But did God reject them? Did he condemn them for their mixed up ideas? No, God helped them in their search. They were staring at the stars and God gave them a star. They were searching in the wrong places but at least they were searching. They somehow had a sense that the God of the Jews was about to do something great by sending a supreme ruler.
They were watching the stars for some sign of it. And when God gave them the sight of the Christmas star they set out to find the newborn King.Maybe you are like those Magi. You're looking for something significant but you're often confused. You're looking for love and destiny and the supernatural. But you're not quite sure where to look and you end up looking in the wrong places. You look at the stars or your palms or some cards or tea leaves or a fortune cookie or a lucky number or some strange coincidence in your life. None of these is a good place to seek ultimate reality. They are not good places to search for God.
And yet the fact that you're searching means that something is stirring inside you and that God may be about to help you find what you're looking for. I know of some strange cases where people were doing things they had no business doing but they ended up getting what they considered to be a sign from God and they ended up finding the Lord. God met them on their own turf-- strange turf, even sinful turf--but God met them there and gave them a sign. From there they searched for answers in the Bible and ended up coming to the Lord Jesus and worshiping him.
God could have judged the Magi for their astrology, and he could certainly judge us for our superstitions. But God in his mercy often meets us where we are even in the midst of our confusion. He meets us where we are and he leads us to where he wants us to be- on our knees before Jesus.
The Magi started with a star but once they arrived in Jerusalem they needed to know more about where the promised king was supposed to be born. They said, "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?" Where was the answer to their question found? In the Scriptures. The chief priests and teachers of the people, the leading experts on Scripture, knew the answer as soon as they were asked. They knew that centuries earlier the prophet Micah had written that the ultimate ruler of Israel would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).
That's all the Magi needed to hear. Now they knew from God's Word what they needed to know. They headed for Bethlehem and the Christmas star confirmed what the Bible had said about Bethlehem. They saw the brightness of the star as they neared the place where the baby Jesus was and as the King James Version puts it, "They rejoiced with exceeding great joy." Those Magi weren't just pleased. They weren't just happy. They weren't just joyful. "They rejoiced with exceeding great joy." The star that had started them on their journey was now signaling that they had arrived.
Related Categories of Christmas season
A Message of Christmas star
The Journey Ahead
A True Christian
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