If we try to understand the natural side of what the star mentioned in Matthew 2 was, we must understand that the English word translated “star” in Matthew is the Greek word aster, the same root for the word astronomy.  This word actually includes all heavenly bodies, including stars, comets and planets.

Next, we must attempt to nail down a date when it would have appeared.  This event would have had to be something so different to catch the attention of seasoned astronomers like the wise men.  We know that Herod the Great was in charge of Judea at the time of Christ, so this event would have had to happen before he died.  Josephus records that Herod died the same year after a lunar eclipse sometime near the Passover, which occurred around 6-7BC and 1BC.  We would also have to understand that the star rose in the east, would have stayed visible for a long time, represented the birth of a king, and would have escaped the notice of Herod.

A meteorite, or shooting star, would have been a spectacular event, but they can come from anywhere and only last for a second or two.  A comet would have certainly been an interesting event.  It would have risen in the east and been around for a long time.  But it would have been noticed by many, including Herod.  Also, comets in ancient days were considered by many cultures as a bad omen, or as messengers of doom.  Certainly God would not have communicated the birth of His Son in a way that would have been interpreted as a bad omen or a messenger of doom.

A supernova is the explosion of a star at the end of its life.  When it occurs, it is the brightest object in the sky, which would have been a spectacular sight that would have stayed around for a long time.  It would rise in the east, also.  But such an event would have been noticed by many, and Herod would not have had to ask when the star appeared.

There are two instances of what are called triple conjunctions of heavenly bodies during the time that we have identified – 6-7BC and 1 BC.  A conjunction is when two heavenly bodies come very close to each other in the sky.  Both of the triple conjunctions examined here involve the planet Jupiter, and they would have taken around eight to 12 months to complete.  A conjunction is not unusual, and all of us would have the opportunity to see one in our lifetime.  But a triple conjunction is highly unusual, and has only happened 11 times in the last 2,000 years.  If you get to see one, then you would be fortunate, indeed.  Be aware that the wise men, who were experienced astronomers, would have been thrilled at this happening, and would have likely wondered about this happening while examining with scripture that proclaimed the coming of the Son of God.

In 1BC,  Jupiter had a triple conjunction with the star Regulus.  Jupiter, even in that day, had been given the name of the king of the Roman gods.  Regulus is a fairly bright star in the sky, and has the same root from which we get our word regal, related to a king.  Because of the orbit of the planets and the orbit of earth, planets can appear to do rather strange things in the sky.  In this case, Jupiter came down past Regulus, appeared to “stop” then come back up.  It appeared to stop again, then came down past Regulus again, completing the triple conjunction.  All these events happened in the constellation of Leo, the lion and the king of the jungle.  Remember the prophecies that called Jesus the lion of Judah and that He would be a king with the government on His shoulders.

The other triple conjunction involves Jupiter and Saturn in 6-7BC.  This event was very much like the other, with Jupiter passing Saturn three times.  Saturn was the king of the Greek gods, showing the connection to a king.  This triple conjunction happened in the constellation Pisces, which has been connected with the nation of Israel.

Another interesting point is that the triple conjunctions involved Jupiter making three passes of the heavenly bodies.  The number three has had special significance in the scriptures.  God is a triune being with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  Jesus rose from the grave on the third day, just as Jonah was three days in the belly of the great fish.

Whether the star was one of these events or not, it is interesting to note that the event involved the light of a heavenly body that led the wise men all the way from Persia to Judea, then eventually down to Bethlehem.  Just as the light of the star led the wise men to Jesus around 2,000 years ago, Jesus is the light of the world that still leads us to salvation:  “In Him was life; and the life was the light of men…” says John 1:4.

Jesus Himself proclaimed that “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness” (John 12:46).  And let us never forget that  “Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (John 1:78-79).

The wise men were led by a light by God to seek out and worship His Son, and God has sent His Son to us so that we can see the light through the darkness of our sin to worship His Son.

We have always been fascinated by the Wise Men who came from a far away land looking for the Baby Jesus.  But who and what were the wise men, and what exactly were their motives?

