Star Struck

“When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.” (Mt 2:10 AV)

 

There is some confusion with this verse compared to the preceding verse.  The preceding verse suggests the three wise men did not lose sight of the star from the time it appeared in the east until the night they encountered the babe who would save the world.  However, a careful reading of the account will reveal this star first appeared in the east.  Then it appeared again when the three wise men arrived in Jerusalem.  It may be the star did not appear again until the three wise men arrived in Bethlehem and guided them directly to the house wherein Jesus lay.  Some have asserted the meaning of the word star here means the person of the LORD Jesus Christ to prove He can be in two places at one time.  Don’t ask.  It’s a stretch longer than the equator.  What I believe the Spirit is trying to convey here is very simple.  The three wise men spent two years looking for a promised Judean King.  A promise of which they were made aware when Israel was in captivity to their forefathers.  They saw the star while in the east.  They saw it again while in Jerusalem.  And they saw it for the third time when entering Bethlehem.  They rejoiced because they saw the end of their faith.  That is, they saw the star stop atop a house and entering in, saw Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.  What the Spirit is saying this day is our joy, upon finding our Savior, should be exceeding.  Especially when we consider the journey it took to get there.

Fatherhood is so awesome!  The LORD blessed my wife and me with three great sons.  I will never forget the feeling when they came into the world.  There were nine months of expectation.  Nine months of ultrasounds.  We could see our sons as they were fashioned by the hand of God over nine months.  David’s remarks regarding being fearfully and wonderfully made were like a slide show.  There were the showers held in honor of the baby soon to arrive.  There was the furniture shopping and decorating of the nursery.  Then we had to accumulate a small inventory of every possible accessory modern parenting required.  When I was a baby, all a mother needed was a canopy stroller, bassinette, and some clothes.  Today, new parents have to carry a second mortgage to afford everything the experts tell them they need.  Each step of the way only made the anticipation of our new arrival all the more exciting.  Nothing can compare to the day of our son’s arrival.  The first was an emergency C-section.  After he came along, the other two were scheduled.  There were no surprises.  The date of their arrival was foretold.  The joy that one feels when God blesses you with a child is indescribable.  This joy goes far deeper than happiness.  A feeling of blessedness makes everything else disappear.

This is how the three wise men felt as they cast their eyes upon the One whom they had been seeking for over two years.  What got me thinking this morning is how much our joy can change.  Like the feeling I had when I saw my son for the first time compared to when I see them today.  Is it the same?  It should be.  They may have gotten a bit older and larger, but they are still the same person I exceedingly rejoiced over many years ago.  In the same vein, do we rejoice the same as we did when we received Christ those many years ago?  He is still the same God.  He is still the most compassionate Savior who loves us unconditionally.  He still intercedes for us.  He still comforts us with His presence.  If He has not changed, this means we have changed.  If we do not rejoice exceedingly when in His presence, it is because we have changed and not He.  The same joy the three wise men experienced when they walked into that house should be the same joy we experience every day.  He has not changed.  We have.