Scripture · John 20:14
Matthew 2:2
The Star of Bethlehem
asking, “Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”
The star has come down to eye level. An angel holds it beside the visitors, bringing the sign that guided their journey into the same small clearing as Mary and her child.
About the artwork
Look at the crowns. One rests on the grass; the other two are carried in the visitors' hands. Their long robes and armour still announce rank, but they have removed its most recognizable emblems before approaching. The naked child sits low on Mary's lap, beneath the line of bent heads. Even the angel's bare feet hover above this downward movement. Burne-Jones gives the meeting the richness of a woven hanging, although this Birmingham work is a watercolour. Embroidery, wing feathers, roses and the woven fence offer details to linger over. The forest path behind suggests a journey continuing into the distance, but here every figure has become still.
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What does Matthew 2:2 mean?
In Matthew 2:2 the Magi ask where the newborn king can be found. Their question disturbs Herod, whose own kingship is already established. Burne-Jones brings the question and its eventual answer together: the star is held near a child without a crown, while crowned visitors lower themselves before him. The angel carrying the star is the artist's invention, making guidance feel like an introduction to a person.
Sources
Birmingham Museums: The Star of Bethlehem. Museum description of this watercolour and its star-bearing angel.
Matthew 2 — Berean Standard Bible. The paired text read in its surrounding chapter.
Also from Matthew:Marriage of the VirginThe Dream of Saint Joseph
Continue looking:Triptych of the Adoration of the Magi