The Star of Bethlehem

What was the star of Bethlehem?

By Heather Hahn*

3:00 P.M. ET Dec. 21, 2011

The magi follow the star in this sixth-century mosaic at the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare near Ravenna, Italy. A web-only public domain image. 

 
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the territory of Judea during the reign of King Herod, magi came from the east to Jerusalem. They asked, ‘Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We’ve seen his star in the east, and we’ve come to honor him.'” (Matthew 2:1-2, Common English Bible)


Just about every year at Christmastime, Nick Strobel can count on getting questions about the star that guided the magi. Strobel is the planetarium director and a physical science professor at Bakersfield College in Southern California. As an astronomer and lifelong United Methodist, he has a certain affinity with the Bible’s most famous stargazers.

“We both have a love of the night sky,” said Strobel, a member of Wesley United Methodist Church in Bakersfield. “And, we search for a place or person where heaven and earth meet, and we both found that in the person of Jesus.”

The biblical account of the magi does not quite match the typical church Christmas pageant image of three little boys in scratchy beards and lopsided crowns dropping gifts by the baby Jesus’ manger. The second chapter of Matthew — the only Gospel where the wise men appear — does not specify their number or say they were kings. Matthew also does not mention the no-vacancies inn, the manger or the quaking shepherds — those are all found in the Gospel of Luke.

 

Instead, in Matthew, the wise men visit the holy family in a house in Bethlehem some point after Jesus’ birth. The number three probably derives from the three gifts they brought to the Christ child — gold, frankincense and myrrh.

The magi — called magoi in the original Greek — were likely sages and astrologers. The tradition that they were three kings named Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar developed centuries later. On this the Bible and Christmas tradition do agree: The magi found the newborn king by following a star.


The ancients believed God would make destiny manifest in the stars, said Gregory J. Riley, New Testament professor at United Methodist-related Claremont (Calif.) School of Theology. So, it was no surprise that Jesus’ birth was accompanied “by the appearance of his star in the very fabric of the heavens.”The exact nature of that heavenly body has been a source of speculation — for Bible scholars, children’s book authors, astronomers and, in recent decades, planetarium audiences. Discussion of the star is part of Bakersfield College’s annual December planetarium show, “Season of Light,” which Strobel hosts.


“…And look, the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stood over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy.” (Matthew 2: 9-10)

Strobel, 46, has his own thoughts about the star, which he has detailed in his blog. Since the night sky can vary greatly depending on the year and season, Strobel first needed a good estimate for Jesus’ birth year to evaluate these possibilities. The Bible does not give Jesus’ exact birth date. However, many biblical scholars and historians now think Jesus most likely was born around 6 to 4 B.C., and Strobel uses those years in his dating. That puts Jesus’ birth sometime near the death of Herod the Great (the wicked Herod mentioned at the beginning of Matthew) and Jesus’ ministry during the early years of Pontius Pilate (the wicked Roman governor in all four Gospels).

Strobel points to four natural phenomena that some astronomers think might explain the celestial sighting: a nova, a comet, a planetary conjunction and Jupiter’s retrograde motion.

Nova

Chinese astronomers, Strobel said, recorded that a new star (or nova) appeared in the constellation Capricorn during March and April of 5 B.C. A nova is actually a white dwarf — that is, a dying star — that has gathered enough material, usually from another nearby star, to build up pressure and explode. A nova quickly peaks in brightness within a few days and then fades to invisible over a few months. The nova the Chinese spotted would have first appeared in the east (that much fits with the Gospel of Matthew). However, that nova would not have visibly moved much as the magi headed toward Bethlehem, which is why Strobel sees it as an unlikely candidate for Star of Bethlehem status.

Comet

Many ancient cultures, including the Chinese, regarded comets as heralds of important events. Trouble is, there are no comet sightings recorded around 6 to 4 B.C. Strobel said Halley’s Comet made a swing by earth in 12 B.C., too early to portend the Bethlehem birth. That’s probably a good a thing. The ancients typically viewed a comet as a bad sign — not a proclamation of joy to the world.

Planetary conjunction

Planetary conjunctions, where two or more planets appear very close together in the night sky, may not make the headlines today the way comets do. Still, Strobel thinks such a conjunction is a much likelier prospect for the nativity’s starring role. And, astronomically speaking, 7 to 6 B.C. were good years for conjunctions.
In late May, late September and early December 7 B.C., Jupiter and Saturn moved past each other three times in the constellation Pisces. Such an occurrence happens only once every 900 years. The following February, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn formed a near conjunction in Pisces, which happens once every 800 years.

