We’re looking at JOY this week, and a blog I wrote last year is too good not to run again. It should become an Advent/Christmas tradition here at the Ewellogy. It’s the Wise Men rediscovering the star and the song that describes it.

The Wise Men were journeying from the East, following the star toward Judea, when they took a side trip to Jerusalem. They didn’t know it was a side trip – they just assumed that Jerusalem would be the place to find a newborn king. But in the process, they apparently lost the star. Upon being briefed by the religious scholars that Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (see Micah 5.2), we read:

And so they left, and on their way to Bethlehem, suddenly the same star they had seen in the East reappeared! Amazed, they watched as it went ahead of them and stopped directly over the place where the child was. And when they saw the star, they were so ecstatic that they shouted and celebrated with unrestrained joy. (Matthew 2.9, 10, Passion Translation)

Ecstatic…shouted…celebrated…unrestrained joy. Their goal was in sight. That’s a source of joy! The Passion Translation note explains:

The Greek is hard to translate since it contains so many redundant words for joy in this one verse. It is literally “They rejoiced with a great joy exceedingly.” They were ecstatic! (Note on Matthew 2.10, The Passion Translation)

The King James Version says simply:

When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

This brings us to the song about this event. If listening to this version of Matthew 2.10 doesn’t fill you with joy and put a spring in your step, I don’t know what will! When they saw the star, they rejoiced with great joy. Enjoy! Rejoice!