The Star of Bethlehem

The Star of Bethlehem Explained – YouTube

On a starry night two thousand years ago, a group of men known as the Magi set out to follow what they believed was a sign from heaven. A sign that announced the birth of a new king – the king of the Jews. Beginning their journey likely in the lands of Persia or Babylonia, they traveled west until they reached the land of the Jews, known as Judea. Here they would announce that they were looking for the newborn king because they had seen his star rise in the east. This became known as the Star of Bethlehem.

One of the great mysteries concerning the birth of Jesus Christ is this star. Found in Matthew 2, the account has fascinated millions of people over the last two millennia. It is in verse 9 that we read one of the more interesting details: “…they [the Magi] went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.” The wording of the verse is intriguing. How can a star stop over a specific spot? An important question thus arises: “What was the Star of Bethlehem?”

Different theories to explain the Star have included a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn that occurred in the year 7 BC,[1]  a supernova (an exploding star),[2] or even a comet (interestingly, Halley’s Comet passed overhead in 12 BC).[3] Each of these theories sounds plausible until you dig a little deeper. Halley’s Comet could not have been the Star because it passed over roughly 8 years too early, and the conjunction of  Jupiter and Saturn did not look like one giant bright star as they were still one degree apart and thus not directly on top of each other.[4] The big problem is that planets, stars, and comets do not move and stop over a specific location on Earth as Matthew 2:9 requires.

Because of these problems, other scholars have proposed solutions including the simple fact that the star looked like it was moving (as stationary objects in the sky appear to move with the traveler). One scholar believes that the moving star may even allude to the pillar of cloud that moved with the Israelites in the wilderness after the Exodus.[5] The problem is that the text treats the star as a real object in the sky that the Magi were following. These “solutions” are simply ways to deal with the fact that normal objects in the sky do not move in the way that Matthew describes.

All of these difficulties have led some scholars to believe that the star was a supernatural event.[6] There is good reason to believe that the Star of Bethlehem may not have been an object in outer space but instead an angel. Numerous passages in the Bible use the word “star” figuratively for angels.

One of the best known is Isaiah 14:2-21. This is where we get the word Lucifer.^[7] Verse 12 says, “How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn!” (Lucifer is Latin for “morning star.”) The context of the passage points strongly to the star representing both the king of Babylon and Satan. Given this background, it makes sense when Jesus says in Luke 10:18, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning.”^[8]

The Book of Revelation uses stars to represent angels on more than one occasion. Revelation 9:1 says that a star fell from heaven and opened the Abyss (the star is referred to as “he”).^[9] Revelation 12:4 says that the red dragon (Satan) swept down a third of the stars from heaven to earth. A few verses later (12:7-10) Satan and his angels are thrown down to earth. Stars may also represent angels in Revelation 1:20.^[10]

There are other passages in Scripture where stars are used to represent angels. In Job 38, the morning stars (think about Isaiah 14 above) sing when God creates the earth. Morning stars and angels parallel each other in verse 7 indicating they are the same. Stars also represent heavenly beings in Judges 5:20.[11] 

Conclusion

The idea that the Star of Bethlehem was not an object in outer space, but an angel instead is foreign or even crazy to many people. However, given the fact that Matthew reports that the Magi were following something real and that nothing in the natural world fits we need to look elsewhere. I do believe that the Star of Bethlehem was a supernatural event and considering that stars are often used to represent angels in other parts of Scripture, it is highly likely that the Star in Matthew was a heavenly being that guided the Magi all those nights two thousand years ago.

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[1] D.A. Carson, Matthew in “The Expositor’s Bible Commentary” Vol. 8, Ed. Frank E. Gaebelein (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984), 85.

[2] Carson, 85.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Craig S. Keener, The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009), 104.

[6] Blomberg, Matthew (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1992), 65. See also Carson, 85

[7] J. Richard Middleton, A New Heaven and a New Earth (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2014), 185-186.

[8] Walter L. Liefeld, Luke in “The Expositor’s Bible Commentary” Vol. 8, Ed. Frank E. Gaebelein (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984), 939.

[9] Tim LaHaye notes that the star is referred to as “him” thus possessing personality (LaHaye, Revelation Unveiled [Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1999], 168-169). David Aune believes that this star is an angel and mentions other passages (Judges 5:20, Job 38:7, Luke 10:18). Jewish literature outside the Bible also points to stars representing angels (for example, 1 Enoch, Testament of Solomon) (Revelation 6-16 [Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998] – Kindle Edition [2007], 8496). William Hendriksen views the star as an angel/Satan and links this with Luke 10:18 (More Than Conquerors [Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1967], 120).

[10] Scholars disagree between angels or church leaders/saints.

[11] Aune, Kindle location 8496.