Answer: The
Star of Bethlehem is associated with the visit of the magi (wise men) from the
East as recorded in Matthew 2:1-12. The text implies the Star appeared
only to the magi in the East (the “East” most likely being the area of Persia,
or modern-day Iran). There is no biblical record of anyone else observing this
phenomenon. The magi saw something in the heavens that alerted them the Jewish
Messiah was to be born (inMatthew 2:2 the magi refer to the star as being
“His star”). The Star prompted them to travel to Jerusalem, the Jewish capital.
This would be the logical place to start looking for the birth of the King of
the Jews.
Then the
magi were told that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, not in Jerusalem,
they left. Herod “sent them to Bethlehem” (Matthew 2:8). Upon their leaving
Herod, the Star that appeared to them in the East re-appeared and led them to
the place Joseph and Mary were then staying (Matthew 2:9). Modern portrayals of
the nativity scene show the wise men visiting Jesus on the night of His birth.
That is likely not what truly occurred. The fact that Herod had all male babies
two years old and under in Bethlehem killed (Matthew 2:16) indicates that up to
two years had passed since the wise men saw the star - and possibly since Jesus’
birth.
The Greek
word translated “young child” (Matthew 2:9) can mean anything from a newborn
infant to a toddler - Jesus may have been as young as one day old when the magi
visited, or He could have been as old as two years. Joseph and Mary almost surely
stayed in Bethlehem until Mary could travel again. In fact, they probably
stayed there for the 40 days necessary to complete Mary’s purification. From
Bethlehem, they could easily make the five-mile trip to Jerusalem for the
sacrifice for Mary’s purification (Luke 2:22). The fact that the magi came to a
“house” (Matthew 2:11) rather than the stable makes sense because Joseph
naturally would have moved his family to a more protected place as soon as
possible - the morning after Jesus was born, in all probability.
The Greek
word that is translated “star” in the text is the word aster, which is the
normal word for a star or a celestial body. The word is used 24 times in the
New Testament, and most of the time it refers to a celestial body. It can be
used to denote angels, as inRevelation 12:4, where it is used to describe the
fallen angels who followed Satan’s rebellion. However, aster is used in the
sense of “a celestial body” in Matthew 2. Basic rules of biblical
interpretation state that we should take the normal sense of the word unless
there is compelling evidence to suggest otherwise. In fact, many interpreters
have done as much by suggesting a natural explanation for the Star of
Bethlehem. Their suggestions range from calling it a supernova or a comet to
saying it was the conjunction of several celestial bodies which provided a
brighter-than-normal light in the sky.
However,
there is compelling evidence to suggest that the Star of Bethlehem was not a
natural stellar phenomenon, but something unexplained by science. That evidence
lies in what we’ve noted above. First, the fact that the Star only appeared to
the magi indicates that this was no ordinary star. Furthermore, the magi
traveled to Jerusalem because they were looking for the sign of the Messiah. How
would Persian magi know about the Jewish Messiah? They would have been exposed
to the writings of the Jewish prophet Daniel, who had been the chief of the
court seers for Persia. In Daniel 9:24-27 is a prophecy that gives a
timeline for the birth of the Messiah. Also, they may have been aware of the
words of the pagan prophet Balaam (who was from the town of Pethor on the
Euphrates River near Persia) in Numbers 24:17. Balaam’s prophecy
specifically mentions a “star coming out of Jacob.” Finally, celestial bodies
normally move from east to west due to the earth’s rotation, yet this Star led
the magi from Jerusalem south to Bethlehem. Not only that, but it led them
directly to the place where Joseph and Mary were staying, stopping directly
overhead. There is no natural stellar phenomenon that can do that.
So, if
the normal usage of the word “star” doesn’t fit the context, what does? What we
likely have in Matthew 2:1-12 is a manifestation of the Shekinah
Glory. The Shekinah, which literally means “dwelling of God,” was the visible
presence of the Lord. The most notable appearance of the Shekinah is recorded
in Exodus 13:21. The Shekinah was the pillar of cloud that led the
Israelites by day and the pillar of fire that led them by night. The Shekinah
fits all of the biblical evidence available in Matthew 2:1-12. The
Shekinah can appear to specific individuals, it can disappear and re-appear, it
was seen in connection with Christ’s ministry (e.g., Matthew
17:5; Acts 1:9), and it can lead people to specific locations. It
shouldn’t surprise us that God would use a miraculous sign to signal the advent
of His Son, the Messiah, into the world. .(courtesy: GotQuestions.org)
