(9) The Star and the Wise Men (Matthew 2:1-12)
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in
Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi [traditionally, Wise Men] from the
east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king
of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him’
” (Matt. 2:1,2).
How did they learn of the birth of Jesus? Perhaps
it was by open revelation, similar to the shepherds’ angelic visitation.
It is likely too that a general acquaintance with Scripture (for example,
Daniel’s “seventy ‘sevens’ ”: 9:24) had prepared
them to expect great events in Israel at about this time in connection with a
king.
“From the
east”
Where did they come from? Popular opinion favors
either Babylon, known for its wise men and astrologers, or Persia, where some
faint light of truth might have persisted from the days of Daniel. Another
suggestion should be considered, since it is based more upon Biblical allusions
than are the others: that “the east” refers to Arabia.
Consider:
David speaks of the king of Israel (Solomon in
the first instance, but more especially Christ) receiving gifts from subject
peoples, including the kings of Sheba and Seba (Psa. 72:10), which are Arab
lands. Specifically, the king of the Jews would receive gold from Sheba (v. 15;
cp. Matt. 2:11).
Isaiah’s words (chapter 60) have been noted
already by Simeon, as a prophecy of light brought by the Messiah to the Gentiles
(vv. 1,2; Luke 2:32). Isaiah, however, saw also that the nations would come to
the light (60:3), and this is precisely what the wise men did. (If there is any
doubt that the light of the Lord refers to the Messiah, it is dispelled by
reference to Isaiah 59:20, 21, the opening verses of the prophecy: “The
Redeemer will come to Zion”.) These Gentiles would bring presents, which
are enumerated in Isaiah 60:6,7: camels of Midian and Ephah; gold
and incense from Sheba; flocks from Kedar; rams from
Nebaioth. (These are all Arabian names.)
One cannot refrain from musing that wise men from
the same areas today would bring the precious gift (at least to the
industrialized world) of oil. On further reflection, such a thought might not be
so far-fetched after all. History could repeat itself in the near future, when
the King of the Jews returns to Israel.
Both Psalm 72 and Isaiah 60 mention that the
Gentiles were kings. In this case, the common Christmas tradition has some basis
in Scripture. However, it has been rightly remarked that just one line of a
popular Christmas carol may contain three inaccuracies: the “three kings
of Orient” were certainly not from the Orient, strictly speaking; they may
or may not have been kings; and the only reason, rather fragile, for supposing
they were three in number is that three gifts are mentioned. So much for
songwriters as Bible students.
The star
No matter what nation they came from, or whether
or not they were kings, we may be assured that they traveled a considerable
distance on the basis of rather scanty knowledge. Perhaps they trekked through
great cities, and past shady oases, which would beckon them aside from their
single-minded mission. Perhaps they met discomfort and hardship in the pursuit
of their goal, but they would not be deterred. In their determination they
brought to God and His Son an even greater gift than gold —
obedience.
Possibly the wise men did not start their journey
together, but came from different places and, as strangers, met along the way.
Possibly each one was drawn in a unique way to embrace the common quest. They
may have had little in common otherwise; they may even have been irritated by
one another’s company. Such matters could, however, be set aside; they
must ride together, for they followed the same star, and they were wise men.
Being wise they accepted the rough with the smooth, and submerged their
temporary problems in their eternal desires.
The problem of the star has taxed the ingenuity
of countless scholars, who might have done better to spend their time on more
spiritually beneficial questions. Their suggestions include a comet, a meteor, a
planetary conjunction (several choices offered), and a supernova or star
explosion. Each of these natural phenomena proves deficient when the facts of
the narrative are considered. What do we know, for certain, about the star
?
It was seen by the wise men, and could be
followed to Judea. This argues for some sign which would have remained in the
heavens for a considerable time, and rules out meteors and most
comets.
The star first pointed them or led them to
Jerusalem (v. 1). It is difficult to see how some ordinary star could lead
followers to a precise location. Still less do the above suggestions mesh with
the other details listed below.
