THEY SAW HIS STAR IN THE EAST
By Albert C. Grier
Emerson says that the whole of God is present in every part. Surely the whole of God/Truth is in this phrase, “we have seen his star in the East.” This was spoken by those wise men who came to seek the young child. It was not said of the mass of “wise men” with whom the East teemed, just of those few who came to worship him.
Why was it that only this little band saw his star and the vast number of other “wise men” didn’t? They were in the same land - their eyesight was equally as good. Why then, did the mass fail and a smaller number succeed in being in on the greatest event in human history?
The answer to this question is the answer to every question of experience. We are constantly asking “why did this happen to me?” and “why did my desired good not come to me?” One can be certain that these “wisemen” saw the star because they were prepared to see it. We have no record of the long years of training of their souls. We know nothing of the discipline to which they had subjected themselves. We boldly declare that God is a just God, and yet, we wonder why one person succeeds and someone else fails. But in the light of Truth we know success is due to preparation and failure is due to lack of preparation.
There may have been many in that day who knew that something must occur. They felt the ripeness of the times and eagerly awaited its advent. But the vast majority of them picked up other events and followed in their direction - and were never heard of again. These few caught the fine vibration that was thrilling the spiritual world. They caught it so definitely that they were able to follow it until it led them where the young child - the Christ child, lay. They were not sensitive to physical facts primarily, but to the very purpose of God, the very vision of Jesus Christ. They had walked so persistently and consistently in the council chambers of heaven that the star of Jesus was their star. It is not a story of psychic development but of spiritual preparation.
Two thousand years have passed since that night of nights. To what degree has that company of “wise men” been augmented? How many in all these ages or in this age have caught the vision of Jesus? This star was his vision.
Many have thought that a loyalty to his name and his story was seeing “his star,” but not so. Only when one sees with the eye to which Jesus referred when he said, “Blessed are your eyes for they see,” only when one sees with this heavenly eye can one discern the star of Jesus. It is not to see the star as the star of Jesus that constitutes the vision - it is a greater thing when the star is seen to be our star. It is the star of Jesus but he came that we might see it as our star.
Have you seen his star in the East? Is his vision your vision? Is the passion of your soul the passion that was his?
The Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Christ, comes just to the degree that this “Eastern Star” is in one’s vision. How many souls, following the Truth of Jesus Christ’s teachings, have truly seen this star? Are you one?