It is an amazing, magical story of wise men traveling, following a star, till eventually it leads them to the newly born King. Like all stories in the Word, it is filled with heavenly wisdom, wisdom for the angels. It is a story for us here on earth as well, a story that can teach us about our spiritual journey.
Life is often compared to a journey. We move along and through the many stages of our life, from infancy, to childhood, to young adulthood, middle age, and in the end, to old age. What few realize, though, is that this is not like a journey, but actually is a journey. Our spirits, while still within physical bodies here on earth, are moving, journeying, in the spiritual world. Recall how in the opening books of the Old Testament there is much said about journeying. Abram is called to leave his native land to travel south. Later, the Israelites would travel out of Egypt towards the promised land of Canaan. It was a very hard journey indeed, because of their failure to trust in the Lord. But this story, on a deeper level, is not about the Israelites. It is about us. We also can encounter great hardships when we fail to follow the Lord.
When they are open and honest about their inner lives, men and women will often speak of a feeling of discouragement as they live out their lives. They speak of sadness, boredom, meaninglessness, and sometimes of an inner desperation. Sometimes they feel completely lost, not really knowing what to do or what direction to go. It is a very dark place. But, no matter how defeated people might feel inside, they possess something valuable. That they feel lost shows that they know, or at least sense, that life is meant to have direction. And they ask how to find such direction.
The story of the wise men following a star speaks to this question. In their journey, they had both purpose and direction. Their purpose was to find “He who has been born King of the Jews” (Matt. 2:2). So they came to Jerusalem and asked where He was to be found. Proceeding from Jerusalem , they saw the star again, this time going before them, leading them to the infant King. The star gave them direction, showed them the way.
In our night sky, the stars shine, many points of light in an otherwise dark sky. And so a star symbolizes knowledge. The many things a person knows can bring the light of knowledge to the mind. Also, stars can also give direction, and have been used for navigation from ancient times. The many things a person knows can help with many of the decisions he has to make in life. But still there remains a question that has to do—not with the many details of life—but with the purpose of life itself, with the overall direction of life. For this we need a special knowledge, a special star.
The wise men knew that the star they saw in the east was a sign of the birth of the Lord. From ancient teachings, they knew and worshiped Jehovah. And they knew of the sign of a star. The prophet Balaam had spoken of the star and of a king or scepter.
I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a star shall come out of Jacob; a scepter shall rise out of Israel, . . .
Numbers 24:17
We also need a King in our lives. We need a star, a special knowledge, to lead us to Him. Yes, life can seem overwhelming. It can seem confusing, even pointless. The sky of life can seem so dark, so very dark. But there is a special star up there, a purpose to life. We were created by God, by Jesus Christ, our Lord. He created us so that we might follow Him throughout life, follow Him to heaven, to happiness.
You are not alone. Follow Him and He will show you the Way of life.