I remember being surprised when I first realized many of the traditions we have about the Magi and the Star of Bethlehem aren't exactly biblical. I figured I would share some of the less "pop-culture-inspired" interpretations of Matthew's account in hopes that doing so would be valuable in some way.

So, it's important to note that we can understand all this as beginning with the revelations given to the prophet Daniel which foretold the arrival of an eternal kingdom and king from Israel.

Fast forward hundreds of years to the era of the Romans, the fourth kingdom prophesied by Daniel.

Many think that in the heart of Persia, the Magi, wise scholars of the time, would have known about Daniel's prophecies and therefore would have been eagerly scanning the heavens (viewing and even worshipping the "divine" stars as their culture did) for any sign that the long-awaited king of the Jews had been born.

(Sidenote: it would be pretty awesome to think God would use their fictitious deities to show them the way to the true God.)

Anyway, guess what?

History would later reveal that in the years 3 and 2 B.C., the skies put on a celestial spectacle, a cosmic display of rare and repeated astronomical signs. So, the Magi interpret these signs as heralding the birth of the eternal King and go to Jerusalem to see Him.

Now in all likelihood they wouldn't have actually needed a star to get to Jerusalem given the historical ties between Persia and Israel, but that doesn't quite matter too much. What does matter is that it appeared no one in Jerusalem had any inkling about the birth of their own king. Even King Herod himself was in the dark (so to speak) about the star, as we find in Matthew 2:7.

What this might indeed mean is that the Bible isn't necessarily describing a blazing star lighting up the night sky and leading these wise travelers across the Middle East; it may more likely mean whatever the Magi were seeing must have been more subtle, maybe even easy to miss for the untrained eye.

Anyway, a troubled King Herod took action, assembling the chief priests and scribes to consult the Jewish prophets about the birthplace of the Messiah. Then, Herod, not relying on a star but the prophecy, instructed the Magi to go to Bethlehem (Matthew 2:8).

It's also important to note that Bethlehem was merely a short five-mile journey down the main road. Once again, the Magi didn't need a star to find their way.

Also interesting to ask: if there was an obvious celestial beacon guiding the Magi, why would Herod instruct them to "search diligently"? Why not send his own people to simply follow the star directly to the child?

Be the case as it may, as the Magi set out for Bethlehem, the "star which they had seen in the East went before them, until it came to rest over the place where the Child was."

What's neat is knowing that heavenly bodies can appear to move in the sky and then seemingly hover over towns. In fact, what's even neater is that historical records tell us in 2 B.C., Jupiter executed a retrograde loop and appeared stationary over Bethlehem, intriguingly, on December 25th.

It's therefore possible for all this to be seen as a divinely orchestrated cosmic coincidence (<- note the divinely orchestrated qualifier, so as to not misunderstand me).

Sometimes I'm not sure what is more impressive: when God works outside the laws of nature and obscures/prevents us from being able to explain things from a naturalistic or materialistic perspective, or when He works within them so we can explain them (at least partially) from such perspectives.

Either way, without faith, you'll reject both.