The combination of Jupiter and Saturn would have seemed especially auspicious to these astrologers in the Near East, Strobel said. Jupiter symbolized royalty, and Saturn represented the Mesopotamian deity who protected Israel. In addition, ancient astrologers associated Pisces with the Jewish people.
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“(The wise men) would have been aware of the sky and probably kept records of the sky going back centuries,” Strobel said. “They would have known this was a rare occurrence. They’d think, ‘Well maybe this is telling us that something really interesting is going to be happening there in Israel.’”

Jupiter’s retrograde motion

If the wise men were in need of a further sign in the heavens, they got one in 5 B.C., Strobel said. That year, Jupiter, instead of “wandering” eastward as planets typically appear to do, seemed to stop and then go backward among the stars in what astronomers call a retrograde motion.

Strobel compared the motion to what happens when a car accelerates past another car. It makes the slower vehicle look like it is standing still and then receding. In 5 B.C., earth passed Jupiter and it appeared to be stationary for about a week — perfect for hovering in place over a momentous birth. Among the various astronomical possibilities, Strobel thinks that the planetary conjunction and stationary Jupiter theories probably get closest to what the magi might have seen.

The three wise men appear before King Herod in this stained-glass window by an anonymous artist. Despite their crowns, the magi were not kings in the Bible. A web-only public domain image. 

 

“They entered the house and saw the child with Mary his mother. Falling to their knees, they honored him. Then they opened their treasure chests and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” (Matthew 2: 11)

The Rev. Ben Witherington III, a United Methodist elder and New Testament professor at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky., agrees that astronomical phenomena could help explain the magi’s guide. But, he points out, the magi like most ancients would have seen stars and other celestial objects as living beings — much like “the heavenly host” that visited the shepherds.


While it’s fun to speculate, Strobel said, the nature of the star does not matter to his faith. In fact, he would not care if Matthew made up the whole story of the magi. “He was not writing a science textbook or newspaper account,” Strobel said, “but rather a book to persuade people that this person called Jesus was the Son of God, one who should be worshipped, and one who showed us how to live as God wants us to live.” The story of the nativity contains a deeper truth than can be found in any star chart, he said. “God, the infinite power of the universe, is just so willing and wanting to have a relationship with us that he became a powerless infant who had to be cared for,” he said. “That’s pretty amazing that God would be willing to do that.”

*Hahn is a multimedia news reporter for United Methodist News Service.
News media contact: Heather Hahn, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

A Season of Mixed Feelings

A Season of Joy:
Joy to the world, the king is coming!

By Melanie C. Gordon

Photo Illustration by Kathleen Barry

So often, we assume Advent is a season of joy for everyone.  We surround ourselves with glittering preparations for Christmas, the smells of pine trees and apple cider, the joyful noise of Christmas carols and the taste of turkey and sweet potato pie.  We see “visions of sugar plums,” and we feel our desire for that new gadget!  


As we look at Advent as a season of joy, we also have to look at the places where joy seems absent – places of famine, war zones, homes filled with anger and hopelessness, prisons, hospitals, underpasses.  What does joy mean in the midst of suffering?  Where is the joy?

My mother loved both the sacred and the secular of this season.  I often remember her last Christmas Eve with us.  I had spent the day with her in her hospital room, finishing the Christmas Eve homily and attending to her needs.  She could not speak nor move much on her own.  I was anxious, torn between my duties at the church and not wanting to leave my mother’s side.  I read my homily for her.  (Bless her heart; she could not get away from me.)  There were moments when I saw her smile a little, especially when I talked about how Mary must have felt as she looked into the eyes of her newborn baby. 

I preached that night in a service that almost became a fiery furnace when a visitor knocked over the Advent wreath. Afterwards, my friends, the Jordals, accompanied us back to the hospital to sing to my mother.  They are creative and musical, and my mother loved all of them dearly.  Jake pulled out his guitar, and we began to sing “Silent Night.” My mother, who had not spoken in days, began to sing softly, but clearly. “… holy night, all is calm, all is bright.”  Stunned and overwhelmed, we continued with “Joy to the World.” I don’t remember all of the songs we sang, but I do remember the peaceful look on my mother’s face as a group of adults and not-too-ornery teenagers gathered around a hospital bed and sang songs about the coming of our Lord and God with us.

