Heavenly Sign To Mark The Birth Of Jesus

 

It is stated in the Bible that soon after the birth of Jesus some men who studied the stars came from the east to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the baby born to be the 'king of Jews'?"

This account, if it is true, tells us that a special star, known as the 'Star of Bethlehem' appeared in the sky, at that time, to mark the birth of a very special child who was to lead the Israelites. The people, who had the knowledge of stars, might have recognized the star and known that such a child had been born.

This indeed was an extraordinary sign, but we know from the history of religion that sometimes such heavenly signs appear to mark the events of great religious importance. For example in present times the eclipse of the sun and that of the moon occurred in 1894 in the same month of Ramadhan according to the prophecy of the Prophet of Islam, to mark the advent of the Mahdi.

It is also related in the Bible that the star guided those wise men to the place where Jesus was born. This seems to be an exaggeration. We know from our own experience that heavenly bodies like stars and the moon cannot lead us to a particular place. They seem to move along with us wherever we go. Again the Bible says that the men came and worshipped Jesus. This cannot be a true account either.  Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a pious lady. She believed in one God and worshipped Him alone. Therefore she could not have allowed anyone to worship her child.

Inspite of the fact that the Jews were waiting for the Messiah to appear, they rejected Jesus. They believed that the 'King of Israel' would come and lead them to victory over the Romans. They were expecting a mighty king who would come with power and glory. Therefore when Jesus, who was of humble origin, claimed to be the Messiah, he was rejected outright. The Jews were indeed mistaken. Jesus did not claim to be a worldly king. He explained that his kingdom had nothing to do with this world.

 

QUESTIONS

1. What did Mary say to the angel who appeared to her and what was the reply of the angel?
2. Where was Jesus born?
3. How far is Bethlehem from Nazareth?
4. Why did Mary leave Nazareth?
5. What time of the year was it when Jesus was born?
6. Why do we call the birth of Jesus extraordinary?
7. What was God's covenant with Abraham?
8. Why did Jews reject Jesus?
9. Comment on the Biblical story that the star guided the
   wise men to the place where Jesus was born.
10. Comment on the Biblical story that the wise men
    worshipped baby Jesus.