“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod, the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east and are come to worship him. When Herod, the king, had heard these things, he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where the Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea; for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah; for out of thee shall come a Governor that shall rule my people, Israel. Then Herod, when he had privately called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.” Matthew 1:1-7 KJV
“For we have seen his star…” This star may not have appeared as we look upon the sky today and see God’s handiwork. Rather it may have been a splendor or radiance, a brilliance that appeared to the Magi as a star. They saw this extraordinary star, of which they had not seen before. They took this to mean an extraordinary person was to be born in the land of Judea, over which this star, someone said, was seen to hover, in the lower regions of the air. Whatever appearance it had, it was surely created by God.
In his commentary, Matthew Henry wrote, “Arabia is called the land of the east and the Arabians are called men of the east. The presents they brought were the products of that country; the Arabians had done homage to David and Solomon as types of Christ; that Jethro and Job were of that country; that they were kings.”
The Eastern Magi, most likely astronomers, believed a star would rise in the east shining in great brightness. Herod, having learned the expected birthplace of the Messiah, sent for the Magi and questioned them in great depth as to the exact location. Do not confuse Astrology with astronomy. Astrology is the study and use of the sun, moon, stars etc. to predict the future. Astronomy is the study of God’s handiwork outside the earth’s atmosphere. Astronomy does not go against Scripture, rather, it complements it as can be read in Psalm 8:3 KJV: “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou has ordained…”
“And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.” Matthew 2:8-10 KJV
The Zohar, a Hebrew word meaning Splendor or Radiance, is a literary work of Jewish mystical thought and includes commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah. One passage reads, “A star will rise in the east which is the star of the Messiah, and will remain in the east fifteen days.” When the star appeared they rejoiced with joy unspeakable!
Although there is no mention of how many Wise Men or Kings there were, the assumption is that there were three, based on the fact of the three gifts: 1) gold, 2) frankincense, and 3) myrrh. Today, the 12th day of Christmas, January 6th is Old Christmas Day or Epiphany. It is a Christian festival, this historical day, in which the Wise Men, these distinguished foreigners were the first religious figures to worship the infant Jesus Christ.
“And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him; and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts: gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.” Matthew 2:11 KJV
The Magi, after paying court to the Messiah, and presenting Him with gifts (as all Easterners did when they came before princes or the great) received a warning in a dream from above to return to their own country without reporting back to Herod.
“And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.” Matthew 2:12 KJV
No other mention is made of the three Kings or their countrymen; their purpose had been served. What is important is that they did not question the meager cottage where they found the Christ child and His mother, Mary. They did not question, “Is this babe the King of the Jews, the Savior of the world?” Rather, they fell down and worshipped Him. These Wise Men were so wise as to see beyond this veil to the hidden message.
Eternal GOD, this holy season shines forth with the brilliance of the Gift of YOUR SON. May the hope and peace represented by HIS birth live in our hearts forever; may the joy HE brings to our hearts inspire us to share the Good News. Thank YOU for YOUR SON and the multitude of blessings we enjoy every day. In JESUS name I pray, Amen.
kandpthrock 