Awesome! 

Remembering that night, I am reminded of the joy we find in the coming of Christ even as I look at the space on the couch where my mother planted herself every Christmas Day. 

Joy during Advent and at Christmastime is not a given for those who mourn the loss of a parent, a child, a sibling or a good friend.  Looking at an empty space on the sofa or around the table can bring unimaginable, indescribable pain. A fresh loss creates even more confusion, unsettling us as we are surrounded by merriment. The aches are deep and not always fleeting, but believing and understanding the meaning of Advent can bring joy in the midst of despair or loss. The pain rooted in suffering will come, as it should, but joy will also come.

Joy came to us in the birth of a totally dependent infant, and joy will return to us in glory!  During Advent, we celebrate the Incarnation of Jesus, the promised return of the risen Christ in final glory and the perpetual presence of Christ in the lives of his disciples. 

We first read of preparations for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in the opening chapters of Luke’s Gospel.  We read it.  We hear it read from the pulpit.  Even Charlie Brown gives us a bit of it!  If we turn a few pages further to Luke 19, we see another time of preparation for our Lord that is not very different from the nativity story.


King Jesus was not born in the royal comfort that human history would have anticipated.  Jesus was born in harsh and humble circumstances.  Some 30 years later, when Jesus entered Jerusalem for the final time, he entered not as Herod did in robes trimmed in gold, surrounded by an army of soldiers. Jesus entered on a borrowed colt, surrounded by the disciples and the cloaks of the people.  The people who gathered to see him praised God joyfully, not because of glitz and glitter, but because of the wonders they had witnessed from this Prince of Peace.  For them and for us, Jesus is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!

As the psalmist says, “Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”  (Psalm 30:5, NRSV) In  our Advent preparation for the coming of the Lord, we also remember the Resurrection.  In the midst of our mourning, we can find joy, eternal joy in the promise of God’s coming.  We can rejoice in the coming of the Lord!  We can make a joyful noise! Whether Jesus comes as a baby or on the back of a colt or in God’s greatest glory, this is a time for us to prepare joyfully,  for that coming. 

Melanie C. Gordon is director of ministry with children for the General Board of Discipleship and a candidate for deacon’s orders in the South Carolina Annual Conference.

The Journey

Isaiah 43: 1-3

Hebrews 11: 8-10

Luke 2: 1:5

The Journey

Advent. The word as it applies to this season of the year means the coming or arrival, especially of something extremely important.  For us it means the birth of Jesus. It comes from a Latin word, advenire, which is the same origin of the word adventure.  

Our granddaughter loves adventures. She loves to talk about going on adventures.  She likes the uncertainty of going somewhere or doing something new. Adventures are an

1.      exciting experience: an exciting or extraordinary event or series of events

2.      bold undertaking: an undertaking involving uncertainty and risk

3.      involvement in bold undertakings: the participation or willingness to participate in things that involve uncertainty and risk

Certainly the birth of Jesus was—is—an exciting event.  Certainly the journey Mary and Joseph made from Nazareth to Bethlehem was a bold undertaking, involving uncertainty and risk.

I want you to imagine yourself walking from here to Columbus. Walk up route 60 to meet Interstate 70, and then walk along the Interstate all the way into Columbus. Now I want you to imagine doing that while you are pregnant.  That would be about the distance Mary and Joseph walked. And, by walking along the highway you would be experiencing a risk about that which they experienced. Not from traffic, but from robbers, and from things such as heat exhaustion, injuries from the rough terrain they would be walking across. In their case, they probably walked in a group with others, but that did not completely remove the risk. And, of course, there was the fact Mary was full term when they started.

It is likely that Joseph was in Bethlehem when the census was called for.  That was his home town. We don’t really know.  Regardless, he probably went to Nazareth to marry Mary, as would have been the custom, and it is likely he did so as soon as he became aware she was pregnant and he decided to marry her. Then, after that, they would have returned to Bethlehem for the census, because that was Joseph’s hometown. 

Thus Mary made the trip from Nazareth to Judea and spent time with Elizabeth. Then she went home at about the time she was three months into her pregnancy. Then she made the trip again back to Judea, to Bethlehem six months later with Joseph. Given that good devout Jews avoided Samaria, where they would not have been welcomed at all, so would not have found lodging or food, they probably took the longer route along the Jordan River. Three trips of nearly 100 miles each in those 9 months. A lot of walking.

