A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that we would conclude our Christmas sermon series by focusing on the wise men who found Mary, Joseph and Jesus by following the “Star of Bethlehem.” Although this event occurred much later than most people realize, the wise men and the star are essential parts of the Nativity Story. So, let’s jump into Matthew’s account of how this all took place. Matthew begins by telling us: 1 “Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 ‘Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw His star as it rose, and we have come to worship Him.” 3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, ‘Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?’” Matthew 2:1-4 (NLT2)
Now, at this point, King Herod politely excused himself from the wise men and had a private conference with his advisers. Herod didn’t know much about the prophecies in God’s Word, for he was basically ignorant in religious matters. But, he was all too familiar with political matters. One thing that he knew for sure along those lines was that if a “newborn king” was anywhere nearby, it was one king too many from his perspective. So, Herod wanted to learn as much as possible about the prophecies concerning the Messiah’s birthplace. This information would be useful in order to more ably interrogate the wise men about their knowledge of this “newborn king of the Jews” whom they deemed worthy of their worship. The Jewish religious leaders in Herod’s court informed him that the prophet Micah predicted the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.[1]
Armed with this information, Herod re-engaged the wise men. Herod assured them that if the Messiah had come, they’d surely find Him about 5 miles down the road heading south to the little Judean village known as the “city of David.” At this point, we begin to see the sinister plan that was evolving in Herod’s mind. He plied enough information from the wise men to determine when they had first seen the “star” they were following. (We’ll touch upon the significance of this inquiry a little later.) Matthew’s Gospel goes on to say: “Then he told them, ‘Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find Him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship Him, too!’” Matthew 2:8 (NLT2) Thinking that King Herod was on the “up-and-up”, the wise men exited the palace. To their great surprise and delight, the star that had temporarily become invisible reappeared to them. But, then an odd thing happened. The star stopped its westerly course that they had been following, and headed due south. They’d never seen any star do something like that before! In any event, they were encouraged because the star was moving toward Bethlehem consistent with what Herod and his advisers had indicated was the proper place for the Messiah to be born. Then, the star did another remarkable thing. It came to a dead stop over a residence there in Bethlehem.
Here is what happened next: 11 “They entered the house and saw the child with His mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.” Matthew 2:11-12 (NLT2) When Herod discovered the wise men had outsmarted him, he was enraged. He reacted by issuing one of the most barbaric orders in human history. Listen to what Matthew tells us: “Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance.” Matthew 2:16 (NLT2) But, God had not sent His Son into the world only to have someone like Herod killed him. (No—that would be done according to God’s plan by another wicked leader. Pontius Pilate would have this child crucified 33 years later.) In the meantime, God was faithful in protecting Mary, Joseph and the Christ Child. Joseph was warned in a dream to escape to Egypt with Mary and the little-boy Jesus just in time to avoid the slaughter of all those toddlers and babies in Bethlehem. Now, let’s quickly consider several questions that emerge from this narrative describing the wise men, the Star of Bethlehem and Jesus’ very early childhood.
Question No. 1: So, who were these wise men? Well, the Greek word used for “wise men” is magŏs (μάγος,mag´-os), which is roughly the equivalent of an “oriental scientist.”[2] The Scripture states they were from “eastern lands” which means they were from regions east of Jerusalem—how far east, we do not know. Many New Testament scholars believe they were astrologers from Persia (modern day Iran) or southern Arabia.[3] But, it may well be that these wise men were a collection of ancient scientists which included some from much further away. Note that Herod’s conversation with the wise men suggested that, after they discovered the star, it had taken two years for them to finally get to Jerusalem. It wouldn’t take two years to get from Persia or Arabia to Jerusalem. But, a group of wise men from somewhere like China or India would have taken up a much longer travel time. So, by the time they studied the star, headed west toward Jerusalem and joined up with other wise men along the way, it could have taken two years to get there.
And, note that the Scripture does not indicate exactly how many wise men there were. Traditionally, the assumption has been that there were only three of them because of the three gifts that were delivered to Mary. But, it is certainly possible that a much larger number of wise men could have come and offered a gift from each group or country from which they came. For example, one gift may have been from those coming from Persia, one from those of India and a third from those of China. With this being the case, there could have been a fairly large group of wisemen who followed the “star” to Bethlehem.
