The precision in the narrative of the wise men continues to fascinate readers. The men observe the star “at its rising” (v. 2) and are able to tell Herod the exact time it “had appeared” (v.7). When they set out to search for the child, the star goes ahead of them and stops over the place where the child is (v. 9). The moment the star stops is the moment the Magi are filled with joy (v.10).

This is enough for a long scrutiny by scholars from different disciplines, producing an enormous body of theoretical work. Was the star a conjunction of Jupiter, Regulus and Venus? We don’t know, but the details show us that the wise men were experienced, confident astronomers, and diligent, patient watchers. They also had political instincts, paying heed to the warning about Herod (v.12).

In watching the night sky, we see realities existing over billions of years, at distances so large they seem to become time, where the numbers must be condensed into equations using the figure “to the power of”. In pondering the scientific understanding of the universe as a space-time continuum, our understanding of what Creation is may falter. Like Job, we may well find ourselves quailing as God asks us, “Where is the way to the dwelling of light...” (Job 38 v 19). We can only say, with the Psalmist, “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established, what are human beings that you are mindful of them...” (Psalm 8 vv 3-4).

The stars can give us a new perspective of ourselves and not only of the brevity of our lives. Each of the billions of stars in the Universe are born, exist and die. Their lives have no meaning or purpose or justification, but in their being and existence, they burn, give light, and exert gravity and impact on other stars. When we are born our existence, our being, is much more important than what we might do, and we change the lives of those around us. We are loved by God just because we exist. For the men of great wisdom and knowledge who watched the stars, the being of a child was where God was found.