THE "STAR" OF BETHLEHEM

I will give you guys credit for something very important. You guys ask some incredible questions. Take Bruce for example. Looking at Bruce, you would not think that he was capable of asking a deep, head-scratching question, but he asked me one Sunday night, a question that I had never pondered.

Bruce asked me if I thought everyone saw the Star of Bethlehem, or if only the Magi, the wise men, saw it. Initially, my reaction to Bruce was that I thought everyone saw it, but did everyone see it? Let’s look at the mysterious star of Bethlehem, another incredible aspect of the Christmas narrative.

Numbers 24:17 “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.”

Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Balaam prophesies about a star coming out of Jacob and a King to come. Isaiah gives a time element to it. Isaiah says that the Lord will give a sign, the virgin would conceive, and then bear a Son named Immanuel.

My logic tells me that since Isaiah wrote his prophecies on scrolls that were were read by Jewish scholars, prophets, and Pharisees that God intended for the Jews to recognize the sign, but is my logic flawed?

How could the Jews miss it? As we examine the “star”, let’s see what we can discover. Was the sign visible to all? Was it visible to just the wise men?

(1) Who saw the “Star”?

The star of Bethlehem is associated with the birth of Christ and the visit of the magi (wise men).

Much to my chagrin, the text implies the star of Bethlehem appeared only to the magi in the East (most likely the area of Persia, or modern-day Iran). There is no biblical record of anyone else observing the star of Bethlehem.

Matthew 2:1–4 “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, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.”

Notice what the Bible says. The wise men saw the star, and Herod, upon hearing that, was troubled, but nothing indicates that Herod saw what the wise men saw. Now, that is something straight out of mystery science theater.

Recorded science talks about a super nova that was visible, but did the wise men see something different from what others saw?

The magi in the East saw something in the heavens—the star of Bethlehem—that alerted them to the fact that the Jewish Messiah was born. The magi do not call the star of Bethlehem by that name; in Matthew 2:2 they refer to it as being “his star,” since it was a sign to them that the King was born.

The star prompted the magi to travel to Jerusalem, the capital of Israel. This would be the logical place to start looking for the birth of the King of the Jews for someone who did not know of Micah’s prophecy about Bethlehem.

Now, here is where the star really becomes interesting.

Stars, and I am no expert, hold a fixed orbit for the most part until they burn out, but I want you to pay attention to this “star.” (Matthew 2:7-10)

Matthew 2:7–10 “Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.”

In Jerusalem, the magi visited King Herod and were told that the new king they were looking for would be born in Bethlehem, not in Jerusalem (Matthew 2:5). The wise men left Herod’s palace, and the star of Bethlehem appeared to them once again. In fact, the star “went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed”.

The star of Bethlehem, apparently mobile, led the magi to the precise place where they could find Jesus.

Modern portrayals of the Christmas nativity scene usually show the wise men visiting Jesus on the night of His birth. That is likely not what truly occurred. King Herod discovered from the magi the “exact time” the star of Bethlehem had first appeared to them (Matthew 2:7), and he later ordered all male children two years old and under in Bethlehem to be killed (verse 16).

Herod obviously thought the star of Bethlehem had first appeared when Christ was born; if he was right, then Jesus could have been up to two years old when the star of Bethlehem later guided the magi through the streets of Bethlehem.

The Greek word translated “child” in Matthew 2:9 can mean anything from a newborn infant to a toddler.

So, the magi may have first observed the star of Bethlehem the night of Jesus’ birth, or they may have first seen it up to two years beforehand. Either way, they found Jesus still in Bethlehem when they arrived. Joseph and Mary almost surely stayed in Bethlehem until Mary could travel again. In fact, they probably stayed there for the 40 days necessary to complete Mary’s purification.

Now, I hate to shatter your image of the nativity scene, but the Wise Men did not go to the manger.

Matthew 2:11 “And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.”

Luke 2:7 “And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”

A house and a manger in a stable are two different locations. Think about it logically. The fact that the magi came to a “house” rather than the stable makes sense because Joseph naturally would have moved his family to a more protected place as soon as possible—the morning after Jesus was born, in all probability.

After seeing the star of Bethlehem, the magi traveled to Jerusalem to look for the Messiah. The question arises, how would Persian magi know about the Jewish Messiah?

Undoubtedly, and I have no doubt about this, they would have been exposed to the writings of Daniel, who had been the chief of the “magicians” in Persia.

Daniel 4:8–9 “At last Daniel came in before me—he who was named Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods—and I told him the dream, saying, “O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery is too difficult for you, tell me the visions of my dream that I saw and their interpretation.”

I have no doubt that Daniel shared with the employees in his charge about the coming Messiah, and he shared with them the writings of Isaiah and the prophecies of Balaam that foretold of a star being the sign of that birth.

Daniel even gave them a timeline of the Messiah’s birth. As a matter of fact, he gave them the exact time.

Daniel 9:25 “Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time.”

