A Christmas Story
His Star
Today we’re going to look at another "part" of the Christmas story. A part that
is mentioned in passing and grossly misunderstood. The story of the
Christmas Star. It may seem like I’m totally lost in the scripture that we look at
today, but if you’ll bear with me I think that when we’re finished you’ll understand
this great story better than you ever have before.
Let’s start with two verses that I think we need to understand before we get
into the meat of this message. You remember that I’ve talked in the past about
how we have to look at the context of a word in order to truly understand the meaning attached to it? Well, this is a good example of that.
Jn 4:24 God is a spirit: and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.
The word "truth" as used in this verse relates to accuracy. We must accurately
(free from mistakes or errors, precisely) understand what God’s word actually
says before it can be properly applied in our lives.
We can’t let ourselves to be tricked into believing a lie, or an inaccuracy.
Even if it’s an honest mistake. The best way to insure that this doesn’t happen
is to compare what we’re being told, with the word of God. This should be
done by each one of us, in our private study time.
Jn 8:32 “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”.
I want to touch on three words here. "truth", "know", and "free".
Truth, here means "the Son of God, Jesus", the source of all truth.
The word "know" doesn’t mean to just know about Him, it means that He’s had
a major impact on your life.
And the word "free" doesn’t mean that we’re free to do whatever we want to do.
It means that we’re free to follow God and to serve Him.
As most of you know, I was in law enforcement for many years.
Most of that time was spent in the detective section, investigating various
crimes, from Auto Theft to Robbery and Homicide.
There were six questions that always had to be answered to solve a crime.
These same six questions can and should be asked during any serious Bible study.
They are:
Who: Who’s speaking, Who are they speaking to, who’s this apply to, etc.
What: What’s the topic, context, principle being shown, etc.
When: When was this, when does it apply to a specific situation, etc.
Where: Where did it take place, or where will it take place. (physically or
spiritually)
Why: Why did this happen, why was it said, etc.
How: How did this come to pass, how does it apply to me, etc.
When we find the answers to these questions, we’ll not only understand what
God’s word is saying to us, but we’ll know much better how it applies to our lives.
I’ve probably gotten you real confused about now. I’d imagine you’re asking
yourself what this has to do with the Christmas story. Well, stay with me, I’m
not through confusing you yet.
I believe that in order to truly understand the birth of Jesus, we need to look at a few of the things said and done at the death of Jesus. Then we can tie every-
thing together and have a better understanding of both the birth and death of
our Savior.
I’m not going to read all of these passages, but you should during your study
time. I’ll just kind of highlight each of them.
Sacrifice: Mt 26:26-28 Jesus prophesied that He would be sacrificed.
Mt 27:50-54 Jesus was sacrificed.
Buried: Mt 27:57-61 Jesus was buried
Risen: Mt 28:1-7 He is risen
King: Mt 27:37 He is King.
Jn 12:27 ....But for this cause came I unto this hour.
Jesus knew that His crucifixion was just ahead. Because He was human as
well as God, He dreaded it.
He knew that He had to become sin for all of us and that this would separate
Him from His Father. He didn’t want to die on the cross, but He knew that for
our sake He had to. Jesus said no to His human wants and desires in order
to obey His Father and to save us from our sin.
Jn 18:37 Pilate asks Jesus if He’s a King. Jesus answers "You say I am.
That’s important, but, what I’m looking for is found in the middle of this verse: To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world.....
A. What cause?
1. To save mankind from their sin.
1Jo 4:14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent
the Son [to be] the savior of the whole world.
Jn 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward Him and
said, behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the
world.
Now let’s go back to the beginning of Christ’s life on this earth.
Matthew 2:1-2
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,
2 saying, ‘Where is He who has born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.’”
There’s not a lot known about these men.
We believe they came from what’s now Iran and Iraq. We don’t know for sure
how many there were. We don’t know how the knew that the "star" represented
the Messiah.
There are theories that they were Jews who remained in Babylon after the exile
and knew the prophecies of the Messiah’s coming.
That they were eastern astrologers who had studied manuscripts from around
the world, including the Jewish writings.
Maybe they had a special message from God.
Why they followed the star really isn’t important. What is important is that they
did follow the star. For about 2 years they went through hardship and danger in their search for the "King of the Jews" so that they could worship Him.
When they finally did find Him they responded in three specific ways.
1. With Joy (v10)
2. In Worship (v11)
3. With Gifts (v11)
Compare these attitudes and actions with the general attitude towards God
today. We seem to expect Him to come looking for us, to explain Himself,
to prove who He is, and to give us gifts.
Does anyone see anything wrong with this picture?
