From Matthew 2 (NIV)
The Magi Visit the Messiah
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
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It almost sounds like they saw the star when it rose and that got them on their journey to Israel. The scripture does not say if they followed the star to Israel.
If they were following the star, why would they need to ask Herod? Unless they had to ask so prophecies would come true (Jesus fleeing to Egypt, and upon returning too afraid to settle in Bethleham so it was Nazareth instead).
Also - the scripture seems to indicate that the star reappeared after they saw Herod.
Perhaps only the Magi and Shepherds were given sight to see the star.
I say this thinking of when God opened the eyes of Elijah to see the chariots surrounding the city.
Hmm. Reading the scripture again. The magi knew that Jesus was the King of the Jews. Perhaps they figured the Jews would CERTAINLY know of this birth as well, and had already taken their new “King” to the capitol city and temple to be raised there, or perhaps even installed as their King as a baby? That is why they went to Jerusalem to inquire - thinking he was in a feather bed with gold inlay.
Hmm. I wonder why the birth and His status wasn’t more widely known as the shepherds saw Jesus and the angels years before? (Although I guess the shepherds didn’t run in the right circles to get the word out.)
That's a big clue right there. They didn't follow the star. If you read other passages in the Gospels you'll see that this star was "in the East," which would have been in the wrong direction if they were traveling westward.
They also wouldn't need directions to Jerusalem -- or even from Jerusalem to Bethlehem (a distance of only a few miles). Anyone traveling in those days would have known how to get to a major destination like Jerusalem.
The "star" was almost certainly only there to tell them WHEN to depart from their homeland and make their way to Jerusalem.
Just speculating, but it does seem more than possible that the Magi lost their ‘star’ because the weather was overcast much of that time.