The Shining Star of Bethlehem

The Shining Star of Bethlehem

Signs in the Sky
By Molly Hall, About.com



This week I watched as my daughter and her class re-enacted Jesus birth. I felt proud as I saw my daughter playing one of the three wise men. She was grinning ear to ear as she sang, “Joy to the World” in front of all the parents. I remembered being young myself and acting out the same scene on stage in elementary school, although I played one of the shepherds. The traditions that we learn at a young age definitely stick with us well into adulthood and hold a special meaning in our hearts.

There is no doubt that the three wise men saw something in the sky that night when they were walking in the desert. Whatever they saw forever changed human history and to this day is researched by astrologers, astronomers, scientists and Christians. The knowledge or experience that the wise men had was so powerful that they were overtaken with a strong intuition in their heart, mind and soul to follow what is called, The Star of Bethlehem.

How did they know to follow this star? Some believe that they were astrologers that saw a conjunction of planets and knew it signaled the birth of a special child. Or were they chosen by God to follow the signs in the sun, moon and stars. We need to remember that in Luke 21:25, Jesus told the disciples there would be signs in the sun, moon and stars upon his return to earth. It makes sense that there would be signs signaling his birth. Was it a star at all? If it was not a star, then it might be something much more than we could comprehend.

According to the Bible in Matthew 2:1 it states, “During the time of King Herod, “Magi” came from the East to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” Guided by the star these men found baby Jesus and worshipped him and even brought him gifts which we know as gold, frankincense and myrrh. Who were the wise men? In the Bible these men were called Magi and the earliest meaning of this word is associated with Zoroastrians and the definition states, “one with the ability to read the stars, and manipulate the fate of the stars foretold.”

There is no doubt that the three wise men had the ability to read the stars and God influenced them to worship Jesus according to scripture. Scripture even states that they had a dream that warned them not to return to King Herod and they listened to the dream. They had a special mission and purpose that was part of God’s plan to bring into existence his own essence to walk among the people as flesh. The current belief that astrologers worship the stars is an inaccurate interpretation of the Bible. This special story that makes Christianity what it is today proves how these “astrologers” were respectful of God and worshipped the special child born that night in a manger. It is clear that they did not worship the star that led them there.

Many scientists and astronomers have tried to figure out what star the wise men actually saw. Some have thought that maybe it was a nova or a comet. Whatever they saw was only known to them because King Herod did not notice it until the wise men asked him about it. It is evident that these men had specialized knowledge of the stars and the signs in the sky.

There are many hypotheses out there. One of the most influential was by Johannes Kepler who believed that there was a conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Saturn at this time. It is thought to have occurred in 7 B.C. In ancient times, this symbolism is connected with the prophecy of the coming Messiah amongst the people at that time. The planet Jupiter was associated with “kings” and the planet Saturn is known as the planet that rules the Jewish people. Put these words together and you have “King of the Jews.”

In the Jewish temple of Jerusalem it is believed that the twelve signs of the zodiac were inlaid in its floor. According to historian Flavius Josephus, stamps were even issued with the zodiac signs on them and they were representative of the twelve tribes of Israel. The three wise men definitely were interpreting the sun, moon and stars the night that Christ was born. It is no wonder because at that time in history, astrology was practiced openly and not in secret.

In the book of Genesis 1:14-15 it states, “And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as SIGNS to mark the seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the Earth.” This verse is the definition of tropical astrology and the four cardinal signs of the zodiac that start the seasons of the year.

The signs that start the four seasons are Aries, Libra, Cancer and Capricorn. The first sign of the zodiac is Aries which occurs in the spring when flowers start to bloom and its polar opposite sign Libra starts in the fall, when the leaves are falling off the trees. Capricorn starts the winter season when things die and become cold, while it’s polar opposite sign Cancer starts the warm summer season.

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There is no doubt in my mind that the story of the three wise men is important. Some scholars argue that this story is a hoax and made up. Whether this story is true or merely symbolic, the fact remains that astrology was used in ancient times and was something given by God to help the people at that time.

If the story is made up, the writer went into great detail about how these astrologers searched for God, worshipped him and even helped save his life from King Herod. They are heroes in my book and I would like to believe that they were astrologers. As a Christian myself, I thank these wise men for following that star and listening to the dream that warned them not to return to Herod.

Can you imagine how different history would be today if these men did not follow that star and if they ignored the dream they had? Christianity today might not even exist and because of their bravery Jesus was protected.

The Star of Bethlehem changed the course of history and the wise men were chosen to find it. They were given the knowledge by God who created the heavens and stars. Nothing in the Bible happened by chance and many Christians have to acknowledge this story as scripture supports it. This story is no different than other stories in the Bible that are completely accepted. It shows that these magi were not persecuted by God, but were actually chosen to find the special child born that night. They listened to the dream that God gave them and therefore saved Christ from danger. These men were chosen by God just like Moses, Jacob and Daniel.

Many Christians take certain biblical verses as complete fact and ignore other verses that suggest a different opinion. Sometimes we can be blinded by our own fears and only focus on the verses that resonate with our own belief system. If we are going to take every verse in the Bible as one hundred percent fact and use it to judge others, then we need to look in the mirror and truly look at all verses as having equal importance and truth. Not just the verses that we feel fit our mindset and vision. We must look at all verses as relevant and true. The problem comes in when these contradict themselves.