FOLLOWING THE STAR

 

FOLLOWING THE STAR

Matt. 2:9-10  After this interview the wise men went their way.  Once again the star appeared to them, guiding them to Bethlehem.  It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was.

     The Magi, or wise men, were from an eastern land, probably Persia.  Scripture leads us to believe they were probably astrologers.  They were knowledgeable men who studied the stars and were able to recognize the various things they saw.  In verses one and two, we are told that they had seen an unusual star in the sky that they knew was from God to lead them to the King of the Jews, the promised Messiah. 

     These men were not ignorant of the Scriptures.  We can only speculate, but probably their knowledge of the Scriptures goes back to the time of Daniel, who was an exiled Israelite relocated in Babylon.  Daniel rose to a position of great prominence in Babylon and had a great influence in the land for the Lord.  He lived and taught the Scriptures all throughout his life in captivity.  In all likelihood, Daniel’s teachings were passed down from generation to generation.  We never know what kind of an impact we will have on future generations.  If we are faithful to live godly lives, we can influence many, many people we will never know for Christ.

     There are a couple of interesting questions that jump out at me.  Did anyone else besides the Magi see the star?  If so, did anyone else in Persia understand what they were seeing?  Did Herod, the reigning emperor, see the star?  If he did, Scripture seems to lead us to believe he had no idea what he was seeing.  Did anyone else in the region see the star?  Why didn’t others follow the star?  You would think that a star that stopped over a particular house would have grabbed a lot of people’s attention.

     This amazing event happened at least two years after Jesus had been born.  Mary and Joseph had settled into a home.  By then, they had adjusted to the life of early parenthood.  They had had time to deal with the uniqueness of their situation, being the parents of the Christ-child.  I kind of wonder as well whether or not Joseph or Mary had gone outside and seen the star hovering over their home.  All kinds of things were going on in their lives that simply are not recorded in the Scriptures.

     It took the Magi at least two years to make the journey to Bethlehem, two years of crossing the desert to think about what they were going to see.  I am sure that it was a journey filled with much discussion and contemplation.  Although they did not know where the star would end up leading them, they followed the star, knowing that it was from God.  They did not let circumstances keep them from their determination to follow where the Lord was leading them.  I wonder how many of us are just as determined to follow the Lord wherever He leads us.

     The Magi followed the star and God did not disappoint them.  They found Christ and worshiped Him.  All who seek Christ will find Him.