December 24:
Matthew 2:1-2 “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time
of King Herod, Magi from the east came
to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king
of the Jews? We saw his star in the east
and have come to worship him.’"
Since I am an English teacher, symbolism is a significant
part of my world. In fact, I can’t go
anywhere or read anything at face value.
Whether I consciously try or not, I am always looking for symbols,
analogies, and connections.
When it comes to symbolism, one of my favorite pieces to
read with students is the short story, “The Masque of the Red Death,” by Edgar
Allan Poe. Even though he is not one of
my favorite authors, this piece is just so much fun to dissect.
If you are not familiar with the piece, Prince Prospero, a
spoiled, selfish ruler, decides to lock himself and several of his friends in
his castle in order to escape the “Red Death” (the Black Plague) that is
destroying the populace of his kingdom.
After six months of seclusion, the Prince throws an
elaborate masquerade ball to ease the boredom.
Since he is quite eccentric, his only requirement is that everyone dress
in costume and wear masks.
When someone dares to boldly wear a costume that resembles
the Red Death, Prince Prospero chases the disrespectful party-goer from one end
of his castle to the other, which so happens to run from east to west. In order
to do so, he must pass through seven rooms. Each has a particular color scheme
in a particular order: blue, purple, green, orange, white, violet, and finally,
black. In the final, black room, the furnishings are a blood-red color, and
there is a giant, imposing clock in that room as well.
You can probably guess how the story ends. Even if you can’t
guess, read it for yourself because I’m not telling you!
What I will tell you is that, through fits and starts, the
students eke out the symbolism of the chambers.
They reflect the life cycle – there are seven rooms (the symbolic number
of completion), the chambers run east to west, and the colors even symbolize
the various stages of life.
In today’s verse, the east-west symbolism is significant as
well.
Typically, East is associated with origins or
beginnings. For example, the sun rises
in the East. Not only is it the start of a new day, it is the beginning of another
day of life. The possibilities are
endless. There is anticipation and
hope.
The Magi, or wise guys, followed the star in the East, to
find the new king. If we are going to be
really honest here, the only thing that makes sense about that statement is the
fact that they were following a star.
That’s because the Magi were sorcerers (magicians) and astrologists.
Neither of these occupations is typically associated with God or Christianity. Nevertheless,
the star was significant to them, so they followed it to the place where the
new King of the Jews was.
I’m no Biblical scholar, but my takeaway from this is that
there is a God-shaped hole in everyone.
The Magi did not appear to be godly men.
They were employed by important men such as rulers and kings, but
religion did not seem to factor into the mix.
Even so, the Magi seemed to understand the significance of this new king’s
birth – to the point that they dropped what they were doing to travel many
miles in order to follow this star.
Stars, their patterns, and movements were the livelihood and
expertise of these men. This star was
obviously something special, and they recognized that fact. They followed THIS star to worship the new
king. From a worldly vantage point, that
makes no sense. From a Kingdom
perspective, it shows that all of mankind longs for God – the only, worthy, and just King.
Likewise, the star was in the East. All of the symbolism converges on this one
point. With his birth, Jesus Christ, the
new star, signified a new beginning.
This child’s birth and later, His death, would allow mankind to be
redeemed by grace and restored as God’s heirs.
His birth, and later, His death, would allow mankind to have a more
personal connection with God via the Holy Spirit, also known as the
Counselor. His birth was the hope of
world and the anticipation of eternal life for mankind.
Even today, the star is in the East. We have the hope of better things to come and
the anticipation of Christ’s return. His
return will signify another new beginning – a new Kingdom. If we are smart, we will continue to look to
the East, following His star and worshiping Him with all that we have and are,
until He returns.
Today’s Magi need no magic or astrological knowledge. Wise men and women keep their eyes trained on
the star in the East and still seek Him – His character and Will – through prayer,
the Scriptures, and close communion. When we do, He has promised that we will not
be disappointed.
Matthew 7:7 "Ask
and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be
opened to you.”
Psalm 16:11 “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
Philippians 1:9-11 “9 I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. 10 For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. 11 May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ[b]—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.”
Challenge: Be in the moment all day today. Hug, listen, laugh, and celebrate. There will never be another day or another moment just like this one.
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