Rev. David Holwick ZO Matthew's Christmas
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
December 24, 2006
Matthew 2:1-10
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I. The famous astronomer of West Lafayette, Ohio.
A. The 1986 appearance of Halley's Comet.
I bought a department store telescope at a yard sale.
I got star maps from the local newspaper and trudged up
a hill outside of town.
Trudged: hauling a bulky telescope, in the dark, on a
dirt path.
After setting up, I pointed my dinky telescope to the
correct spot and there it was: a smudgy cottonball.
My bigger discovery: I could see the comet better from my
own driveway.
I saw it even better when I plunked down $1,500 for a
new 8" Schmidt Cassegrain telescope from Celestron.
That was a lot of money for a young pastor!
Since that cold night, I have viewed at last 38 other
comets.
But I'll get to see Halley's again - when I am 106.
Scientists tend to call them "dirty snowballs."
Laypeople often call them Messengers of the Heavens.
B. Halley's Comet is famous, but the star of Bethlehem is more so.
1) Every planetarium in the country has a Christmas show
about it.
2) Yet there are many questions as to what it really was.
3) Even more important -- what does it mean?
II. Who were the "Magi"?
A. Ancient Persian word for soothsayers (magicians/astrologers).
1) They probably came from the area of modern Iran and Iraq.
2) Word also occurs in Acts 13:6,8 of a pagan magician.
3) Other "magi" had a better reputation.
a) The prophet Daniel was the head of the magis in his day.
B. Some believe the astrological association should be downplayed.
1) Astrology is consistently condemned in Scripture.
a) But the text merely says they saw a star and tied it
with a Jewish king.
b) There is no mention of planets, horoscopes, or readings
of the zodiac. God gave them direction. Matt 2:12
2) However, the pagan prophet Balaam makes a similar prophecy
on the basis of magic, and God uses it. Numbers 24:15-19:
Then he uttered his oracle: "The oracle of Balaam son of Beor...
"I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near.
A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of
Israel....
A ruler will come out of Jacob and destroy the survivors of
the city."
a) His prophecy associates a star and a Jewish king.
b) It may have been this prophecy that influenced the magi.
1> Jewish exiles in Babylon could have made the
connection for them.
C. They were religious leaders, not kings.
1) "Kings" was read into the passage from Psalm 72:10,11,15
and Isaiah 49:7.
Psalm 72:
The kings of Tarshish and of distant shores will bring
tribute to him; the kings of Sheba and Seba will
present him gifts.
All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve
him.
Long may he live! May gold from Sheba be given him. May
people ever pray for him and bless him all day long.
Isaiah 49:
"Kings will see you and rise up, princes will see and bow
down, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the
Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you."
2) Seven centuries later they were given the names Caspar,
Balthasar and Melchior. (And they were given camels)
D. No one knows how many there were.
1) Ancient paintings in catacombs list 2 to 14!
2) Three has been inferred from the 3 gifts: gold, frankincense
and myrrh.
3) Gold is a gift for a king, frankincense is a gift for a
priest, and myrrh is a gift for a funeral.
E. It took them some time to arrive.
1) Babylon is 900 miles away.
a) The journey would have taken up to 4 months.
2) Note that Herod had all the babies killed "up to two years."
a) However, Herod could have been allowing for a generous
margin of error.
3) Jesus and his family were in a house at this time.
a) He was not in a stable.
b) And he is called a child, not a baby.
4) The magi did not arrive at the same time as the shepherds.
a) The traditional date of their arrival is 12 days
after his birth. (Epiphany)
b) That the magi were there for his birth was later
inferred from Isaiah 60:3 --
"Nations will come to your light, and kings to the
brightness of your dawn."
III. What was the star they saw?
A. Supernova or nova.
1) It is an old theory.
2) But no significant outbursts seem to be recorded for this
period.
a) Ancient people kept track of stuff like this.
3) Exploding stars do not "move".
a) Unless you consider the turning of the earth.
b) And if you consider the turning of the earth then they
cannot be said to "stand still."
4) Novae do not reappear after fading (at least not soon).
B. Conjunction of planets.
1) First proposed by scientists like Kepler in the 1600's.
2) The Magi saw Jupiter in the east [or, "at its rising"],
knew that a conjunction was approaching, and started out.
When they arrived, they saw the conjunction of Jupiter
and Saturn in Pisces (constellation of the fish).
Jupiter was the "star of the universe," Saturn was the
planet of Palestine, and Pisces the sign of the last
days.
So the magi would understand that the ruler of the last
days would soon appear in Palestine.
This conjunction would have happened around 7 B.C., about
three years before Jesus' birth.
(He was born before "BC" because Christian monks made
a miscalculation centuries later.)
3) Other conjunctions are proposed.
a) In general, something happens in a constellation
associated with the Jewish people.
4) This theory is most popular in planetarium displays.
a) However, conjunctions are never called "stars".
b) Also, conjunctions happen all the time, and this one
wasn't particularly impressive. (too far apart)
c) How would a conjunction "point" to the house?
C. Comet.
1) Comets qualify as stars to ancient people. "Star" was a
broad category.
2) Comets move across the sky (slowly - they don't fly across).
a) They disappear and reappear, as they circle the sun.
1> Note that the magi saw the star when they left and
again when they arrived.
b) Comets sometimes have long impressive tails that could
act like a pointer.
1> Ancient writers described comets as "hanging over"
specific cities.
3) Problems with comets.
a) The appearance of Halley's Comet in 12 BC was too early
for the birth of Jesus.
1> But the Chinese may have recorded a bright one in
5 BC. (ambiguous object - it didn't move)
b) Many ancient people did not like comets and saw them
as evil signs.
1> However, not all did. Some were positive signs.
c) Most ancient commentators thought the star was a comet.
1> This is my personal preference.
D. Supernatural act of God.
1) Some believe that no natural object can explain all the
details of the Christmas star.
2) They suggest it was a miraculous object (or a myth).
a) It may have been alone the lines of the Shekinah glory
of the Old Testament, or Moses' pillar of fire.
1> Note how the star "preceded" them, just like the
pillar of fire in the Wilderness.
2> A Shekinah cloud could explain its convenient
reappearance after they meet with Herod.
b) The star could also have been a sign sent from Satan.
1> Note that the star did not lead them to Jesus
at first, but to the murderous Herod.
A> God's direction to them came through a dream.
2> However, since the star does eventually point out
where Jesus is, I think the star was a sign
from God and not Satan.
IV. The purpose of the star of Bethlehem.
A. It is more than an interesting astronomy question.
1) The magi understood the significance of the star.
2) It was directing them to a real king.
3) And when they got to him, they intended to worship him. 2:2
B. The star proclaimed Jesus.
1) The star was predicted, it arrived, and it was soon gone,
never to return.
2) It pointed to Jesus, who reigns forever.
C. The birth of the Messiah was not just for Jews.
1) The magi, as Gentiles, showed that the world would one
day bow before Jesus as their king.
2) Wise people will still seek Him. Do you?
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
Although no sources were quoted directly, the following were used in the
research for this sermon:
#33906 "The Star Of Bethlehem," by Wikipedia Volunteers,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/star_of_bethlehem.
#33907 "The Star Of Bethlehem," by Michele Crudele, Interdisciplinary
Encyclopedia Of Religion And Science;
http://www.disf.org/en/voci/35.asp.
These and 30,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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