother, not in a palace, but in a house, not in the illustrious city of David, but in the little town of Bethlehem. Slowly, but surely, God’s wisdom was overriding their own.
And, so it should be with us.
God’s ways are not our ways. That’s why it’s so easy for us to lose our way. Not so much at the beginning of our journey as followers of Christ, but more often far along the way, we lose sight of God and His guiding hand. But, just like that reappearing star, it will make itself known again. God is faithful to the journey’s end. He can be no other way.
Persevering with our faith, we will find, like these wise men did, that God will eventually make His way known. We will see, like these wise men did, that our wrong turns don’t hinder God’s ability to accompany us to His chosen destination. We will see, like these wise men did, that if we earnestly seek our Lord Jesus, He will become more real to us than He has ever been before.
God’s star does reappear in the darkness.
2:1 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2:2 asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." 2:3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 2:4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 2:5 They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 2:6 'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'" 2:7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 2:8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." 2:9 When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 2:10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 2:11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 2:12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
----------------------------
Have you ever wondered what happened to that star after its rising? I haven’t. Not before today. But, it seems clear to me today that the wise men from the East lost sight of the star some time after its rising.
And because they lost sight of the star, they first went to Jerusalem instead of Bethlehem. The star started them in the right direction – Israel – but somewhere in between the first sighting and the last sighting, they couldn’t see it. But, they were already on their journey, and they kept going. The Gospel is light on these details. But, we can conclude that the star put them in the right direction, so that they went towards Israel, instead of any other country in that neighborhood. And, we can surmise they kept going even when they lost sight of the star because some indescribable gut instinct urged them on, telling them it would be worth the journey. As seers of stars and other heavenly bodies in the vast universe, they were probably accustomed to finding their way in darkness and in star-studded vastness.
In these Scriptures, here they are first in Jerusalem at King Herod’s palace, asking, “"Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews?” How did they come to that place, I wonder? They say that they saw the star at its rising. Yet, here they are looking for this king of the Jews in the wrong place. In a terribly wrong place as it turns out. How did they end up here, having begun well enough? Probably because, when they couldn’t see the star anymore, these wise men trusted their wisdom, and figured that the king of the Jews could be found in the palace in Jerusalem. That makes sense. It’s completely logical thinking. That’s probably what most of us would have guessed, if it were up to us without Scriptural reference to depend on.
Do you see how the wise men from the East might have ended up in the wrong place in Israel because they relied on their own wisdom? Somewhere along the way, they had lost sight of God’s star, which they had observed at its rising. After a length of some time (isn’t it frustrating how nebulous time is in God’s word? Maybe that should tell us something, too.), when they come out of Herod’s palace, the wise men see the star again. Herod has just told them to go to Bethlehem, but it looks like God had already set about putting them on the right road. They were asking for directions in the wrong place from the wrong person, while God had gone ahead of them, to show them the way: “When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star.” That star, that mystifying God-sent star, reappears and takes them directly to the place where Jesus is!
The good news is that God put them back on the right road, even though they were in the wrong place. The good news is that the star reappeared to guide them, even as they were seeking directions from the wrong person. The good news is that God’s path led them straight to Jesus, and their wrong turn didn’t prevent that.
I think we can learn from these wise men’s journey – from the fact that they never stopped looking for Jesus. They didn’t give up and go on home when they lost sight of the star. They had begun a journey that they knew was worth the effort. They began this journey of faith when they saw this star at its rising, and they kept going in that general direction, even when they couldn’t see it anymore.
It’s significant, I think, that they faltered when they probably depended on their own wisdom, ending up in Jerusalem. It’s comforting to me that God brought them back on the right road eventually. He reaffirms the strange faith that prompted them to begin this journey.
This is good news for followers of Jesus Christ. Have you ever been in a place where you’ve lost sight of that “Star” – God’s guiding hand -- that you saw so clearly and followed so eagerly before? Those of us who have begun this journey of faith will, inevitably, lose our way somewhere, some time, even if we’re headed in the right direction, even with the best of intentions. There will come a time when God’s guiding hand is no longer visible. We could even end up in the palace of the enemy. But, it doesn’t mean He isn’t there, still guiding. Here’s the lesson from these wise men: if we earnestly seek the Lord Jesus Christ, He will guide us. He will not fail us, even when we lose our way. Eventually, we will find our way again – not by our wisdom or our sense of direction, but by God’s guidance and God’s intervention.
You can’t follow a star that you cannot see. But you can trust God’s faithfulness even when you’re lost.
Do you see all that God uses to bring these seeking wise men to His son? Do you see how He brings them to Jesus? First He uses something they are familiar with to draw them on that journey -- a star brings these stargazers to Israel. Somewhere along their journey, they end up in the wrong place. But, even here God’s truth shines through. Bethlehem is to be their destination. So, off they go. But, suddenly they are no longer groping in the dark. The star reappears. It takes them exactly where God intended for them to go all along – the place where they find Jesus Christ.
It’s not clear if it was the wise men’s negligence that made them lose sight of that star for a while, or whether God, in His mysterious wisdom, hid that star from their view temporarily. (Did these seasoned stargazers need to learn about the limits of their own wisdom?) Still, they persevered. And God was faithful through it all.
When they finally arrive at the place where Jesus is – when the star stops -- these Gentile stargazers are “overwhelmed with joy.” And they very appropriately bow down and worship the Lord, before giving Him their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. What an extraordinary thing for them to do to a young child found with his unknown mother, not in a palace, but in a house, not in the illustrious city of David, but in the little town of Bethlehem. Slowly, but surely, God’s wisdom was overriding their own.
And, so it should be with us.
God’s ways are not our ways. That’s why it’s so easy for us to lose our way. Not so much at the beginning of our journey as followers of Christ, but more often far along the way, we lose sight of God and His guiding hand. But, just like that reappearing star, it will make itself known again. God is faithful to the journey’s end. He can be no other way.
Persevering with our faith, we will find, like these wise men did, that God will eventually make His way known. We will see, like these wise men did, that our wrong turns don’t hinder God’s ability to accompany us to His chosen destination. We will see, like these wise men did, that if we earnestly seek our Lord Jesus, He will become more real to us than He has ever been before.
God’s star does reappear in the darkness.
posted by Ruth at 7:32 AM
2 Comments:
I like this line especially, Ruth:
"Eventually, we will find our way again"
It sounds almost...hopeful.
Here's hoping, while searching the sky for the next glimpse of that guiding star.
Interesting to know.
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