The following insights are from the book, “Finding God In Ancient China” by Chan Kei Thong with Charlene L. Fu; p.311-317;
“After they had heard the king, they 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.
When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.” (Matthew 2:9-10)
“The biblical account says that after the magi left Herod, a star appeared that led them to Jesus. Once again, the Chinese records provide historical corroboration [see the article The Star In The East]. They show a Bei star appearing at Altair on the day of Ji You, the third month of the third year of Jian Ping. [A Bei comet has no tail; a regular comet, which does have a tail, is called a hui comet. Altair is one of the 15 brightest stars, the brightest star in the constellation Aquila, which means “the eagle.” Its Chinese name is Qian Niu, literally a cowherd, or to lead or walk a bull.] This would be April 24, 4 B.C., according to one calculation. The more significant fact that this historical record reveals is that the time elapsed between the appearance of the first star and the second star was approximately 13 months. This suggests that the magi were on the road for about a year, which is roughly how long a journey of that distance would have taken at that time. More significantly, it explains why Herod ordered all male infants in Bethlehem under the age of two killed: he wanted to be absolutely certain of killing the one who be King of the Jews, who he thought would take his throne!
“When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.”(Matthew 2:16)
The story of the magi, the stars, and Herod is instructive, showing the three different attitudes that we can maintain towards the truth. The first was exemplified by the magi, who were seekers of the truth. They were motivated by such a strong desire to find the truth that they willingly undertook a long and arduous journey in pursuit of it, and they stayed the course - traveling across much of the then-known world – until they found Him and met Him face to face (see Matthew 2:11).
Then there are those who respond like Herod, who did not want to know the truth because of his self-centeredness. The truth was a threat to all that Herod considered most important: his power and his position. Those who respond in this way are enemies of the truth and will resort to anything to suppress truth in their own hearts, and in others.
Finally, there are those who, like the people of Jerusalem and Bethlehem, are indifferent to the truth because they have no idea what is going on. Their ignorance and indifference, however, does not mean they are off the hook. The truth will be revealed to them at some point [in some cases it already has been revealed to them, and they have accepted it (i.e. Jesus), but they have chosen to not continue in it (i.e. or should I say, in Him)], and they will have to face the consequences of accepting or rejecting the truth!”
Wise Men Still Seek After The King
In his letter to the church in Ephesus, Paul made the following statement;
“But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. For this reason it says, ‘Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’ Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise [men], making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish [i.e. a foolish virgin (Matthew 25:1-13)], but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
(Ephesians 5:13-17)
Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul is exhorting all of us to be like the Magi, the Wise Men from the east who eagerly sought after the One heralded by a great sign as the Messiah, the King of the Jews. He is the King of all who are willing to come in repentance to Him, worshiping Him as their Lord and Savior.
In his article, Chan spoke of the long and arduous journey the Magi willingly took in their strong desire to find the truth. Wise men have done the same ever since. They continue steadfastly, wisely staying the course in their search for the will of the Lord in Truth that they may be doers of the word, not merely hearers only, bringing their faith journey to completion in Christ (James 2:22). They do this believing, as Jesus taught, that if they obediently stay the course, enduring to the end, they will be saved (Matthew 10:22, 24:13).
Matthew tells us that, after hearing Herod say, deceitfully, that he would also like to come and worship this new born King, that they continued on their way; “and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” (Matthew 2:9-10)
The Lord spoke through the prophet Jeremiah regarding seeking and finding Him, saying in Jeremiah 29:13, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” There is a place in Christ that has been prepared for all who would diligently seek after Him, with all their heart. Yes, it is a long and arduous journey at times, one filled with both wonderful and difficult moments, but to those who stay the course, standing firm in Christ until the end, it will be worth it all as we fall in worship before the King of kings that we have so diligently sought after with our like-minded brothers and sisters.
May we all humble ourselves, surrendering our lives to His lordship over us, and join together with the heavenly host who are praising Him, saying; “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” Amen and amen!
The Divine Guide
Fortunately, while on this Christian journey towards the place where Christ is, we are not left on our own. We have been given a Divine Guide to help lead us in the way that we should go. After letting His disciples know that He would soon be going back to the Father, Jesus comforted them, saying that they would not be left on their own to find their way to Him, but that He would send a Divine Guide to help them get there;
“But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you… But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” (John 16:7, 13)
The Holy Spirit, sent by God to all who turn in repentance, leads us as He did the Wise Men to the place where Christ dwells. In this place, we too will fall to the ground and worship Him as we present our gifts before Him (Matthew 2:11). As Jesus declared to His disciples, it is the truth revealed by the Spirit to a seeking heart that will lead us to the place of eternal life in Himself; the Truth.
In his account, Matthew declares the following;
“And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.” (Matthew 2:12)
We too will be warned by God, through His Spirit, not to return to the self-exalting kings of this world who would distract us from continuing in truth on our journey to the King. The intent of their hearts is to remain on their own personal thrones while building their own kingdoms for their own glory. Wise Men refuse to sit with these wicked deceivers because they’re on a mission pursuing the King and His glory.
The Psalmist declared;
“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!” (Psalm 1:1)
Through the wisdom and discernment of the Spirit, we too will be warned to avoid the counsel of the wicked, those who have no fear of God or any real desire to worship Him as their Lord. In this journey, it is crucial that we listen closely to the promptings of the Spirit within us. When Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist prophesied regarding the coming Messiah, he said that He would “guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:79) The wicked, on the other hand, would guide us into the broad way of destruction.
With Wisdom as our guide, let us proceed in the way of understanding (Proverbs 9:6), rejecting the counsel of the foolish to turn down the way that leads to destruction. Solomon said, “The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.” (Proverbs 12:15) If we will persevere in the way of truth, the Holy Spirit will faithfully guide us in our pursuit after the One in whom is eternal life. You can rest, assured, that He will continue to lead you to Him who is the way, the truth, and the life.
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