We get the impression from Luke that when they arrived back in Bethlehem they went to a commercial establishment, an inn. And there was no room for them when they arrived. A no-vacancy situation.  Myrna and I have experienced no-vacancy situations before when we have stopped along a journey when we really did not intend to stay overnight in a particular place.  In our case other lodging was available just down the road.  

However, in the case of Mary and Joseph, they would have been coming into Joseph’s little hometown, and most likely would have sought lodging with one of his relatives.  Bethlehem, if it had an inn, would not have had a very big one. Remember, it was a tiny town, only 6 miles from Jerusalem.  Few people would have come to Bethlehem in those days, except to visit family. There was no reason to, no attraction or business that would have brought them there. So, it is more likely given the customs of the day that they went to a relative’s house. They were probably full up, and Mary and Joseph had to stay in an area adjacent to the main house.  

Or, because she was about to deliver, Joseph may have opted to move into the area where they brought the animals in at night so her labor and delivery would not disturb others in the house. It was customary in those days, in rural villages, to bring animals into part of the house itself at night, especially if it were cold. Remember, they did not live in houses anything like ours. Remember how you saw the cave houses that were common in those days, especially in areas such as Bethlehem.

Whatever the circumstances this all certainly qualified as an adventure; a nine month adventure. One which Mary and Joseph were willing to undertake, despite its uncertainty and risk.  Mary literally risked her life by accepting her calling. Joseph risked his reputation and livelihood.  And the trip itself was a risk.

When we become Christians, when we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, we begin an adventure. We set forth on a journey of events, placing our trust in the promise that God will be with us, even though we may not be certain of where he is leading us.  We are called to accept that uncertainty, and more than that we are called to fully accept risk as we live our faith and do God’s work.

What kind of adventure has your journey with Christ been?  What risks have you taken for Christ? 

Mary and Elizabeth

Isaiah 52: 7-9

2 Corinthians 6: 1-2

Luke 1: 39-45

Mary and Elizabeth

Mary visits her relative Elizabeth; they are both pregnant. Mary, a teenager, is pregnant with Jesus and elderly Elizabeth is pregnant with John the Baptist. Mary left Nazareth immediately after the Annunciation and went to a small town near Hebron, south of Jerusalem, to attend her cousin Elizabeth. This was a long, difficult, and actually dangerous journey. It would have taken several days walking to get there. We have no information who traveled with her, but she certainly did not go alone. The journey was about 80 to 100 miles and would probably take Mary at least 10 days.

Many believe the purpose of this visit was to bring divine grace to both Elizabeth and her unborn child. Even though he was still in Elizabeth’s womb, it is said John became aware of the presence of Jesus, the Savior; he jumped for joy as he filled with divine grace. Elizabeth also responded and recognized the presence of Jesus.

It is more likely though, that this young woman was confused and frightened by all that had happened… at least you would be if you were Mary. Who can she talk to about this? Her mother? Her rabbi?  Her rabbi’s duty would have been to turn her over to be stoned to death. The only person she knows who will be able to understand her is relative Elizabeth. Mary is in a hurry to go; that is clear, though I don't think she is entirely motivated by fear. But still, she is just a young teenager, and this is overwhelming. She needs steadying, guidance. But she is probably eager, as well. This whole experience can't help but be almost too much to bear.

For three months, Elizabeth was her instructor and teacher, her friend and confidant, her mentor and advocate. God gave Elizabeth to Mary for a special period of time and a special purpose. I can't help but think that God may have these roles for each of us, too, men and women.

I believe when you find yourself feeling apart from God, God has someone for you who can help and guide us. It's likely that you can find this mentor at church -- that's where God-loving, mature believers usually congregate -- or perhaps a small group related to the church. That is where new Christians usually find the help they need, rather than in the larger congregation during worship. If you are struggling with some aspect of Christianity, or your personal journey with Christ, I encourage you to pray that God would enable you find an Elizabeth-like friend to help you out during this period of your spiritual journey.

