“…and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.” Matthew 2:9
Over 2000 years ago some wise men showed up in Jerusalem looking for the Messiah. They inquired, “Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.”
Nothing happens in Jerusalem without Herod hearing about it. He ‘invited’ these wise guys over under the pretense of learning about celestial horoscopes. His invitations weren’t always for a banquet. Ancient manuscripts hint he had gallows installed next to his throne for entertainment value. The Magi found out that following stars has risks. After the interrogation they ease out the back door to return home.
Last Christmas I show up in a village gift shop looking for a gift. Some small hand towels hang limply on a wire rack by the door. They are engraved with a variety of witticisms and epigrams. One, obviously prophetic, reads: “Three wise men? Really?” In today’s supercharged culture, who would disagree?
The Greek word for ‘wise men’ is magoi, a derivation of a Persian word for “men expert in the study of the stars.” Curiously, there is no feminine gender for this word. In English, the transliteration of ‘magi’ means ‘a sorcerer.’ Its proximity to the word magic or magician can’t be ignored.
Consider the wisdom of these caravan sorcerers following a star looking for anything, much less a coming King. Can our imagination reach into the heavens? If so, then imagine an American President summoning some itinerant, camel-riding star-gazers to the West Wing to inquire about anything. Once there was a star-gazing former First Lady. Astrology has strange disciples. Which might tend to support the idea of ‘wise men.’ Whatever.
Stars are pinholes of light in the primordial eternal blackness. Some resemble recognizable patterns of constellations like bears, dogs and dippers. They circle in the black sky and have been reliable guidance systems for centuries. Sadly, celestial navigation has pretty much gone the way of slide rules and flip phones.
I once knew a fellow who lived in a high rise condo in Atlanta. With his telescope he developed an intense interest in stars. Unfortunately, the bright city lights tended to block out most of them. Frustrated, he took to studying heavenly bodies in the windows of neighboring condo towers. His study of celestial shapes ended abruptly one evening by a knock on his door. It remains a low point in his study of stars.
Circumnavigating the globe by dead reckoning or by celestial navigation has fallen out of favor. Notwithstanding the lack of utilization, their accuracy is no less diminished. The sky is now full of new stars: satellites. GPS is the star for guidance as much as tweets are the stars of confusion.
Stars are everywhere. There are movie stars, sports stars, rock stars, rising political stars, financial stars…you-name-it. Heck, even you might be a star in your own constellation. We follow these stars too, searching for something to worship. Sooner or later we follow them to their funerals. They shine briefly like beacons, then dim and finally fade into the blackness of night like burned-out supernovas.
Today it would be a sign of lunacy to admit that a star is leading us to some undisclosed important destination. Many have faith in the Lottery star, the one promising the illusionary pot of gold. Some of these people are even Dawg fans.
The Sages of Scripture had an uncommon faith, the kind that trusted a star to lead them to the Messiah. It begs question as to the guidance system of our faith in these troubled times. Which stars are we following?
Tonight in the moonless sky the brilliant stars sparkle in a vast canopy of ebony. I marvel at the mystery of the stars, an enigma no less awesome than the faith of the Magi.
Inside, our Christmas tree illuminates the ever-encroaching darkness with hundreds tiny points of light. An angel observes from its lofty perch. In times like this it’s possible to unite with the Magi in their mission: “When they saw the star they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.”
Do stars still guide us to places where profound happenings are being born? I ponder this question, even as I already know the answer….Jesus is just not that hard to find. Joy to the world!
Merry Christmas
Bud Hearn
December 21, 2017