The magi from Persia were expert mathematicians and astronomers.

They knew the stars and they knew mathematics, and they were looking for the birth of the Messiah based upon what Daniel told them, and they immediately recognized the sign as given, and if visible to the them, the Jews denied the sign because they were not looking for the Messiah that came.

Instead of looking for a redeemer, the Jews were looking for a Regent, and they missed Jesus altogether. The Apostle Paul describes the timing of Jesus’s birth.

Galatians 4:4–5 “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

Jesus was born at exactly the right time according to God’s calendar, and he gave the magi a sign that verified the identity of Jesus, the King of Kings.

But........

What exactly was the star of Bethlehem? If the magi recognized it for what it was, how did the Jews not recognize it? I am going to put forth a theory for you to consider, something that I have been pondering.

The Greek word translated “star” in the text is the word aster, which is the normal word for a star or celestial body.

The word is used 24 times in the New Testament, and most of the time it refers to a celestial body.

It can be used to denote angels, as in Revelation 12:4, where aster seems to refer to the fallen angels who followed Satan’s rebellion.

***Basic rules of biblical interpretation state that we should take the normal sense of a word unless there is compelling evidence to suggest otherwise. In that case, the star of Bethlehem should be considered an actual heavenly body.*** (Something fancy I learned from my doctoral classes!!! :) :) )

Many Bible scholars suggest a natural explanation for the star of Bethlehem, their theories ranging from a supernova to a comet to an alignment of planets. Something in the heavens provided a brighter-than-normal light in the sky. However, there is evidence to suggest that the star of Bethlehem was not a natural stellar phenomenon, but something unexplained by science which indicates to me that the phenomenon was targeted to the magi.

Remember, I have told you guys this before. There are no laws of science or laws of nature. There are God’s laws that nature and science follow, and as a Christian, you need to be careful that you do not become so scientific minded about the things of the Bible that you remove the faith from the equation that God demands. Consider this phenomenon for a minute.

The fact that the star of Bethlehem seemed to appear only to the magi indicates that this was no ordinary star. Also, celestial bodies normally move from east to west due to the earth’s rotation, yet the star of Bethlehem led the magi from Jerusalem south to Bethlehem.

Not only that, but it led them directly to the place where Joseph and Mary were staying, stopping overhead. There is no natural stellar phenomenon that can do that. So, if the normal usage of the word star doesn’t fit the context, what does?

The star of Bethlehem in Matthew 2:1–12 was likely an angel or a manifestation of the Shekinah Glory.

I want you to think about this before you dismiss it. In the Bible, is it possible for one person to see an angelic presence, and another person not see it?

2 Kings 6:15–17 “When the servant (Gehazi) of the man of God (Elisha) rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

Gehazi could not see what Elisha could see. Elisha could see the spiritual, created beings there to protect him, but Gehazi could not. How about this one?

Daniel 3:23–26 “And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire.”

Nebuchadnezzar saw something that the others did not see. He saw what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were experiencing.

I believe there was a phenomenon in the sky that might have been witnessed by all, but only the wise men saw the Shekinah Glory or angelic presence attached to it especially when you consider what the Shekinah means.

The Shekinah, which literally means “dwelling of God,” was the visible presence of the Lord.

Why would the Shekinah Glory appear to these men from the east and not the Jewish people? I believe it was because these men were actively looking for the birth of the King.

Prior to this, the most notable appearance of the Shekinah was the pillar of cloud that led the Israelites by day and the pillar of fire that led them by night.

Exodus 13:21 “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.”

The Shekinah can obviously lead people to specific locations, and it was seen later in connection with Christ’s ministry.

Matthew 17:5 “He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud (SHEKINAH GLORY) overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.””

Acts 1:9 “And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud (SHEKINAH GLORY) took him out of their sight.”

My thought after careful study is that either an angel or the Shekinah would match the description of the mysterious star of Bethlehem. All might have seen an astrological phenomenon, but only these magi from Persia saw the glory of God attached to it and recognized that it was the sign of the Savior’s birth as told to them by Daniel.

It shouldn’t surprise us that God would use a miraculous sign to signal the advent of His Son into the world. Those with eyes to see joyfully beheld His glory, and the magi had those eyes that were actively waiting on the birth of Jesus.

I want you to consider this in terms of the Lord’s return. The magi were actively awaiting the birth of the King. They knew it was time. Well, dear friend, should we not be actively awaiting the return of the One whose coming was sought by the Persian magi?

Did seeking the Savior make a difference in the lives of the magi? Should the imminent return of Jesus make a difference in our lives? The magi knew the signs. Christian friend, you and I know the signs too, and as the magi did, we should do in the waning days of human history. We should always seek Jesus.

As I close, do you know what tradition says about the magi? Tradition says that they returned to Persia, gave away all their wealth, and started preaching about the Savior who had been born, and I am telling you they will be in Heaven because they had the faith to seek out the Messiah who was born and trusted what Daniel had told them about Him.