Question No. 2: When did the wise men arrive in Bethlehem? In a previous sermon, I mentioned that the wise men did not reach the Christchild until about two years after Jesus’ birth. This information isn’t mere speculation, but is provided within Matthew’s description of the events. Notice that, on the night of Jesus’ birth, the shepherds found Him lying in a “phatnē,” (φάτνη, fat´-nay) which is the Greek word for “manger”[4]—referring to the kind of feeding trough you would typically find in a barn or stable (Luke 2:16). But, by the time the wise men came to Bethlehem, Joseph and Mary apparently were able to secure better living quarters because Matthew 2:11 states that the wise men found Jesus inside an “οἰκία” (ŏikia, oy-kee´-ah) which is the Greek word for a house or residence.[5] So, obviously, some significant amount of time had passed between the time Jesus was born in the stable to when He was moved into a house. But, how much time was it?
Well, Matthew provides us with a clue when describing King Herod’s order for his soldiers to kill the babies in Bethlehem. Matthew 2:7 says that when Herod first spoke with the wise men he “found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.” From this discussion, Herod determined that the star’s first appearance marked the time of the Messiah’s birth. Also, remember that Herod later discovered the wise men had ignored his request to return to him with information regarding Jesus’ exact location in Bethlehem. In Matthew 2:16, it tells us: “When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity WHO WERE TWO YEARS OLD AND UNDER, in accordance with THE TIME HE HAD LEARNED FROM THE MAGI.” Matthew 2:16 (NIV) So, Herod had all boys two years old and younger killed to make certain he got rid of this “king of the Jews” who might threaten his own throne. This can mean only one thing: The wise men did not arrive in Bethlehem to find Jesus in a house until two years after Jesus was born in the stable. In other words, after they first observed the star, it took them two years to gather sufficient information to understand the star’s meaning, then gather themselves from their respective countries and complete the journey to Jerusalem.
Question No. 3: How did the wise men know about the “king of the Jews?” Well, it is apparent that they, or their ancestors, had been exposed to Jewish religious teachings at some point in time. And, if the wise men (or at least some of them) hailed from Persia, then they would have likely been familiar with the prophecies of Daniel. Daniel was an Old Testament prophet who was among the Jews taken into Babylonian exile. Through God’s hand, he eventually became the chief of the sages serving in the royal Persian court. These Persian sages may well have heard Daniel’s prophecies related to the coming birth of the Messiah.[6] In addition, Daniel may have shared with these Persians serving under him the prophecy given by the Prophet Balaam who predicted: “I look into the future, and I see the nation of Israel. A king, like a bright star, will arise in that nation. Like a comet, He will come from Israel.” Numbers 24:17a (TEV) When the wise men, who were reputed to have a great interest in astrology, saw this “bright star” shining toward Jerusalem, they were naturally inclined to investigate further. And so, they did.
Back when Daniel shared God’s Word with the Persians working under him in the royal court, little did he know that he had planted the seeds that would one day lead the wise men to Bethlehem to worship the Savior of the world! This is a great lesson for us. Always share the Gospel Message whenever the opportunity arises. Be prepared to plant the seeds of God’s Word with whoever you meet. Depending upon to whom you may be witnessing, it may seem like it’s a waste of time. But, always be mindful of the fact that the Holy Spirit is at work and can do some amazing things in the hearts of those who listen. For the Apostle Paul said: “It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.” 1st Corinthians 3:7 (NLT2)
Question No. 4: What “in the world” was the “Star of Bethlehem”? Well, the short answer is this: It was “NOT OF THIS WORLD” (just as Jesus was “not of this world”[7]). Nevertheless, there has been much speculation about the nature of the star that the wise men were following. The early church leader Origen thought that the Star of Bethlehem may have been a comet—possibly Halley’s Comet that was observed in 12 B.C. Or, some have connected the sighting of the star with a comet that was reported in ancient Chinese records dating back to 5 B.C. Others contend that the star was a supernova, or exploding star, similar to one Johannes Kepler reported in 1604. Another popular theory is that the star was actually the conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Saturn (and possibly Mars) that occurred in 7 B.C. and 6 B.C.[8]
But, there are some fundamental problems with these theories because celestial objects follow constant courses. They don’t typically change direction or disappear and then suddenly reappear without explanation. And, they certainly don’t come to a stop as the Star of Bethlehem did over the house in which Jesus was located. In fact, this “star” must have descended to a very low altitude in order for the wise men to have distinguished Jesus’ residence from all the other houses in Bethlehem. With this being the case, attempts to link the Star of Bethlehem with these natural phenomena simply fail to explain what the wise men observed and were so intently following. So, if the “star” was not a natural phenomenon, then it must have been a supernatural one.