Matthew 2:7-8
7 “Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said ‘Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.’”
To start with, Herod was lying. He wanted the Magi to tell him where Jesus was
so that he could kill Him. Herod knew the prophecies of the coming Messiah
as well as anyone.
So the Magi left after talking to Herod, and the star was still leading them. It led
them to a specific house where Jesus was at. This brings us to v11
Matthew 2:11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshipped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”
There are two verses that will establish the length of the wise men’s trip as well
as the approximate age of Jesus at their visit. Look again at v7
Herod questioned them "diligently" as to when the star appeared. And v16
When the wise men didn’t return to him he killed all the kids aged 2 and
under, based on the time they had told him the star first appeared.
That, to me, would seem to establish the time and age at about 2 yrs.
Let’s take a quick look at the gifts that they brought. First of all these
weren’t Dollar Store gifts, or last minute thoughts. The size of a gift
represented the importance of the giver. These were important men and they
had traveled 2 yrs to give gifts to, and worship a King. There were chests of
these items.
What about the gifts themselves?
1. Gold: A gift for a king and lots of it. Earlier I gave you Mt 27:37 to show
that He was king. We can also look at Jn 18:37 and 1Ti 6:15.
a. John 18:37, “Pilate therefore said to Him, ‘Are You a king then? Jesus answered, ‘You say rightly that I am a King. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth, Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.’”
b. 1 Timothy 6:15, “which He will manifest In His own time. He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords.”
2. Frankincense: A sacrificial fumigation.
The Israelites often burned incense, but only holy incense could be
burned in the Tabernacle. God gives the recipe for this incense in
Ex 30:34-38
34 And the Lord said to Moses: ‘Take sweet spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum and pure frankincense with these sweet spices, there shall be equal amounts of each.
35 You shall make of these incense, a compound according to the art of the perfumer, salted, pure, and holy.
36 And you shall beat some of it very fine, and put some off it before the Testimony in the tabernacle of meeting where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you.
37 But as for the incense which you shall make, you shall not make any for yourselves, according to its composition. It shall be to you holy for the Lord.
38 Whoever makes any like it, to smell it, he shall be cut off from his people.”
This was special incense. It was used only in honor and reverence
to God. It was a vital part of the sacred ceremony on the day of
atonement, when the High Priest carried his smoking censure
(frankincense) into the Holy of Holies to atone for the people’s sins
before the Mercy Seat (the lid of the Ark of the Covenant).
It was so special and holy that people were forbidden to copy it for
personal use.
This special incense was one of the three gifts recorded as having been
given to the young Jesus. A gift pointing to a holy sacrifice. A gift involved
in atoning for sin. A gift so holy that only the High priest handled it and then
only to take it in to the Mercy Seat. Remember these words,
Atone; High Priest; and Mercy Seat. We’ll look at them again in just a little
bit.
3. Myrrh: (Oil of Holy Ointment)
Myrrh was used in two ways.
Ex 30:23-33 (Don’t read)
In anointing the vessels of the Tabernacle and the priests.
God told Moses to make a "Holy Anointing Oil" composed of pure
Myrrh, sweet cinnamon, sweet calamus, cassia and olive oil.
The vessels in the Tabernacle were anointed with this holy ointment.
It was also used to anoint Aaron and his sons as priests.
Heb 3:1 Identifies Jesus as our High Priest.
3:1 “Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus.”
As an embalming ointment.
Jn 19 39-40
39 “And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds.
40 Then they took the body of Jesus and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.”
These gifts were perfect gifts. They showed who Jesus was (a King), what He
was here to do (save us from our sins, atone), and what it would cost Him.
(death on the cross).
There are two other words that I believe are Key to correctly understanding
what really happened in this Christmas story. They’re found in v2, and they
are: "His Star".
Look at the choice of words here. "His star", not, a star, or even, the star, but,
"His star".
The word translated "star" is "aster", which can mean either literally or
figuratively a star or a bright light. A star, to the naked eye, is just a bright
light in the sky. These two words could just as easily be translated as
"His light". The Magi followed this light for about 2 years, until it led them to
the exact spot where Jesus was. We’ve already looked at their trip and the
gifts they brought, but, have you ever wondered what really led them there?
I have.
Was it an actual star, a comet, a meteor, an angel, or something else?
A. A star?
No. It would incinerate the earth, and it couldn’t lead anyone to a specific
house.
B. A comet?
No. It would be in the sky for a long while, but not 2 years. Neither could it
lead anyone to a specific house.
C. A meteor?
No again. It burns up in just a few seconds in the atmosphere.
