The Bethlehem Star

December 23rd, 2025
by Lance Waldie

Matthew 2:1b-2 Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

The magi “from the east” (lit. “from the rising”) appear to be a remnant of God-fearing Gentiles influenced by the prophecies of Daniel, dating back to the sixth century BC. As they came into town, they were “saying,” Where is He who has been born King of the Jews. The ongoing tense of the verb indicates that they spoke to many as they searched. Now although the Jews did not yet know about the birth of Jesus, their expectations of a Messiah at that time were high. The Roman historians Suetonius, Tacitus, and Josephus attest that in the first century there were widespread, eager expectations of a Messiah being born who would rule the earth.

What caused the magi to travel to Jerusalem to search for the Messiah is not stated, but given their timing, it is evident that God’s Spirit was guiding them. He even gave them a sign—a star. Many non-miraculous explanations have arisen through the years to explain this star (e.g., Jupiter, the “king of the planets,” shone brightly; the combination of Jupiter and Saturn which formed the sign of the fish; a meteor; a comet; etc.). None of these, however, satisfy since they are all natural phenomena. God’s “star” was miraculous. But what exactly was this star?

Since the glory of the Lord is light, it is likely that the “star” was just a bright light. After all, normal stars do not behave the way this star did—appearing, disappearing, and reappearing later over someone’s house! It is likely that the Bethlehem star was the same glory that shone around the shepherds in Luke 2:9. In the OT, God’s glory (the Shekinah) shined in the form of obscure light, God guiding the Israelites in the wilderness by “a pillar of cloud by day…and in a pillar of fire by night” (Exod. 13:21). Likewise, when Moses went up on Mount Sinai, “to the eyes of the sons of Israel the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the mountaintop” (24:17). This was the same place where Moses’ face was left glowing with the light of God’s glory after God allowed him to see a glimpse of Himself (34:30).

In the NT, Jesus was born as light into darkness (John 1:5), for He is the Light of the world (8:12; 9:5), the Morning Star (Luke 1:78; Rev 22:16)—the eternal heavenly light (Rev. 21:23). When Jesus was transfigured, “His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light” (Matt. 17:2). On the Damascus road, Jesus appeared to Paul and surrounded him with “a light from heaven” (Acts 9:3), “brighter than the sun” (26:13). Likewise John saw Christ’s face “like the sun shining in its strength” (Rev. 1:16). Add to this that the Messiah is spoken of as a “star [that] shall come forth from Jacob” (Num. 24:17), and it appears that the Christmas star was a brilliant manifestation of “the sign of the Son of Man” (Matt. 24:29-30; Rev. 1:7)—the Shekinah glory standing over the town of Bethlehem pointing the magi to the Christ Child.

The star the magi observed while they were in the east, one thousand miles away, was nowhere to be found by the time they arrived in Jerusalem where Herod reigned. Clearly they were not following the star but had to wait until they were told of the birthplace of the Messiah for it to reappear in vv. 9-10. When it did, they followed it. They were resolute in their quest to locate the Christ, for they came to “worship” Him. This word portrays falling down prostrate on the ground and kissing the feet of the one honored. Yet this is what the Spirit of God led them to do, most likely through the prophetic teachings of Daniel. They may have had limited spiritual insight, but they had the OT Scriptures that pointed to the Messiah’s birthplace (Mic. 5:2). Their hearts sought God who had put it in their hearts to seek Him, and He used His inspired, inerrant Word to lead them. Truly, “Thy Word is a lamp to my feet…a light to my path” (Ps. 119:105).

Food For Thought
Of course Jesus is the Light that shines in the darkness (John 1:5), the Light of the world (John 8:12). When He was transfigured before three of His disciples, His face glowed (Matt. 17:2). When the Apostle Paul came to faith in Christ, a bright light shone all around him and blinded him (Acts 9:3; 26:13). What John saw in the Revelation of Jesus Christ was His face shining like the sun (Rev. 1:16), and in eternity John saw that there is no sun, only the glory of God that illumines everything (Rev. 21:23). Jesus is thus the “bright morning star” (Rev. 22:16), and His light guides our lives (Ps. 119:105). God is indeed a light to the nations (Isa. 42:6; 49:6).