The star was apparently not seen by Herod (v.
7).
It disappeared from the wise men’s view
after they reached Jerusalem (v. 8), then reappeared suddenly when they started
toward Bethlehem (v. 9).
Thus the star changed direction. First it moved
westward, and then southward.
It was a moving object. It “went ahead
of” the wise men (v. 9), leading them as a procession.
Then it stopped (v. 9).
This sequence, carefully analyzed, rules out
every natural explanation. The details of the activity of the star, however,
call to mind a miracle from the Old Testament. The star, sometimes visible and
sometimes invisible, led its followers, changed direction, and at times stopped.
This is exactly what the “Shekinah” glory of Yahweh — the
pillar of fire and cloud — did for the children of Israel in the
wilderness. It led them, changing direction, sometimes stopping for long
periods; finally, of course, it disappeared. Here, then, is a simple,
Bible-based explanation of the star of Bethlehem: it was the Glory of God which
carefully led the wise men to Bethlehem, where they found the greater
“glory” of God manifested in human flesh.
“Where is
he?”
Having come as far as the capital, Jerusalem, the
wise men naturally inquired in the city about the one born as king. This just as
naturally came to the attention of Herod the Great, a shrewd, malevolent, and
jealous man. “He was disturbed”, and when a wicked ruler given to
murderous fits of temper was disturbed, it is easy to imagine that all Jerusalem
was disturbed along with him (Matt. 2:3).
Who was this man, who could disturb a city with a
frown? He was an Idumean by birth, though he accepted the Jewish religion out of
expediency. He inherited Galilee from his father Antipater. His skill in
suppressing dissent won him recognition in Rome, and he was rewarded with the
gift of Judea. He had reigned about 36 years by this time, and was notorious for
his cruelty. Cold-blooded murders of in-laws and relatives were commonplace,
culminating in the public execution of his wife, Mariamne, and the strangling of
their two sons. These last acts — atrocious even by Herod’s
standards — seem to have driven him into fits of depression and madness
during his last few years.
Herod gathered together those who would be
expected to know the Scriptures and inquired of them where Messiah should be
born (v. 4). The answer was, of course, Bethlehem (vv. 5,6; Mic. 5:2). This
information, coupled with the time factor learned from the wise men (v. 7), gave
Herod all he needed to instigate the murder of the male children of Bethlehem
who were under two years of age (v. 16). Meanwhile, he was all smiles to his
visitors:
“Go and make a careful search for the
child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship
him” (v. 8).
What a lie it was! In one sense, however, it is a
lie of which any of us might be guilty. If we let others search for Jesus on our
behalf, and wait complacently for their return, even in all sincerity, they may
never come back to tell us where he can be found. Jesus must be sought for
personally. We cannot delegate responsibility for our salvation to anyone else.
It is a measure of the cunning of Herod that the
wise men suspected nothing of his motives. God, however, warned them in a dream
that they should not return to Herod. After their visit they bypassed Jerusalem
on their way home (v. 12).
Other Scriptures
“After they had heard the king, they
went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them
until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star,
they were overjoyed” (vv. 9,10).
Other references to this scene occur in
Scripture. Balaam the prophet saw a Star coming out of Jacob, and a Scepter
(i.e., King)... rising out of Israel (Num. 24:17), who would be, among other
things, “greater than Agag (Herod?)” (v. 7).
New Testament references apparently incorporate
this “Star” into fuller prophecies of the manifestation of the Son
of God:
Matthew 24:30: Since Christ’s first
coming was witnessed by a literal “sign of the Son of man in
heaven”, the suggestion should not be dismissed outright that
Christ’s second coming will also be announced by some literal heavenly
sign. No dogmatism is possible here, and there can be no question that signs in
the political heavens will also play an important part in preparing a people to
meet the Lord; but (“first literal, then figurative” being a sound
principle), the more literal possibility should not be
ignored.
