Monday, December 9, 2024
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him. Matthew 2:1-2
Do you see what I see? A Star, a star, dancing in the night, with a tail as big as a kite….
Light changes everything. It transforms our world every year at Christmas time into a wonderland of thousands of beautiful, twinkling points. It reveals darkness, overcomes darkness, exposes, and brings clarity. In the absence of light men stumble and fall, darkness abides. Every year we sing the songs and tell the story over and over again. We hear or repeat the verse above many times each Christmas season. It was a light – in the sky – that led the wise men to Jesus. Keith Warren said this about the light in the sky: “There have been many attempts to explain the phenomenon of the star, such as that there was a conjuncture of planets, the appearance of a comet, or the explosion of a supernova, but what is clear is that these men reported some recognizable astronomical phenomenon and that they had some way of linking it with a particular king, the King of the Jews.”
What was the star? It was a sign. It was a guide. The star got the wise men’s attention. It appeared at a specific time. It proclaimed the good news – the Messiah had come! It heralded the birth of a King. It told all who saw it and recognized it that something had changed. Something big had happened and they knew they needed to pay attention to it. The star beckoned them and called them out on their journey to find Christ, to worship Him. The wise men obeyed this calling to find the newborn King of the Jews. They made a pit stop at the palace of Herod to ask for directions. They left and behold, the star they had seen in the East went before them and led them to the exact spot where Jesus was, with its long shiny tail pointing to exactly where Jesus was.
After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was—the star they had seen at its rising. It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy. Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:9-11 CSB
The star, light, comet, or whatever it actually was, performed a major part in the first Christmas, and it still is a big part of Christmas today, even though people hardly give it a thought. It is a permanent fixture showing up on Christmas cards and most depictions of the Nativity, and in songs we sing. But that star was much more important than a pop of color in a Christmas painting. The star provided the light that guided the wise men to the savior of the world.
In Isaiah 9:2 the prophet Isaiah proclaimed, The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness. Such was the light that came to guide these seekers to Jesus. Some people try to present a logical explanation for the star, making it out to be a comet or planets or some natural, astronomical event. People will believe what they want to believe when they can’t accept the possibility of a miracle of God. Whatever it was, God orchestrated that celestial display for His purpose and plan.
