NATIVITY By Mike Herron

Chapter 15: WISE MEN FROM THE EAST - Matthew 2:1-12 (December 28 th )

od used the sign of a star to guide the wise men to the Scriptures which pointed them to the Savior and finally to safety through a warning in their dreams. 1 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” Herod was the son of an Idumaen (Edomite) convert to Judaism and his mother was an Arabian. Reigning over Judea from 44 to 4 B.C. he was never accepted by the Jewish people as one of their own. The wise men, magos, were ‘learned men and priests who specialized in astrology and the interpretation of dreams, and in some cases magical arts.’ 1 600 years earlier, Daniel had become the leader of this caste of wise men in Babylon because of his successful interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams. ‘Daniel replied, “there are no wise men, enchanters, magicians, or fortune-tellers who can reveal the king’s secret. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets…’ (Dan 2:27) The wise men’s question Where is the newborn king of the Jews? was a premonition of the coming crucifixion of Jesus. Pilate had a sign fastened to the cross above his head: ‘This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.’ (Mt 27:37) The mention of His star denotes that the birth of Christ was both unusual and yet expected in the Gentile world. Natural explanations include the arrival of a comet such as Halley’s in 11 B.C. or a conjunction (aligning) of the planets Jupiter and Saturn causing them to appear as one bright star. ‘In 5-4 B.C. Chinese astronomers reported a nova, the birth of a star, that was visible