Revelation 16:12: Meshing with the Lord’s
reference to a sign in heaven, there is his reference (through John in the
Revelation) to the “kings of the east” coming to him. Again,
dogmatism before the fact is out of the question, but such correspondence
between Scripture passages is often (we could almost say, always) more than
coincidence.
Revelation 21:22-26: Gentile kings appear again
near the end of the Apocalypse. In response to the revealed “glory of
God” (v. 23), they bring the gifts of their glory and honor (vv. 24,26)
into the city lightened by the Lamb. Christ himself assumes the role of the
“Star” in 22:16.
Following the star
Like the wise men before us, we, if we are wise,
follow the “Star”. We travel a long road, we know not how long, and
unless we keep the “Star” in view, and wait for its direction, we
may be lost along the way. Perhaps we began our journeys in company with parents
or other older pilgrims. Trustfully we followed them, until we could see the
“Star” for ourselves. It may be that our first guides have fallen
asleep and been laid to rest along the trail, but we their
“children” continue our pilgrimage, knowing that at the
journey’s end we shall find those who preceded us. It may be that the wise
men of the east will be there too, having completed another journey, to find at
the end, not a baby in a crib, but a king upon a throne.
The gifts
“On coming to the house, they saw the
child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they
opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and
of myrrh” (Matt. 2:11).
No longer is the family in a stable; they are now
resident in a house, indicating a passage of time since Christ’s birth of,
perhaps, as much as two years (vv. 7,16), and the establishing of a more
permanent residence in Bethlehem.
A brief chronological note: the common
misconception that the Magi arrived at the stable on the heels of the shepherds
is refuted, not only by the above points, but also by this: had they brought
their valuable gifts before the temple presentation (Luke 2:22-38), then surely
Joseph and Mary would have offered the best and not the poorest
sacrifice.
The bringing of gifts by the Magi is probably the
origin of the modern custom of gift giving at Christmas. Significantly, however,
the gifts were given to Jesus and to no one else.
The gifts which the wise men gave to Jesus, along
with their loving adoration, are figurative of the service we can all give to
our Lord:
Gold is used by the Apostle Peter in his
exhortation (1 Pet. 1:7) as representing the preciousness of a tried faith.
Faith, until it has been purified by experience, persecution, and hard choices,
is of little value. Our faith at the end of the journey will be a worthy gift to
lay before Christ, precisely because it will have been perfected in the fiery
trials of our probation.
Incense represents the prayers of the saints
(Psa. 141:2; Rev. 5:8; 8:4) which, like the clouds of smoke from the altar of
incense, rise in praise to God. No greater gift can we give to God than our
thanks and praise.
Myrrh is bitter, yet also purifying, soothing,
and cleansing. Thus it speaks of self-sacrifice.
The gifts given to Jesus were also indicative of
his mission in life, and revealed an awareness of this on the part of the
givers. In reverse order the three gifts foreshadow the three stages of
Christ’s redemptive work: (1) the myrrh: his death (Mark 15:23;
John 19:39); (2) incense: his mediatorship, interceding for the saints in
their prayers to God, and (3) gold: his kingship, at his second
coming.
What happened to the gifts? Since they were very
valuable, it is possible they all served an immediate purpose in financing the
unplanned flight to Egypt and the sojourn there. But the myrrh, at least, so
eminently testified of Jesus’s eventual sacrifice (Mark 15:23; John 19:39)
that it can easily be imagined that it was kept for that purpose. The mind
flashes forward thirty-three years to Golgotha, where Mary — a sword
piercing her own soul — looks from afar upon her crucified son. What more
fitting than the thought that she carried with her that myrrh given to Jesus so
long before. “To this end was (he) born”, and now the gift of the
Magi sealed in death the perfect life whose beginning they had witnessed in
Bethlehem.
“They saw the child with his mother
Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him” (Matt. 2:11).
Let us come with reverence into the presence of
Jesus, and lay at his feet all we possess.