The word for wise men is magi, a plural term that means wise men.  God’s Word never does tell us how many there were, so we really don’t know.  It has been assumed by many that there are three because of the number of gifts that they brought or because of the carol about them.  There may have been two or three or a dozen.  The truth is, we really don’t know.

They came from the east, probably Persia.  In the land of Persia, there are two groups of magi.  Either group would have at least known about the prophecies from the Old Testament about Jesus being born to a virgin in the town of Bethlehem.  This came from the time when Daniel and the Israelites were in captivity to Babylon.  One group would have been a group of pagan-worshiping Zoroastrianists.  Zoroaster was a Persian false god along with many others in Persian mythology.  This group also practiced astrology and magic, and possibly even divining with evil spirits.

The other group of Magi were the Eastern Magi mentioned by the historian Philo.  They did not worship Zoroaster, but may very well have worshipped the God of Israel.  At the least, they studied the ancient prophesies and scriptures from old, and had faith in them.  In fact, they had enough faith to heed the calling of the star of Bethlehem to go and “worship” him, as the Bible tells us in Matthew 2:11.  It would be inconceivable for God to tell us that they worshiped the Son of God and the King of Kings in order to honor Him and glorify Him if they worshipped other gods or practiced magic.

The wise men who came from the east were certainly well versed in the Bible, did not worship like, or who, the world worshipped.  In fact, their faith was so strong that it took them on a long, hard journey.  What an example of faith!

What is our faith like?  Is our understanding so deep that we would recognize it when God spoke to us, or revealed Himself to us?  If our faith so strong that we, like the Wise Men or Abraham, would go on a long journey to worship the King?

Maybe its high time we started wising up on the wise men…

At a recent trip to a local miniature golf course, my daughter and I spent an afternoon together.  I love to go miniature golfing, but sometimes hate my results.  I never feel complete or productive unless I get a hole in one.

On this particular afternoon, I did everything I could to gain a hole in one.  I lined up my putts, I carefully measured the angles and took practice putts in my attempt to score what is the standard of perfection.  But in the end, I walked away without a “1″ marked as one of my scores.

In spite of all my best efforts, my best just wasn’t good enough.  All my hard work of lining up shots and figuring the angles left me in a heap of frustration and anguish.

The same is true with God’s standard of holiness and purity.  We can never measure up to the perfect life that God demands for righteousness and entrance into heaven.  We are told that “all our righteousnesses are” like dirty, stinky laundry to Almighty God.  The very best efforts that we can hope to perform on a good day will still fall far short.  As a result, “our iniquities . . . have taken us away” and separated us from God.  That separation from God demands punishment, which our loving Lord and Saviour provided for us at Golgotha.

Thank God we don’t have to try for holes in one!

When Mel Gibson produced his film “The Passion of the Christ” a few years ago, there was a lot of discussion regarding the subject of who actually put Christ to death.

There was some controversy regarding the movie, as many in the Jewish community feared an anti-Semitic backlash as they feared the movie portrayed the Jews as a bloodthirsty group bent on murder, and who preferred to free a murderer in Barabas.

Others said that it was the fault of the Romans, as Pilate committed Jesus to be crucified, even when he found no fault in Jesus.  Mel Gibson, himself, stated that it was each and every one of us who nailed Jesus to the cross.

In searching for the answer, perhaps we should more deeply examine the story of Abraham and Isaac.  God commanded Abraham to take his son on a mountain to make Isaac a sacrifice to God.  Abraham made the journey to Moriah and told his entourage that he and the boy would go to worship the Lord and return.  He then built an altar with wood and a fire ready to burn the offering.  From there, of course, we remember that before Abraham thrust the knife into his son, he was stopped by an angel of the Lord.

We always focus on Isaac in this story being a picture of Christ, the only son, willingly allowing himself to be sacrificed.  But perhaps we miss the loving, graceful picture of Abraham, the father who willingly leads his only son to the slaughter as a sacrifice.  He symbolized God, who crushed Him and put Him to grief.

Yes, it is true that Jesus gave up His spirit to the Father, but, ultimately, according to Isaiah, it was God the Father, Himself, who put Jesus through the process of death on the cross.  He willingly sacrificed His only begotten Son, so that whosoever would believe in Him could be a partaker of eternal life.