D. Maybe an angel?
An angel could conceivably meet all the requirements, but it wasn’t an
angel.
E. Something else?
Yes. I hope to show you in the next few minutes exactly what "His Star"
really was.
The best place to start is at the beginning so turn with me to:
Lev 16:1-2
1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered profane fire before the Lord and died;
2 and the Lord said to Moses: ‘Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat.”
This passage describes how the Glory of God was to appear over the mercy
seat, (the lid of the ark of the covenant), and what it would look like. (A bright
light). This light was called the Shekinah Glory of God.
Several other places in the Bible talk about this "light".
Now let’s go to Heb 9:1-5
1 “Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary.
2 For a tabernacle was prepared; the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary;
3 and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the holiest of all,
4 which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant;
5 and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.”
The mercy seat described here is the physical lid of the Ark of the Covenant.
A solid plate of gold, 2 1/2 cubits (6’4") long, by 1 1/2 cubits (2’8") wide,
representing a throne of God where He heard prayer and spoke to His people.
It was also the place spoken of in v8 where the High Priest, and only the
High Priest, went annually with a blood sacrifice to atone for the sins of the
people.
Rom 3:25
25 “whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood,…”
1 Jn 2:2
2 “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”
Now watch this real close. Heb 9:5 Speaks about the mercyseat.
Rom 3:25 & 1Jn 2:2 talks about Jesus being set forth as a propitiation through
His blood and His being a propitiation for our sins.
Both "mercyseat", and "propitiation" are translations of the same Greek
word.
"Hil-as-tay’-ree-on" That word means: an expiatory place or thing; an atoning
victim; or specifically, the lid of the Ark of the Covenant.
Now, I’ve thrown out some words that everyone may not be familiar with so
let me define five of them for you.
A. Propitiation: An expiator or atoner.
B. Expiate: to put an end to, or extinguish, guilt incurred by another. (Us)
C. Propitiate: To gain or re-gain the favor or good will of another (God)
D. Propitiator: An atoning sacrifice.
E. Shechinah: This word isn’t found in the Bible, but it does show up in
many Jewish writings. It’s "always" used to describe a visible manifestation
of the presence of God. For example:
1. On Mt Sinai (Ex 24:9-18)
2. In the Holy of Holies. The Shechinah was a luminous cloud that rested
above the altar in the place of worship (Mercyseat), and it lit up the room.
When the Babylonians destroyed the temple (2Ki 24:10-14), the Shechinah
vanished and didn’t return to the temples rebuilt later by Zerubable and
Herod.
I believe that the account of Paul meeting Christ on the road to Damascus may
also include a New Testament account of the Shechinah being made manifest.
Acts 9:3-4
3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from Heaven.
4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
The word translated "light" in this verse means a bright shining.
I’ve said all this to say this:
The "Place" where mankind had to go for forgiveness of sins had "moved".
It had moved from the physical lid of the Ark of the Covenant (the mercyseat),
to the person of Jesus the Christ. The "Shechinah", the physical indication
of the presence of God then went to the new Mercyseat, Jesus the Christ.
In the process, by following this strange light, the Magi were led to Christ.
Remember, there’s not a word in the Bible for no reason. There’s always
something for us to learn. We may have to study, research, and study some
more to properly understand, but it’s worth it.
God gave us this book to learn from, to live by, and to show Himself to us.
One quick side note: The gifts given to Jesus at the beginning of the story
pointed to the end of the story. The words Jesus said at the end of His
life on earth, pointed back to His birth.
The "Christmas Story" is so much more than just a nice story to tell our kids
this time of year.
Think about all this as we go into the season where we celebrate the birth
of our King. Honor Him, give Him gifts. Bless others because of Him and
with Him.
Father,
I’ve given everything that You’ve given me. Thank You for the opportunity and
the honor of being able to take your word to Your people.
Lord, we don’t know when Jesus was born, almost assuredly not in December,
but we take this time to honor the Birth of Your Son. Father, help each of us here
to emulate the lives of the people we’ve studied these last few weeks.
The trust and obedience of Joseph and Mary. The faith and perseverance of
the Magi, and the attitude they showed when they found the Christ child.
Joy, worship, and gifts. Perfect gifts. Father, convict each of us of the fact that
the only perfect gift we can give to Him is ourselves, holding nothing back.
And Father, thank you for enlightening me about the true meaning behind
what we call the Christmas Star, and hopefully others through me.
Thank You Heavenly Father for the best and most perfect gift that anyone
could possibly receive. Your Son, our Lord and Savior.
It’s Him we honor, Him we serve, Him we love, and it’s in His name we pray.
Amen.
