Can you explain the star of Bethlehem? I can’t.
Do you give much thought to stars? The North Star (a cluster of three stars referred to as Polaris) is predictable: because the axis on which the Earth spins lines up almost perfectly with Polaris, the North Star (visible to those of us north of Earth’s Equator) appears never to move in the sky—while all other stars appear to rotate around it each night in a counterclockwise fashion. For centuries, sailors have used the North Star to navigate at sea. In fact, not only can you navigate by the stars, but an informed sailor can tell time by them as well. The night sky holds a tremendous amount of information for those who care to master it.
What was God’s purpose for stars, moons, comets, and other celestial bodies?
“Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and they shall serve as signs and for seasons, and for days and years. And they shall serve as lights’ … God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night. He made the stars also” Genesis 1:14-16.
God gave us the sun for daylight, the moon for nightlight, and the stars “to serve as signs and for seasons, and for days and years” v.14. The sun and moon are most important, but stars play a role. Sometimes they “serve as signs.” If ever a star might herald one of history’s most important events, could there be a more worthy event than the birth of the Messiah? And who better to be persuaded by a star than the professional astrologers from Persia more commonly known as the magi, the three kings, or the three wise men? They showed up in Jerusalem after following a star for two years:
“Where is He who has born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east and have come to worship Him?” Matthew 2:2.
How did these Persian star-gazers know a Messiah was coming to Israel? Because 500 years earlier, the Jews had spent 70 years living in Babylon. Clearly some of the locals were persuaded to follow the Jewish God. Some believe the star was prophesied: “A Star shall come out of Jacob” Numbers 24:17[1].
A better question is how could a star lead anyone to a specific place?
One might easily follow a star in a westerly direction. But after visiting King Herod, the astrologers left Jerusalem to walk to Bethlehem (a village five miles away) and the star re-appeared, “it led them until it came and stopped above the place where the Child was” Matthew 2:9.
To lead them to a specific house, this star must have been something supernatural.
It would have to be small, and close enough to the ground that it floated over the house somehow. I’m sure there are many ways God could pull off this miracle of nocturnal navigation, but one thing is certain: this was no ordinary star.
Why did these non-Jews see the star and know its meaning, while no one in Israel was aware of it?
What sort of a star was it that could lead them to a specific house?
Was the star prophesied or not—and if not, what made these men so certain they would commit months to this caravan to Israel?
And what was God’s purpose in revealing the birth to Persians—men old enough they might die before Jesus would begin his public ministry?
Did they return to Babylon telling everyone about the baby to whom they gave priceless gifts including gold? –And how did they choose such gifts? Who gives incense to a newborn, even a newborn king?
And then an angel appeared to these men, warning them not to tell Herod about the baby.
And the same night an angel appears to Joseph telling him to run away to Egypt.
Why Egypt? What was God’s purpose in having Jesus spend his earliest years a fugitive in a land of pagan idols?
There are so many mysteries in the early pages of the New Testament. The incarnation: God Himself takes on human flesh and becomes a man. Emmanuel—GOD WITH US.
God has given us so much information. His word is an amazing record. But there are mysteries, nevertheless. As Paul writes, “this mystery is profound” Ephesians 5:32. There are some things we cannot explain. A star? That leads men to a tiny house in a tiny village? Are you kidding me? What is God doing? As Hamlet said, “there are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” All the commentaries, all the systematic theology textbooks in the world cannot answer questions God has chosen not to answer.
–And you know what? I LOVE THAT. I love the fact that there are so many mysteries. That leaves room for God’s grace. Because here’s the thing: there are mysteries in my life. There are mysteries in your life. There are mysteries all around us! We have questions for God every day, and of course, He knows all the answers. But He lets us rest in the not-knowing. I have come to love that so much. And I love Him for that. I love God, in part, because He does NOT give me all the answers. And, after all, loving God is the whole point.
We love Him. And He loves us. “This is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”
ΑΩ
[1] I read Numbers 24:17 as a prophecy of a man who would be like a star, not a prophecy of an actual star. However, SOMETHING caused these Persian astrologers/astronomers to understand that the star they saw was a definite sign of the birth of “He who has been born king of the Jews.” They were right about the star, and God clearly used the star to lead them to Bethlehem.
Household Words: 