At the same time, you may be the mature Christian that God has prepared to be an Elizabeth-like friend to someone out there. You've been through your own share of pain and struggle. You can understand. You can sympathize. But you have now found how to walk with Christ, how to call upon him in need, how to pray. There's someone out there who needs you. Be on the lookout for that person, when God sends him or her along. You have your struggles, to be sure, but that person needs to watch you meet them with the God’s help. That is the purpose of the prayer cards you filled out last year, and will again for next year. It is for you to be an Elizabeth-like help to someone whom God needs you to help.

Such a role may last for only a few days, months, or a few years at the very most. And then that often ends because the person you have befriended and helped has received what he or she needs and now must move on and try his or her wings on their own. Things change. Elizabeth was now a mother -- for her glorious first time -- and it was time for Mary to go home.  After three months, Mary leaves for the long journey home, more certain of her mission, strengthened by the prayers and love from Elizabeth.

If you fill the Elizabeth role for someone, there will be a time for you to rejoice. Rejoice for how God has blessed you, and that God could use you for that special, intimate time. And pray that the gifts and understanding of God that you've passed onto the one for whom you have prayed and whom you have helped might bear fruit in his or her life forever.  Amen

Mary of Nazareth

 Isaiah 11: 1-6

 Hebrews 10: 5-10

Luke 1:26-38 

Mary of Nazareth

Mary, the mother of Jesus.  We Protestants tend to ignore Mary. It is interesting that we do because the Bible claims that Mary is the most blessed of all women.

I thumbed through our hymnbook the other day, and I could not find a single hymn that reflected a respect for this woman, the most blessed woman on all human history. Not one hymn in our hymnbook. The closest hymn I could find was a Christmas carol, “What Child Is This,” but that was the only hymn I could find.

Like so many personalities in the Bible, we can know a good deal about Mary’s life. We know enough from historical tradition, the Bible, and the culture of the time to gain a fairly broad perspective on her. We know from writings and tradition  in the second century that her parents may have been named Joachim and Anna. In the Gospel of Luke 1:32, the Bible implies that she is of the house of David, just as is Joseph.

In the Bible, we first meet Mary when she was a young girl of between thirteen and fifteen. Think of someone perhaps eighth or ninth grade in school. In other words, Mary was just starting to become a young woman. In her day, however, girls her age were betrothed. Women would have been asking come to Mary and say, “When are you going to get engaged, Mary?” Or  “When is your father, Joachim, going to make arrangements for you?” Mary’s father arranged for his daughter to be engaged to a young carpenter by the name of Joseph.

It can be said of Mary that God chose a humble person to use as his instrument to accomplish God’s work in the world. God chose a humble instrument.  One translation of the Bible says that she was a “handmaiden,” and the word, “handmaiden,” really masquerades that she was a servant.  The Greek word is “doulos,” and this is a common well-used word in the Bible for servant or slave. Mary was a servant girl, a slave girl; she was someone else’s property. The Bible says that Jesus was born of a woman under the law, a woman of low estate.

I like the following quotation:  “Just as Jesus was born in a humble stable, so Christ today is only born in humble hearts.”  That quotation is potent. Just as Jesus was born in a humble stable, so Christ is born only in humble hearts. Proud people think they have no need of Christ; but those who humbly cry out to God need God’s presence to heal, guide and forgive. We don’t need to have beauty, bread and brains to be used by God.

A second point about Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. Mary had the audacity to believe that God had chosen her.  She said, “Do with my life as you want to.”  She had the audacity to believe that God had chosen her to be the mother of the Messiah. Mary didn’t say like Moses, “Well, I am not good enough; God, get someone who can talk better.” Nor was Mary like Zechariah, “Lord, give me a sign. Prove it to me and then I will believe.”  Mary simply believed that God chose her.  Because she believed, she was able to put into effect what God had chosen her to do.

I believe that as God chose Mary, God has also chosen you and me. I believe that you are seated here in this congregation today because God has chosen you. God has chosen to use your life in God’s mission for the world. Further, I firmly believe that God has not only chosen you individually, but that God has chosen congregations and this particular congregation, Grace Lutheran Church, to accomplish some good works of love on Christ’s behalf. I do not believe it is an accident that we are now together as a pastor and people. God has brought us together to do a mission, to do a ministry together.

 I believe that God has several great tasks for this congregation to do. If you would dare to believe that, just as Mary dared to believe that in her own life.  If you dare to believe that God has some significant missions for your individual life and our congregational life together, fantastic things will start to happen in the life of this congregation and in our individual lives. If you dare to believe that you are chosen, if we as a congregation are chosen