If you are like me, you read the Christmas story in Matthew 2 and you wonder why God spoke through the stars to Astrologers (and that’s essentially what the Magi were) about the birth of Christ.
I mean, let’s face it, man has invented a lot of silly religions and beliefs, but Astrology has to be near the top of the list . . . followed closely by Scientology, a religion created by a science fiction writer (L. Ron Hubbard).
The question of “Why the Magi?” is a puzzling one. A recurring theme throughout the Old Testament is the tendency of Israel to run after pagan gods, followed by the discipline of the Lord persuading them to return to the one true God.
And, of course, there is the first Commandment, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:3). So why would God seemingly reward pagan practice by speaking through pagan divination?
I think the answer is found in the message, and the message is implicit in the means.
The Magi came to see a king, not just any king but a king worthy of their worship (notably Matthew doesn’t say the Magi worshiped Herod). The Magi came to see not just a king for the Jews but a king for all men, the king of a kingdom designed for the summing up of all things, things on the earth and things in the heavens (Ephesians 1:9-10).
And so it makes sense that a message for all men be communicated in the broadest possible manner, even to misguided Astrologists. GS