The Lord’s Messages
- 01/08/2025
The Lord’s Message: The Star Still Shines
Date: January 5, 2024
Where: Tilghman Methodist Church
Scripture Reference: Matthew 2:1-12Today, we are celebrating Epiphany. The actual celebration date is January 6. So, technically we are celebrating it one day early. I hope that you will forgive me for this.
The celebration of Epiphany is, for us, remembering that the wise men, magi, saw a star in the east and went to follow it, because they believed the star announced the coming of a king. When they had found Jesus, they knelt down and offered Him their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Many people have wondered about the star. Today, we are going to explore this event in great detail and find out if the star still shines.
Let us pray.
Let us first begin with the star. What was the star that appeared over Bethlehem to signal the birth of a new king, Jesus? Some astronomers have theorized that it was a comet. Others that it was one of the five planets that are visible with the naked eye, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter. Some have said that it was a star that went Super Nova. The best explanation, in my opinion, is from A.Z. Katz, in her book From Babylon to Bethlehem and Back Again. In her book, she explains in great detail, and backed by a lot of research, that the star is a combination of Saturn and Jupiter. I will not go into all the detail. You can get her book and read it or watch the podcast called Tipping Point where she discussed the star and other subjects related to Epiphany with Jimmy Evans.
Another subject that they were discussing was the wise men. Michael read to you that the word for wise men in the NIV Bible is magi. Now, most Bible scholars believe the book of Matthew was originally written in Hebrew and later translated to Greek. But in both Hebrew and Greek the word for wise men comes from the Persian word, “magos.” In Persia, the word magos means wise men who are well educated, astronomers, counselors, and administrators. Remember our study on the Book of Daniel? In Daniel 2:45b-49, King Nebuchadnezzar put Daniel and his friends in positions of leadership in his kingdom, because of the wisdom that God had given to them. When the Medes and Persians took over the kingdom, they kept Daniel in that position because they recognized that Daniel was incredibly wise and could help lead their government, just as he had done for the Babylonians.
Another point that we need to bring into all of this comes from the Book of Esther. After being in exile for 70 years King Cyrus, the Persian king, allows the Jewish people to return to Jerusalem. We find in the book of Esther that not all of the Jewish people return to their homeland. It has been estimated that 750,000 Jews were still living in Persia during the events in this book. At this time, the kingdom of Persia was nearly a million square miles and extended from India to Ethiopia. The Jews were spread out all over this kingdom. Even today, they are still spread out all over this area.
Now the second point that we need to consider is that who would have been concerned about the birth of Jesus. We know that Herod the Great was. When the star disappears, the magi come to King Herod. This would be Herod the Great. Herod is a Jewish king who has been appointed by Rome to govern Judea. The magi are following the star to lead them to a Jewish king. Look at verse 2. After the star disappeared, the magi reasoned that if you want to find a Jewish king, then you come to Jerusalem, the capital of Judea. Look at verses 3-8. Herod is not concerned that the baby is Jewish. Herod is concerned that the baby is taking over his kingship. The Romans are not concerned about this Jewish baby. The Egyptians are not concerned about this Jewish baby. No one is concerned about the Jewish baby being born in Bethlehem, only the magi. A common baby to a common couple in a common place.
Their reason for finding the child is to worship Him. “We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” Who are the magi? They are Jewish wise men who have traveled from the former Persian empire to worship the King of Kings. God is the one Who is sending them, just as God used His angels to send the shepherds to see the birth of His Son, Jesus. In Luke 2:17, the shepherds went and told everyone what they had seen and heard concerning the birth of Jesus. Even though they had done this, it seems that this announcement was ignored. There is no mention that this causes a stir. In fact, King Herod did not even know that Jesus had been born. So, word did not travel to Jerusalem, even though it is only a little over 6 miles. It is only after he has been outwitted by the Magi in verse 12, which was really God’s doing, does he act and act brutally. He has all the baby boys two years old and younger murdered in Bethlehem and its vicinity, Matthew 2:16-18.
These wise men are following the star. The star that God has placed in the sky for them to follow to find His Son. As Jesus says in Matthew 7:7-8. Their trip is not in vain. They have sought for the Messiah; they find the Messiah. Look at verse 11.
But which is the true star, some heavenly planet or star, or Jesus? John 1:1-5. Jesus was the star, He is the star, and He will be the star. He is the one who points us to God. There will come a day when all people recognize Jesus as the Son of God. As Paul says in Philippians 2:10-11.
Why didn’t people back then recognize Jesus? They did not believe that the Messiah would come as a baby to a common, but faithful, couple, Joseph and Mary, in a common place called Bethlehem. They did not think that God would announce this to only a few shepherds on a hill outside of Bethlehem or write it in the sky for all to see, but only give the knowledge to a group of Jewish wise men from Persia. Still today, people have a misconception of God. They either believe that God is controlling their life or that God does not want to have anything to do with them.
If God is in control of their lives, then God is causing all the bad things which happen to them. They are simply pawns for God to use at His own pleasure and discretion. If they would only come to know God. They would discover that God created them in His own image and God loves them and wants the absolute best for them. In Romans 8:28, Paul says that God wants the very best for us. God sent His Son to die for us on the cross, to pay the debt of sin that we would all have to pay. God loves us, so very much. The bad things that happen to us is because we live in a fallen world, because of our sin. God loves us so much that God allows us the choice of whether to follow Him or not. God does not control us. We are not His pawns. We are given free will because God loves us.
The second misconception is If God did not want to have anything to do with us, why would He want to have a relationship with us. The first two chapters of the Bible is about God creating us to have a relationship with Him. The last two chapters of the Bible are about God restoring the relationship with us. In between, starting in chapter 3 of Genesis, is about us falling away from God because of our sin, but God still loving us. The wonderful word that is used at Christmas and we need to remember throughout the year is Emmanuel, God with us. That means that God is with us everywhere. God is with us in church, but God is also with us when we are driving our vehicle. God is with us when we are brushing our teeth. God is with us when we are at work. God is with us when we are sleeping. God is with us when we are at play. The Apostle Paul knew this. He says in Romans 8:37-39. Preacher Jimmy Evans says that God is comfortable with us in the common of our lives.
Let us stop all the misconceptions that we have about God. Instead, accept Jesus, the Star in our hearts. Our lives will never be the same. The Star still shines. So in this new year, let us continue to read our Bible, live the Bible and be the Bible for others, so the Star will shine out of us. Amen.