It was God the Father, on Golgotha, with the cross.

Thank you, God!

“Yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God…” Isaiah 53:4

There have been recent stories in the news and on the internet of a man who had his hand stuck in a furnace for days, only to come to the conclusion that he would be forced to cut off his arm in order to save his life.  One could only imagine what reasoning must have been going through his mind to come to such a conclusion.

Another incident happened a few years ago with a man in the wild.  He was hiking and rock climbing when a huge boulder trapped his arm.  After a few days, his only chance for survival was to cut off part of his arm, cutting through the bone without medicine to mask the pain.

What kind of bravery would these actions take?  What kind of pain did they think they would endure versus what they truly had to endure?  Were they crazy?

In the verses above, Jesus asks us the same questions.  What kind of bravery do you have to “take up your cross” and follow Him, wholly forsaking the world and embracing His suffering?  What kind of pain are you willing to endure for the cause of the cross?  Do you have a love for Him as crazy as His love is for you?

Jesus Christ was willing to give up His life for you.  Are you willing to give up your life for Him?  How crazy are you?

The Shepherd’s Psalm is a favorite of so many who are born-again, and this verse from Psalm 23 is my favorite verse in this rich passage.

First, we are told that we will encounter trouble.  “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.” (Job 14:1)  James warned us that we would encounter ”divers temptations”, or adversities and trials.  But even though we will be forced to travel though the “valley of the shadow of death,” we can still be confident, and “fear no evil.”

It is such a blessing to know that we are not setting up camp in the “valley of the shadow of death”, but that we are just passing through.  And even though we do pass through there, we can “fear no evil” because our wonderful shepherd, God Almighty, is with us.  Jesus said, “Lo, I am with you always, even until the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:20)

In addition to knowing that He is with us, we know that he also protects us and guides us:  “Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”  His rod, from the Hebrew, can also be translated tribe, shaft (of a spear or a dart), or sceptre.  That His rod can be translated tribe shows that “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.” (Song of Solomon 6:3)  That it can be a shaft shows that He is there to fight our battles and protect us:  ”He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler” (Psalms 91:4)  That the rod is a sceptre shows that He has authority, for His name is written on His thigh, His robe is dipped in blood, and He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

This verse says that we are not only comforted by his rod, but also His staff.  The staff can mean that it is a support.  God has no need of support.  But to us, He is an ever-present help in our time of need.  “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

Perhaps the one sweet trait of this verse is that we travel through the “valley of the SHADOW of death.”  Death is but a shadow to those who know God Almighty as their Lord.  But always remember that where there is a shadow, there is a light on the other side!  “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” (Psalms 30:5)

I love to try to live by, and honor, the laws of my community, county, state and country.  I count it as a privilege to do my best to be a law-abiding citizen, in spite of my lead foot.

In my 41+ years as a citizen of the state of West Virginia, if I strived every day of my life to keep every single law that is on the books, that would be quite a feat.  If I were able to do so, however, I do not think that our governor would show up at our doorstep to give me a big, heavy medal for that accomplishment.  But if I did keep every single law, every day of my life, and just once drive by a trooper going 80mph - guess what?  I am going to get a ticket.  It does not matter if I have kept every law all my life.  By virtue of the fact that I broke that one law that one time makes me a lawbreaker.  And the trooper will not give me a medal for my past accomplishments, but he will give me a ticket for my transgression.

In like form, we can try to do our best to keep every letter of the law.  But we will never get an award or reward for keeping it, because eventually, we will break the law.  As the Bible tells us, “All your righteousness is as filthy rags.”  And even if we were able to accomplish such a huge feat, when we would break the law, and that will cause us to be a lawbreaker.  And we would not receive a reward for our past accomplishments, but we will receive punishment for our transgression.

We must realize that we cannot keep the law (Romans 3:23).  We are all under the curse.  But Jesus took on our curse and redeemed us from our own sin so that we can have the privilege of having a relationship with Him, and have the honor to serve, glorify, and praise Him.

“Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us…” Galatians 3:13.

