«　WEEK 1　DAY 1　»

　　Matt. 2:2 …Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star at its rising and have come to worship Him.

　　Num. 24:17 I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near. There shall come forth a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and He shall crush the corners of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.

　　This Star [in Numbers 24:17] refers to Christ. The fulfillment of this type of Christ is found in the word of the magi, learned men from the east, recorded in Matthew 2:2…The magi did not say, “We have seen a star,” or “We have seen the star,” but, “We have seen His star.”…The star spoken of in this verse was shown to these learned men; it did not appear to any of the people of Israel. Whereas the Jews had the Scriptures concerning Christ and knew where He would be born (Matt. 2:4-6), the magi saw the star of Christ. The Jews had the knowledge in letters concerning Christ, but these learned men from the east received a living vision concerning Him. Eventually the star led them to the place where Christ was (Matt. 2:9-10).

　　Although Christ is the real Sun (Mal. 4:2), He does not appear as the Sun during this age of night. Rather, He shines as a star. A star shines at night, but it indicates that day is coming. When Christ came the first time, He appeared openly as a star. But when He comes the second time, He will be the morning star (Rev. 2:28; 22:16) to His overcomers, who watch for His coming. To all others Christ will later appear as the sun. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 465-466)

　　Matthew 2:2…seems to indicate that the Lord Jesus was only for the Jews; however, those who first came to seek for the Lord were Gentiles. It was declared from the mouths of Gentiles that the Lord was the King of the Jews. From this verse we can see that the Lord’s work was for both the Gentiles and the Jews…The Bible does not give us proof of how the magi from the east learned of the Lord’s birth, but we have some hint. (“Light”—Isa. 60:3; “He”—Psa. 72:4). The Gentiles also had prophets, Balaam being one of them. He was one of four prophets who prophesied the most concerning the Lord Jesus (Num. 24:17). Perhaps these prophecies had spread in the east. Perhaps the magi from the east read the prophecy in Daniel. In his captivity in Babylon, when Daniel prophesied concerning the seventy weeks, he spoke the things concerning the Lord Jesus (Dan. 9:24-25). “To worship Him” was not to worship as one would worship God but to worship the Lord with the highest honor given to a human being. (CWWN, vol. 15, pp. 5-6)

　　At the time of Jesus’ birth…there is a record that some pagan men, magi, came to find Him (Matt. 2:1-12). Of course, this was initiated by God, not by them. God gave the magi a shining star to guide them (v. 2). This star did not appear in the Holy Land. It appeared to men far away—far away from the Holy Land; far away from the holy city; far away from the holy temple and the holy religion; far away from the Holy Bible, the holy people, and the holy priests. Far away from all these holy things, the shining star appeared to some pagan men in a pagan land. The shining of that star stirred up these pagan wise men regarding the King of the Jews. I do not know how these wise men were stirred up regarding the King of the Jews, and I do not want to guess…At any rate, they came from the east, the Orient, and realized that the star indicated the King of the Jews.

　　The wise men had the living vision, the heavenly star, and the Jewish religionists had the Bible. Which do you prefer to have—the Bible or the star? It is best to have both. I like to have the Bible in my hand, and I like to see the star in the heavens. It is best to be both a “pagan” and a “Jew” as well. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 74-75)

　　Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 15, ch. 2; Life-study of Matthew, msg. 7; Truth Lessons—Level Four, vol. 1, lsn. 3