The Advent Series

The Star of Bethlehem 

Matthew 2:9 _{New Living Translation}

“After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was.”

             This star that scripture speaks of is the Star of Bethlehem.  There have been several theories as to what exactly this star was.  Some scientific scholars came up with 3 different scenarios that would take out the miraculous and make it an explainable event.  Some said it was a comet, but records of comet sightings do not correspond with the estimated time of Christ’s birth.

                When a cluster of planets intersect in the night sky it is called ‘a conjunction’.   Some scientists maintain that this may have been the case; however, this type of scenario doesn’t replicate the light produced by one single source.  Planets do intersect fairly frequently, but this cannot be considered a viable option due to the single source of light statement above.

                Lastly, an exploding star or ‘supernova’ may have explained the bright light, but there is no record of a supernova taking place at that time in history.  

                 There are a couple details about the scriptural account that should be mentioned.  The Magi and the Shepherds were the only ones who saw the star.  The example listed above would have been seen by everyone and surely would have been chronicled somewhere in the journals of history.

                 The star led the Magi 6 miles to the North of their position from when they first saw it.  Stars move from East to West due to the earth’s rotation.  While this look at the star of Bethlehem certainly isn’t exhaustive, it makes a solid case that the star was a miraculous light sent by Almighty God to lead the 3 Wise Men to the place where he wished them to be to see and worship the Lord Jesus. 

                 During the Advent Season we need to realize that everything that took place on that night so long ago was orchestrated from start to finish by the hand of God.  It’s no different than how his hand orchestrates our own lives as well if we allow him to.  Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resource:  www.christiananswers.net