Brightest Star

The Brightest Star

By Touching Lives

“After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.” Matthew 2:9-10

The Magi, or Wise Men as they are more commonly known, are common in Christmas decorations, songs, plays, and nativity sets. Many people, however, do not truly understand their part in the first Christmas. The Greek word for “wise men” is the word that gives us “magic,” or “magician.” These “wise men” were experts in studying the stars. Today, we call them “astrologers.” Astronomy and astrology were a part of the same overall study and went hand-in-hand.

The Wise Men were ancient astrologers from Babylon (modern day Iraq). At that time in history there were still many Jews living in Babylon from the time the Babylonian Empire captured Israel; so the Wise Men would have been quite familiar with Biblical prophecy. As star experts, they definitely knew this prophecy in Numbers 24:17: “A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.” From this prophecy they knew the Messiah, who would be the King of the Jews, would somehow be associated with a star, so they followed it all the way to Jesus.

There has been a lot of speculation about exactly what the Star of Bethlehem was. Some say it was a comet or a super-nova. Others say it was a conjunction of planets. The best explanation I have read is that it was an angel with a giant flashlight! The truth is we don’t know all of the astrological details. But we do know the most important detail about this star – it pointed the way to the brightest Star the world has ever known.

Father, Thank You for Jesus…the Star that came out of Jacob, just like You promised. May my heart always be filled with joy when I look upon Him. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.