The Star of Bethlehem
‘You saw what?!’ the guard cried out. ‘We saw His Star in the East and have come to worship the King,’ replied the travellers from far away. ‘The king?’ he responded in astonishment. ‘We already have a king; his name is Herod the Great. He won’t like talk of another king.’
‘What are you talking about?’ came a strong, confident voice from the other room. Herod came out, turned to the guests and welcomed them. ‘What brings you here, gentlemen?’ ‘We have come to worship the King of the Jews, your majesty; we saw His Star in the East.’ Herod was perplexed, not sure what to answer. ‘Are you sure of this?’ ‘Yes, sir. Can you help us?’
Herod called his council together and had them figure out where exactly this ‘king’ was to be born. ‘According to Scripture, your majesty, it’s in Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, as Micah the prophet foretold. He said that a Ruler would come from there who would shepherd God’s people, Israel.’ ‘Is that so?’ the king wondered. What was he to do? He hid his worried demeanour and put on a happy face as he again turned to the guests from the East. ‘Please, dear friends, go and search carefully for the child and report back to me, as I, too, wish to worship him.’ The wise men didn’t discern that Herod was being hypocritical with them.
The astonishing news spread like a wild fire in Jerusalem and troubled many. Who was that king? Was this the promised Messiah of God? Was he the one we all waited for? Herod was worried about his position of power and privilege. He knew he wasn’t a legitimate king, but more of a puppet for Rome, the overlords of Judea. Herod wondered, ‘If this child was, indeed, the King of the Jews, the Messiah of God and Ruler of Israel, what is supposed to become of me?’ Herod started his evil scheming, thinking only of himself, not the people around him.
In the meantime, the wise men from the East found the Child—His Star stood over the place where His parents had found shelter. They had travelled from the north of the country, where they lived, to the place where Joseph originally came from, Bethlehem, in order to be registered in the census the Romans decreed to all their subjects. Although King, that special Child the wise men came to worship, was wrapped in cloths and laid in a manger as there was no place in the inn. The Child was born in humble circumstances, yet the gifts the wise men brought were royal: gold, frankincense and myrrh.
The Star had guided the wise men to find the Messiah. They worshiped Him; salvation had come to earth—peace to humankind. Just as divine guidance led these wise men to worship the King, an angel from God visited shepherds on the field in order to guide them to the Messiah. They, too, would worship Him. He was announced as the Saviour, the Christ and the Lord! The shepherds rejoiced and the angels worshiped: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased’! The Star and the angels pointed the way to the Light of the world—the Light in the darkness.
Light in the Darkness
Christmas means different things to different people, and to some it doesn’t mean anything. Those who had written about that special Child 2,000 years ago knew that He was the Light of the world—the Light in the darkness we all need. This Child in the manger grew up and became a ‘great light’ for people sitting in darkness, a light that dawned on people dwelling in the shadow of death (Matthew 4:16).
We all have our own ‘darkness’ to deal with—pain, rejection, abandonment, fear, or whatever else you might be facing. The troubles of this life can truly weigh us down. Another king had already written about this:
‘Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, but a good word makes it glad’ (Proverbs 12:25)
We all need ‘a good word’ to refresh our hearts and recover from what weighs us down. Jesus is the Light that comes into our darkness. The psalmist wrote of the Lord that He would illuminate his darkness (Psalm 28:18). The entrance of God’s word brings light; His word is a lamp unto our feet and light unto our path (Psalm 119:105, 130). The message of Christmas is one of light in the darkness. It shows us how to deal with darkness and illuminate it to walk in the light. We get hurt in life, but the Gospel message teaches us to forgive.
Revenge may taste sweet at first, but its end is bitter; it may appear righteous, but its root is evil; it may seem needed, but it is unnecessary. Forgiveness is the way of peace. Forgiveness is the way of the light of love. Forgiveness is the way to healing and freedom. Revenge is darkness; forgiveness is light—choose light! Walk out of the darkness of pain into the healing of God’s light through forgiveness. Christ the Light of the world brings forgiveness and helps us to forgive and walk in His light.
God is light. Don’t walk in the darkness of sin and bitterness. Rather, come into the light of forgiveness and healing. There is hope in Christ—He is light in our lives. Hope in God. These wise men sought Christ back then—wise men and women still seek Him today.
Jesus is the Light in our darkness!
Really enjoyed the narrative writing!! You are a really good writer Ps G!!
This is awesome revelation. The power and encouragement of the second last paragraph had touched me as it bring out the exact feeling and push towards revenge.