To see this, we need to understand that the Greek word astera (ἀστέρα) in Matthew’s Gospel does not necessarily mean a “star” in the modern sense of the word. It can refer to any blazing or shining object.[9] If we look to the Old Testament, we find that this same gleaming light the wise men followed also led people in the past to where they were supposed to be—just as Jesus leads us today to where we are supposed to be. In this regard, this “star” took the form of a pillar of fire and led the Israelites in the Wilderness toward the Promised Land.[10] But, instead of being referred to it as a “star,” this pillar of fire was understood to be the Shekinah (Shĕ kī´ nah) glory of God.[11] Any time this Shekinah light appeared, it was an indication of God’s nearness and presence displaying His glory and power.[12] And, it was God’s glory, shining brightly that is referred to as the “Star of Bethlehem.”
Now, the interesting thing is this: Not everyone could see the Star of Bethlehem. A careful reading of the Scripture indicates that only two groups had spiritual eyes that were equipped to see this Shekinah glory of God. They were the shepherds who saw “the glory of the Lord” all around the angels who appeared to them, [13] and these wise men who followed the Star to Bethlehem. When King Herod, his religious advisers and the “troubled”[14] people of Jerusalem, peered into the night sky, they couldn’t see it—for they were spiritually blind. This is consistent with Jesus’ later assessment during His ministry when He said: “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” John 3:19 (NIV) The important question for all of us is not whether we can see the Star of Bethlehem in the sky. Rather, ask yourself if you can feel the love of Jesus in your heart—for if you do, then you are walking in His Light. If not, it’s time to open your eyes and come out of the darkness.
Question No. 5: What prophecy are the wise men connected to? The wise men’s journey is a foreshadowing of something that is yet to happen in the future. In the Book of Revelation, it says that when Jesus comes again, he will reign as King in Jerusalem and the brilliance of God will shine so brightly that all the nations will “walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor” before Christ.[15] In the meantime, we are stuck with worldly rulers who languish in as much immorality and spiritual darkness as King Herod when he had all those innocent babies slaughtered in Bethlehem. Look in our society today where about 1.2 million unborn babies that have been aborted in this country during this past year alone[16]—all with the support of many of our state and federal leaders. But, there are other indicators beyond the abortion issue that point to just how far our society has plummeted into spiritual darkness.
A week ago on an episode of Saturday Night Live, comedian Colin Jost mentioned the name of Luigi Mangione as part of the show’s “Weekend Update” comedy routine. As you may know, Mangione is charged with the murder of United Healthcare CEO, Brian Thompson who was publicly gunned down in New York City. At the mention of Mangione’s name, the audience burst into cheers and applause, apparently in support of him and his alleged crime.[17] In regard to the sanctity of human life, many people in America today are as spiritually blind as the people of Jerusalem in King Herod’s day. Like never before, this nation needs to turn back to our Savior Jesus Christ and start following His Light out of the darkness.
QUESTION NO. 6: Now, there is one more question to consider concerning these wise men. The question is this: Why did God have the wise men included in the story of Jesus’ arrival in this world? The answer lies in the fact that their participation teaches us an extremely valuable lesson. Bear in mind that the Gospel of Matthew was written to reach a largely Jewish audience. But, these wise men were Gentiles. To hear that Gentiles traveled hundreds or even thousands of miles just to find Jesus and were the first to worship Him must have been shocking for the Jews to hear. The point is, God’s grace is extended to everyone. You don’t have to possess any specific religious pedigree—like the Jewish residents of Jerusalem had. And, it does not matter where you come from or where you’ve been. God reaches out to you wherever you are and in whatever condition you may find yourself—just as He reached out to the wise men. When God extends His grace to you, you are under an obligation to respond one way or the other. You either decide to accept His offer of salvation or you reject it. Herod, his religious advisers, and the people of Jerusalem stayed right where they were. They refused God’s grace and remained spiritually blind. They will eternally suffer the consequences of their chosen state of blindness.
