Matthew 2:1-2, Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
The wise men, knowing the prophecy of God’s people in Israel, have come to find the child and worship him. This is extraordinary and clearly by God’s leading - not happenstance, nor is it that the eastern astrologers had some special information about when the child would be born. Prophecy available to them would have said: a child will be born in Bethlehem, he’ll be a king, and there may be a star that indicates his arrival. Any other specificity: the year of his birth, time of year, etc., can only be attributed to the work of the Spirit who led these men to the Messiah. And it’s with God’s clear design that the first to hear the good news and come to worship him would have been of the lowest class in Israel - the shepherds. Next come the wise men from the east - men of the highest class in their society, and yet clearly Gentiles from far-off lands. They would have come some time after the birth of Christ, up to two years after his birth, given Herod’s proclamation to kill the male children two years and under. But the people worshiping the King of the Universe at the start of his life are poor, outcasts, or far outside of God’s people in Israel. This king and kingdom would care for them all, and gather worshipers from all stretches of society.
The movement of the wise men shows us extraordinary faith. There is nothing to indicate in the story that the star kept hanging over a particular place. Verses 9 and 10 indicate the star had appeared, disappeared, and then reappeared when they got to Jerusalem to search for the child. And they rejoiced exceedingly when they again saw the star. This is what stars do - they come and go, and if you are following the Lord in following the star, then you must be exhibiting strong faith while that star is gone. The same is true for us in our faith. We don’t always feel God’s presence, don’t always know he’s there, but we’re called to faith . Faith is in things hoped for, what is unseen (Hebrews 11:1). We must follow these wise men who showed they would trust in the promises of God when it was clear what was happening and when it was not.
Hymn for Reflection: Go Tell it On the Mountain. Here’s a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1RpUV2AQ24