Worship the King • Matt. 2:1-12
By Carl M. White
The two main symbols of the Christian faith are like great parenthesizes of the life of our Lord — the cradle and the cross. These represent the two great Holy Days of Christianity, Christmas and Easter. Though the cross and resurrection are more significant, the cradle receives by far the most attention. It is not hard to understand why. Any day of the week, Santa beats the daylights out of the Easter Bunny.
Yet, buried under the mountain of commercial and cultural Christmas traditions lies simple but profound stories rooted in historical events. Like, for instance, the account of the Magi who came from the East and the star they followed.
Matthew’s text is scant on details. Commentators say the term Magi refers to a priestly class of ancient Medes and Persians who would have been mathematicians and astrologers, learned men who studied the heavens. But all Matthew tells us is they were Magi come from the east.
He writes, “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him’” (Matt. 2:1-2 NASB).
The reign of Herod helps date this event in history. It had to have happened before 1BC because the best evidence points to this as the year of Herod’s death. We know the visit took place after the birth, but how long after? Verse 11 says the visitors “came into the house.” Not a cave nor a stable, but a house. Joseph had marketable skills. The word “house” suggests they had enough time to find a place to live.
The word Magi is plural, meaning more than one. One Eastern Christianity tradition says there were twelve. A more recent legend speaks of three and even gives them names. The number three is likely arrived at because of the three gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. In truth, all we know for certain is there was more than one. They likely traveled in a caravan.
Then there is the Star of Bethlehem. The Wise Men make their appearance in the Christmas Story because of a mysterious star they saw in the heavens. History is full of speculation about the star. Some dismiss it as just an imaginative tool made up so the story line is more spectacular. Others believe it is a celestial miracle, never to be repeated. Others have looked to the heavens to see if they can understand what happened. Was it a comet, an eclipse, or perhaps a super nova?
Again, the text of Matthew is lacking in detail, but from the text we can note these five realities concerning the star. First, it signified a birth! Second, it told of a king! Third, it was related to the Jewish Nation! Fourth, it rose in the East! And fifth, it was subtle enough that Herod’s wisemen had not taken note of it, but evident enough that these wisemen followed it.
Craig Chester, who co-founded the Monterey Institute for Research Astronomy in California, put together a team of astrologists to study the Star of Bethlehem phenomenon. Could there be an astrological event or series of events that fits with Matthew’s account of the star?
In 1992 Chester presented the results of the study of the Star of Bethlehem at Hillsdale College. These results were later published in Hillsdale’s monthly magazine Imprimis. By the way, Salon calls Imprimis the most influential conservative publication you’ve never heard of.
Chester’s research suggested that a series of planetary motions and conjunctions from 3BC to 2BC, involving Jupiter, Venus, Mercury, Mars and Satern possibly are the Bethlehem Star. He added that a movement, called the late retrograde motion of Jupiter, could create the appearance that the star stops and moves in a different direction, thus the movement over the city of Bethlehem. This fits with the report of Matthew (Chester, Craig. “The Star of Bethlehem.” Imprimis, December 1993, 22, 12).
At the end of the day, it is not about a scientific explanation of the biblical text. It is whether you believe by faith that Mary’s child was born of the Holy Spirit and is the Savior of the world. Like the wise men, will you seek the King, will you find the King, and will you bow down and worship the King, Christ the Lord?
White is a member of Pineview Church, Clinton.
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