The Star of the East
When we think of Christmas, we think about gifts, our family, trees, and cookies, but some people don’t soak in the Jesus is the REASON for the SEASON narrative that has never been any truer.
Christmas Day is to commemorate the Birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In the Christian Faith, you must acknowledge and BELIEVE that Jesus is the Son of God who died for our sins (John 3:16) and ascended into Heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father to reconcile us to the Lord (Romans 8:34).
Chapter 2 in Matthew recounts the Magi, the Wise Men visiting Jesus after He was born.
Wise Men from the East
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
6
‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”
7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”
9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.
The Escape to Egypt
13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
18
“A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.”[d]
19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”
21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.
I did not understand the symbolism of the Star in the East until a Bible Study we had about the deceptions of Free Masonry and its false implications in the Christian Faith. Upon trying to write this I was led to Matthew, and I read how the Star in the East led the wise men to Jesus to worship Him as our Savior and yet protected them from the evilness of King Herod.
When I think of a star, I think about how BRIGHT they shine at night. I remember being younger and asking my grandma for a telescope to look at the stars. My telescope did very little to help me understand the way the stars aligned but reminded me of their light in our dark sky.
Oxford Languages defines the word Shine as a verb:
to direct light somewhere in order to see something in the dark
This definition exemplifies the purpose of Jesus coming to Earth, hence the reason we celebrate the Day He Was Born.
Just for some context, Jesus was and still is a NECESSITY! When sin first entered the world (Genesis 3), the Lord knew that His people would become slaves to sin (John 8:31-34; Romans 6), meaning we would be controlled by our sins. To continue to live in sin is to allow your life to be dictated by the wrong you do.
Let me give you an example that my Sistee always tells us:
If a person is a thief, they will be one of the most stingiest people you will ever meet. Or a liar, will always be cautious of what someone else tells them because they know how they are. The sins that you become yoked to will lead what you think, say, and do (Romans 6:12) unless you become delivered from them through Jesus Christ (John 3:17). Living a life of sin presents one with one option, death (Romans 6:23). But the Lord’s Will is not for anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9) and for us to be free from the yoke of sin (Galatians 5:1). Being the gracious father that He is, He sent Jesus so we could be delivered from letting the darkness of this world rule over our lives (John 8:36).
The assistance of Jesus in fleeing darkness was shown after the wise men reached Jesus after following the Star. In verse 8 we see Herod, saying one thing with underlying intentions, or LYING which the Lord warns us not to do (John 8:44, 2 Corinthians 11:14-15). Herod told the wise men that he wanted to come and worship Jesus which we see was not his plan in the later verses. Herod ordered all the boys in Bethlehem to be killed since the wise men did not tell him where Jesus was. If the wise men would have gone back and told Herod where Jesus was, Herod would have come to kill Him not worship Him.
In verse 12, it says that the wise men were divinely warned not to go back which attests to them being led out of the darkness (Herod’s evil agenda) by the Light of the Lord.
To me, this story highlights perfectly the whole reason for Jesus’ being was to lead His people out of a dark world and into a life of light (John 8:12)! The Star in the East that led the wise men is the same Star that leads you and me; our Savior Jesus Christ. He leads us out of the darkness that is given by the world (1 John 5:19).
It is no coincidence that we decorate our houses with lights and top our trees off with a star because this is what Christmas truly is about! The Birth of Christ is to be celebrated because now we are set free from darkness and brought forth to the Light! With Jesus, we can enjoy the lives that He called us to have more abundantly. We have hope and victory to overcome the despairs of the world (1 John 5:4)!
I urge all who are reading this to rejoice not only in gifts and family, but rejoice in the fact that our Joy comes from the Most High God (Psalm 16:11)!
May Peace be with you and your families as you enjoy your Christmas! I pray the Lord touches you all and that you were able to gain wisdom and insight into the Lord’s Goodness!