Seeing the New Stars

Starting yesterday, I embarked on reading the Four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) as well as tidbits of 3 Nephi by Christmas. In one month, reading just about six pages a day, I'll have read the most intimate accounts of the Savior's personal ministry on the Earth. Because of that, expect a whole bunch of blog posts focused on those five books over the next month!

The first one, though, is very Christmasy. One of my favorite parts of the whole Nativity story is the Wise Men. In the opening four verses of Matthew 2, we read:

"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born."

Many wonderful things have been and should be said about the diligence of the Wise Men seeking the infant Son of God, traveling long and far to meet this promised Child. But something slightly different hit me this time around.

See, let's go through all who are involved in these passages: The Wise Men, obviously. Herod. All of Jerusalem. All the chief priests and scribes of the people.

The Gospel According to Matthew was aimed primarily at showing Jews that Jesus of Nazareth really was the long-awaited Messiah. As such, he constantly refers to Biblical prophesies which Jesus fulfills.

The point is, the prophesies were there, yet neither Herod nor anyone in Jerusalem including those to whom the responsibility belonged to understand the scriptures recognized the new star. They didn't even notice.

In the pictures of this scene that I've included thus far, I don't really believe anyone would miss the star. It's obnoxiously huge. That's how the art always portrays it, though, right?

What hit me as I read this story, though, is that the star likely was not nearly so noticeable. No one in Jerusalem apparently noticed it. Not even the priests and scribes! The Wise Men must have been looking for it. Consider the following pictures:

I feel like our lives are often like a starry night. There are so many stars, it is almost impossible to differentiate one star from the next, let alone notice any new ones. Whether those stars are random distractions (television, video games), genuine good uses of time (family matters, careers), or even full-on gospel activities (church, scripture study), it really doesn't make a difference. Less remarkable to me than the fact that the Wise Men followed the star is that they noticed the star. Let's be real, who in their right mind wouldn't go
meet the infant Savior if they knew where He lay? Even Herod sought Him out. In my own life, I feel I am pretty good at acting on revelation and cherishing miracles - that I recognize. It is much harder for me to hear that still, small voice or acknowledge the Lord's hand throughout my day. The problem is that I let all my other stars occupy all of my time that I never notice the new star that is trying to point me to Christ.

President Uchtdorf, of the First Presidency, said it this way:

"Unfortunately, we sometimes don’t seek revelation or answers from the scriptures or the handbooks because we think we know the answers already. Brothers and sisters, as good as our previous experience may be, if we stop asking questions, stop thinking, stop pondering, we can thwart the revelations of the Spirit. Remember, it was the questions young Joseph asked that opened the door for the restoration of all things. We can block the growth and knowledge our Heavenly Father intends for us. How often has the Holy Spirit tried to tell us something we needed to know but couldn’t get past the massive iron gate of what we thought we already knew?"

So, let us follow follow Jacob's famous counsel and "be wise." The Wise Men weren't just wise because they sought after the star that they saw; they were wise because they sought the star, itself. Let's not feel satisfied with the stars that we have or let those hid the brightness of new stars, new miracles, new revelations. Truly, those stars will bring us to Jesus of Nazareth.