A Star Sign for Jesus?
6 minutes to read
Stars are everywhere. About 200 billion trillion of them. They are all around us all the time. Then, December comes around and the stars come closer—much closer. Where I live, every other house hangs up one of them and it has become a staple in Christmas decorations, at least in India. There are bells and jingles, trees and lights, a manger here or a snowman there, and a star… always. Stars are everywhere around this time.
Rarely, though, do we stop to ponder the place of the star in the Christmas story. Unlike the tree, the star is an actual object in the biblical narrative of the birth of Jesus. But what is the “star of Bethlehem”? The symbol—as a Christmas decoration—is all too familiar; its signal is not. The star is present. But does it serve a purpose? It does.
The Sign in the Skies
Now, the Bible assumes that celestial bodies, such as stars, can function as signs. They do not cause earthly events as the heretical nonsense of astrology teaches (Job 31:26–28; Deut 17:2–5). But they can contain messages. That much is biblical. The first few verses of Psalm 19 and how Paul quotes them in Romans 10 will make for a fascinating study—if you would like to explore the subject. Or, consider Genesis 1:14, “... let [lights] be for signs…”. Or, how about Luke 21:25?
The proof is presented: your King is born in lowly Bethlehem. How will you respond?
When we come to the birth narrative of Jesus found in Matthew 2, four times, in the short episode of the magi visiting baby Jesus, a star pops up (vv. 2, 7, 9, 10). Scientifically,1 this phenomenon was most likely a conjunction—a close approach of two celestial bodies—of Jupiter, the king of the planets, and the star, Regulus (which takes its name from the word root which yields our word ‘regal.’).2 The celestial phenomena in Matthew 2 was a royal dance in the skies.
It is well worth pausing in appreciation for a God who choreographed that celestial dance to keep a 1400-year-old promise He made. Numbers 24:17 reads, “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come forth from Jacob…”. You see, every now and then, God flexes. This time, some pagan men from the east caught a glimpse and set off from home. Somewhere, these wise men seem to have had an exposure to the Scriptures of old. Perhaps from the remnant Jews in Babylon? That is why they identify it as the star of a king (v. 2) and not just a king but the star of one born a Jewish king. It is not the star of one who is born to become a king. Whoever he is, he has been born a king. And the star is His! That is where the magi start and where we should start too: the star is a sign, and it is a sign for King Jesus.
Now, a king is ordinarily expected to be born in the capital of a kingdom. So, the magi show up in Jerusalem to pay their respects not because the star guides them to Jerusalem. But they do because of their natural, logical interpretation of its message.
Except, Matthew has a twist up his sleeve.
The Seal of the Scriptures
No sign cannot stand alone. They confirm what the Scriptures reveal. And Matthew crafts the narrative of this episode to expose that very interplay between general and special revelation. If the genealogy (1:1–17) is the biological proof that Jesus is the Messianic King and the episode where they flee to, and later return from, Egypt (2:13–23) is the typological proof of the same, here is the astronomical proof—signed in the skies, sealed by the Scriptures.
He sets a grand sign up above the world so high only to turn all our gazes to so low a setting as Bethlehem
But the seal is not as expected. The king who has been born is not in Jerusalem. In fact, the expectant arrival of the magi sends the whole city into a frenzy of sorts. Where and, perhaps more importantly, who is this king?! Now, it is important to clarify that the wise men did not misinterpret the sign of the star. It was imperative to God that the wise men show up in Jerusalem. Because that gets all the elites into a huddle. And irony or not, God employs this trembling, disbelieving group to parse the scrolls and provide the seal (vv. 4–6). The reading of Micah 5:2 fills the court. Everyone in the Jewish capital now knows: their King has been born… in lowly Bethlehem. Once again, as He does so often in the course of providence, God subverts human expectations, even in this brief episode. He sets a grand sign up above the world so high only to turn all our gazes to so low a setting as Bethlehem.
This is where the narrative turns. Here, Matthew presents a fork in the road. The proof is presented: your King is born in lowly Bethlehem. How will you respond? Will you humbly worship a condescending King or will you deem His lowly coming to be worthy of your mockery, at best?
The magi’s response is clear. That is why, when the star reappears and stops (v. 9), they are deliriously joyful. Their quest has found a happy ending. The star was His after all! So, it made way. Having served its purpose, it was no longer needed. For now, they are in the presence of the Star, the King himself. And they worship Him (v. 11)—face down and all.
The Sum of the Story
But what of Herod, of the chief priests, of the scribes, of the populace? Herod offers to ‘worship’ this King (v. 8) only to make an attempt to murder him soon after (vv. 7, 16). The religious elites seem to remain indifferent here. But, soon they will also turn into a murderous outrage (ch. 27, the only other time Jesus is called the King of the Jews in Matthew). The sign may have been indisputable. The star refers to the King of the Jews, even to them. But they are all found disbelieving of the seal of the Scriptures, to the lowliness of His chosen estate. And so, they cannot worship Him; they would rather mock.
What about you? Stars are everywhere. Especially as December is already here. But, what for? If, to you, it merely refers to Christmas in some generic way, then you have seen the star and ignored its signal. You have looked at the decoration and dulled yourself to its designed directive. What a pity.
But all is not lost. Stars are everywhere. Christmas is here again. Maybe this time, for once, you will see the star and consider its sign for what it is?
- While the star may not have been a meteor, some strongly argue for it being a supernova, a star explosion as a possibility. C.f. When They Saw the Star | The Institute for Creation Research
- C.f. The Star of Bethlehem