But, the wise men were so very different. They accepted God’s offer of salvation and were drawn to Jesus in Bethlehem. And, being drawn to Him, they didn’t just stay where they were. No—they mounted their camels and embarked on a long journey and found the Christchild. And, when they bowed down and worshipped Him, they came into His “Light.” Their spiritual eyes were opened, and they knew that the long trip was more than worth it. In “Light” of all this. . . are you a “wise man” or “wise woman” today? If not, it’s time to wise up and come to the only One who offers a way out of worldly darkness. In the Book of Revelation, Jesus identified Himself as “the bright Morning Star.”[18] Take a tip from the wise men, take up your cross and follow that brilliantly shining Star today! If you will do that, at the end of your journey, you (like the wise men) will find the House for which you’ve been searching . And, in that Heavenly House, you will find a room—it’s the most wonderful room you’ll ever enter. For it is the one Jesus has prepared especially for you to reside in His Kingdom for all eternity![19]
Let us pray.
Darvin Satterwhite, Pastor
Forest Hill Baptist Church
December 29, 2024
©2024 All Rights Reserved as follows:
Anyone is at liberty to use this sermon or any portions thereof for educational or religious purposes, with or without credit. The pastor believes the material presented herein to be true to the teaching of Scripture, and desires to further, not restrict, its potential use as an aid in the study of God’s Word. The publication of this material is a grace ministry of Forest Hill Baptist Church in Louisa, Virginia.
Visit us on our Face Book page at https://www.facebook.com/4409sspotswoodrdgordonsvilleva.
[1] Micah 5:2 “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past.” (NLT2)
[2] Strong, J. (1996). In The New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words. Thomas Nelson, 3097.
[3] Kenneth L. Barker, ed., NIV Study Bible, 2008 Update ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "Chapter 2".
[4] Strong, J. (1996). In The New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words. Thomas Nelson. 5336: φάτνη, phatnē, fat´-nay.
[5] Strong, J. (1996). In The New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words. Thomas Nelson. 3614: οἰκία ŏikia, oy-kee´-ah. See also: “What was the star of Bethlehem?” Gotquestions.org, https://www.gotquestions.org/star-of-Bethlehem.html [accessed 12-24-2024].
[6] See Daniel 9:24–27 which provides a very complex prophecy is given that provides a timeline for the birth of the Messiah.
[7] John 8:23-24 23 [Jesus told the Pharisees:] “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.” (NIV)
[8] Neil Rees, “What was the star that the wise men followed?” Christian Today, https://www.christiantoday.com/article/what.was.the.star.that.the.wise.men.followed/142479.htm (December 23, 2024).
[9] Matthew Ervin, “The Star of Bethlehem Was the Shekinah Glory,” Apple Eye Ministries, https://appleeye.org/2013/12/15/the-star-of-bethlehem-was-the-shechinah-glory/ (December 15, 2013).
[10] Exodus 13:21-22 21 “By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. 22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.” (NIV)
[11] Kevin D. Zuber, “Exodus,” in The Moody Bible Commentary, ed. Michael Rydelnik and Michael Vanlaningham, (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 2014), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 134.
[12] Chad Brand, Charles Draper, Archie England, ed., Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003), s.v. “SHEKINAH,” WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
[13] Luke 2:8-9 8 “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and THE GLORY OF THE LORD SHONE AROUND THEM, and they were terrified.” (NIV)
[14] Matthew 2:3 “ When King Herod heard this [i.e., the wise men’s news], he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.” (NIV)
[15] Revelation 21:22-26 22 “I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.” (NIV)
[16] Carrie N. Baker, “U.S. Abortions Continue to Increase, Fueled by Telehealth and Shield State Providers,” Ms. Magazine, https://msmagazine.com/2024/10/28/ usa-abortion-increase-telehealth-bans/#:~:text=The%20total%20number%20of%20abortions%20obtained%20nationally%20through,just%20three%20years%2C%20despite%20abortion%20bans%20in%2014 (October 28, 2024).
[17] Zara Woodcock, “Piers Morgan hits out at 'disgusting' SNL audience as they clapped for Luigi Mangione,”
Mirror, https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/piers-morgan-hits-out-disgusting-34362695 (December 23, 2024).
[18] Revelation 22:16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star.” (NLT2)
[19] John 14:2 “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.” (NIV)