My wife and I finally paid off our car loan last year.  For better or worse, it is totally ours now.  Fully and completely ours.  After we made the last payment to the bank, they sent us the title and a document that was our loan agreement.  At the top of that loan agreement was a stamp with a signature and a date hastily scribbled.  The stamp said, “PAID AND SATISFIED.”  It was a legal requirement to fully complete the debt that was paid and the obligation that had been satisfied.

The words “It is finished” are some of the last words that Jesus spoke before He committed His spirit to God the Father and gave up the ghost.  The Greek word for “It is finished” is teleo.  This word has also been found on legal documents where a debt was owed and had been paid and satisfied.

How awesome it is to know that when Jesus uttered the word teleo, He was serving notice to God, satan and all mankind that He had completely paid our debt to sin and that the obligation for our souls had been satisfied.  Jesus paid it all.  My chains are gone, and I’ve been set free, because my God and my saviour has ransomed me!

“He who knew no sin, became sin for us…”

My wife has been in a renowned hospital (out of state) for almost three weeks for a variety of medical issues.  On a different unit of the same floor, there is a patient who is a princess from a foreign country.  She is in what is called the “VIP Unit.”  We have noticed black Mercedes Benz vehicles parked in front of the hospital every evening, and an entourage of nicely-dressed, foreign-looking men sitting in the main lobby just outside the elevator bank that leads up to the floor.

I witnessed a facsinating experience the other night.  About a dozen or more men were among the entourage.  As I was walking toward the bank of six elevators, a very distinguished older gentleman rounded the corner in a motorized wheelchair.  The entourage quickly silenced all their conversations and stood up in unison.  I immediately stopped dead in my tracks, both out of respect for the man in the wheelchair and out of sheer surprise.  Once the man in the wheelchair started getting up, the entourage was seated and continued with thier conversations.

I told my wife about the happening, and we speculated that the gentleman must have been a prince, or even the king.  We will likely never know, but it was a memorable experience, nonetheless.

It caused me to think about the glory, respect and honor that is due to Jesus Christ.  Paul expressed the immense glory that is due to the Son of God.  He emphasized the respect that is due to the King of Kings.  Finally, he focused on the honor that is due to our creator.  Imagine, that just the mention of His name should cause all THINGS in heaven, in earth and below the earth to bow on their knees!  Not only the living things, but the dead things owe Jesus that glory and honor!  Imagine the scene!

Why is all this glory, respect and honor due Him?  Because the creator, the Son of God and the King of Kings bent Himself  low so that the creator became the creation (Phil. 2:7-8) and allowed Himself to be hung on the cross as our sacrifice.

I remember these men who showed honor, respect and glory to their prince or king, just because he was who he was.  What kind of honor, respect and glory to we show Jesus Christ, because, after all, He died for us…

ARE YOU THE HULK?

Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.  Romans 12:2

Many Christians will reflect on this verse as their guide to Christian living.  It gives us two basic points that are very simple, yet can be difficult to live out.

First, we are called to not be “conformed to this world.”  That means we shoud not cling to the patterns of this present world.  We should not adhere to the same attitudes, teachings, philosophies, speech, actions and ideals in this worldly system that currently exists.  We shouldn’t necessarily be blown about with every whim and craze.  While we are in this world, we are not to be a part of it.

Next, we are called to be “transformed by the renewing of our minds.”  This tells us that we should be a completely, noticably different person from the people of the world.  We should be changed since “old things have passed away and all things are become new.”  The word transformed means to be completely changed.

As a kid growing up on comic books, one of my favorite superheroes for a time was the Incredible Hulk.  Dr. Bruce Banner was bathed in gamma radiation during a test, and it changed the molecular structure of his body.  Whenever he gets stressed, anxious or angered, he is transformed into the eight-foot tall, green skinned, one ton sensation known as the Incredible Hulk.  The Hulk definitely does not look like everyone else, he doesn’t talk like everyone else, and he doesn’t act like everyone else.  He is definitely a very different creature.

When it comes to our spiritual condition, who are you: Dr. Banner or the Hulk?

Do you look, act, and talk just like the average person, like Dr. Banner?  Or are you a very different creature?

Are you the Hulk?