Matthew 2:9
When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
After they had heard the king and left Herod and Jerusalem, the star they had seen in the east appeared again and went before them to Bethlehem until it stood over where the young child was, and seeing it again filled them with great joy. The star was not a fixed star or planet but a distant company of shining, flaming angels appearing as a bright, luminous star. As they approached Jerusalem it had left them and faded from view above the temple, so they entered the city to ask for the child expecting rejoicing but finding no one who knew of the newborn King. God reached the upright philosophers from the East in a way suited to them by a sign in the heavens, moving upon them by His Spirit to follow it in search of the newborn Prince. Though they found Jesus as a babe in humble surroundings with no royal guard, they recognized Him as the Son of God and their Saviour and bent before Him in pure faith with costly gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
The Guiding Star
What appeared as a bright, luminous star was not a fixed star or planet but a distant company of shining, flaming angels, though those who followed it did not know this. Heavenly angels appeared in the heavens in the form of a star, a distant cluster presenting itself as a single light to guide observers to Christ.
It first appeared on the night Jesus was born, after the angel who had announced His birth to the shepherds returned to heaven, when the glory of God flooded the hills of Bethlehem. After that light faded the luminous star lingered in the sky, and its strange appearance impressed those watching that it held special meaning for them.
The star moved before them and guided them throughout their journey toward the child, directing observers of the heavens to the place where He was. It marked the Messiah's presence, and at His birth the heavenly sign recognized Christ and bore witness to who He was by leading the seers to the manger where He lay. As they set out it went ahead of them until it stood over where the young child was.
As they approached Jerusalem the star left them and ceased guiding them, so they continued into the city to ask where the child was. On the approach it rested above the temple and then faded from view, disappearing from their sight. They entered expecting rejoicing at the Messiah's birth but found no one who knew of the newborn King.
After they had heard the king and left Herod and Jerusalem, the star they had seen in the east appeared again after having been hidden from their sight. It went before them from Jerusalem to Bethlehem and guided them until it came and stood over where the young child was, stopping above the place where Jesus was at His birthplace. Its return and guidance brought them great joy.
The Seeking Magi
The men who followed the star to the young child were philosophers from the East, from a distant country, upright observers of the heavens who studied the signs of Providence in nature and were honored for integrity and wisdom. Though neither Jews nor Gentiles, they lived up to the light they had been given.
God reached them in a way suited to them, for because they studied the heavens He gave them a sign in the heavens and led them to Christ by a remarkable star. The Spirit of God moved upon them to follow it, and through dreams they were instructed to go in search of the newborn Prince.
As students of the starry heavens they sought clearer knowledge of the promised divine teacher, and so they turned to the Hebrew Scriptures and to the prophetic writings treasured in their own land. They traced the prophecies to learn when Christ would come, consulted priests and philosophers and searched ancient scrolls, and welcomed Heaven-sent truth so that brighter rays were shed upon them. With joy they connected the strange star with Balaam's handed-down foretelling of Israel's prosperity and declaration of a star out of Jacob and a Sceptre out of Israel as harbinger of the Promised One, and with the clearer Old Testament revelation that the coming of a divine teacher was near and that the whole world would be filled with knowledge of the glory of the Lord.
When the star left them near Jerusalem they were led to inquire where the child was. Their arrival and their journey under the star's direction made the nation aware of their search and drew attention to the events surrounding Jesus' birth. Like the shepherds of Bethlehem they gave heed to the light they had received, so God revealed truth to them, while pride and unbelief led others to miss the time of their visitation. Herod himself knew the star had been sent as their guide and knew what God had foretold through His prophet about Christ's coming.
Finding and Worshiping Child
The star that had been seen in the east appeared again after leaving Herod and Jerusalem and went before them to Bethlehem until it stood over where the young child was, and seeing it again filled them with great joy. They found Him in humble surroundings as a babe cradled in a manger, with no royal guard or honored visitors, born to a poor family. Yet they recognized His divinity and exalted character as the Son of God and His true position, and worshiped Him in homage as their Saviour. They came to worship in pure faith and bent before Him with costly gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. In this they understood more definitely the honor due Him than His own followers who had received His instruction and beheld His mighty miracles, showing that no sacrifice was too costly to offer Him.
God directed their journey by the star toward the child, and used their journey and valuable gifts to provide for Jesus and His poor family during the flight to Egypt and the stay there. By this provision He helped preserve His life from Herod. At the same time God's power protected the infant Jesus from Herod's murderous plans and from Satan's efforts to destroy Him until He had completed His mission on earth.
Their visit from the East to worship Jesus at His birth represents the nations coming to the Saviour, in contrast with the Greeks who came from the West near the end of His life. His birth in a humble place was part of the plan of redemption, in which He entered human life with its needs and temptations, sanctified every stage of it, and showed that people need not continue in sin. The star guiding the wise men to Jesus serves as a picture of how God guides people to find Christ, whom their souls love.