International S. S. Lessons

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jul 2, 1894

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 20, No. 34.

International S. S. Lessons.

"So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading." —Neh. 8:8

LESSON III.—SUNDAY, JULY 15, 1894.

VISIT OF THE WISE MEN.

[NOTE.—The questions which follow are merely suggestive for the student on the leading points of the lesson: it is presumed that the thorough student will think of many more as he studies the subject. References, where verses alone are given, always refer to the lesson scripture printed above. All other references are given in book, chapter, and verse. The text printed is that of the Revised Version, not because it is especially preferred, but because it is not found in every family, as is the common version.]

Lesson Scripture, Matt. 2:1-12.

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying,
Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we saw his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ should be born.
And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea; for thus it is written by the prophet,
And thou Bethlehem, land of Judah, art in nowise least among the princes of Judah; for out of thee shall come forth a governor, which shall be shepherd of my people Israel.
Then Herod privily called the wise men, and learned of them carefully what time the star appeared.
And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search out carefully concerning the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word, that I also may come and worship him.
And they, having heard the king, went their way; and lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
And when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
And they came into the house and saw the young child with Mary his mother; and they fell down and worshiped him; and opening their treasures they offered unto him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

Golden Text: "They saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him." Verse 11.

NOTE.—As this story is recorded only in Matthew, the lesson embraces only this scripture. The visit of the wise men must have been made soon after the presentation of Christ in the temple, and was immediately followed by the flight of Joseph into Egypt. The whole of the second chapter of Matthew comes chronologically in the middle of Luke 2:39. The place was Bethlehem of Judea, a village about five miles south of Jerusalem. The name means "the house of bread," and has been suggested as very fitting for the place where was born the Bread of Life.

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.

Where and when was Jesus born? Verse 1. Note 1.
Who came from the East at that time? Note 2.
What inquiry were they making? Verse 2.
What did they say they had seen? Note 3.
How did the hearing of these things affect Herod? Verse 3.
What did he do? Verse 4, first part.
What did he demand of the learned men among the Jews?
What did they answer? Verse 5.
By what quotation did they confirm their reply? Verse 6. See Micah 5:2. Note 4.
After Herod had learned from the priests where Jesus was to be born, what did he do? Verse 7.
Where did he send the wise men? Verse 8.
What did he tell them to do when they had found the child?
After talking with the king, what did the wise men do? Verse 9.
How were they guided to the place where the child was?
When they saw the star again, what did they do? Verse 10.
What did they do on coming into the house? Verse 11, first part.
What did they present to the child Jesus? Note 5.
Why did they not return and carry word to Herod of what they had found? Verse 12.

NOTES.

1. In the days of Herod the king.—Herod died

April 1, B.C. 4, at the age of seventy; so the visit of the wise men must have been a few weeks previous. The Herods were Jews by faith, although not Jews by birth. This Herod was the one who rebuilt the temple in great magnificence in Jerusalem. He was not absolute monarch, but subject to the Roman Empire.

2. Wise men from the East.—These wise men were, according to the Greek term, magicians. They were originally a class of priests among the Persians and Medes. They formed the king's privy council, studied astrology, medicine, and the occult natural sciences. Afterwards the term was applied to all philosophers. It was of such a class of men as these that Daniel was president. See Dan. 2:48; 6:1, 2. There is no doubt that many of these men were real truth seekers, and all such always have had an opportunity of knowing the true God. In the beginning of the history of Israel we have Balaam, once evidently a true prophet among these wise men. In the time of the captivity no doubt many pious Jews came in connection with them, and this was especially true as regards Daniel. Some of them had evidently learned from the Scriptures that the Messiah, the King of the Jews, was about to come, and no doubt these had been warned of the Lord in some way that this time was near. They naturally came to Jerusalem, as that was the capital of the country, and there they would suppose the King to be.

3. His star.—What has been said so many times in various newspapers concerning the "star of Bethlehem" as one of the variable stars, or certain conjunctions of the planets, has no bearing whatever upon the lesson here. No star in the heavens could be said to go before a company of men, and come and stand over the place where the child was born, with sufficient definiteness to locate that place. It was evidently, as Peloubet says, a "miraculous star." And what could be more reasonable than to suppose that it was a company of angels unshrouded with the glory of God? When Christ went away, a cloud of angels received him out of the sight of his disciples. When he comes again, it will be in clouds of bright angels; and the cloud which guided the wise men to the place where he was born was, doubtless, the same glorious company which met with the shepherds on the plains of Bethlehem. They inquired for him that was born King of the Jews. All the nations of antiquity have had some kind of traditions in regard to a deliverer to come. Confucius, Virgil, Zoroaster, and others had written of his coming. The knowledge which they had of this was doubtless received through the true people of God, who had learned it either through the Scriptures or by the revelation of God through angels.

4. This scripture is proof of the responsibility of the Jewish nation. Right in the very beginning, when they had opportunity to verify the prophecies of God's word, they themselves learned from what prophecy, and told the king just where Jesus should be born. The angels had revealed the same thing to the shepherds, and the people, doubtless, all around that part of the country, were talking of these things; in fact, our lesson says that all Jerusalem was troubled. Here was an opportunity for the Jews to become acquainted with these facts; but the learned among them, wrapped in their own self-sufficiency and pride, rejected him because he had come in a lowly manner. Just so men reject God's truth now, and in rejecting that truth they reject Christ. It does not come in their way, nor by the ones whom they choose. They reject it because they are looking to men and not to God. The wise men were looking for Christ the King; the shepherds were waiting for their Lord from heaven; and both, from the extremes of life, believed on the evidence presented them.

5. Opened their treasures.—They came with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These have been considered by some as symbolical of great truths—myrrh, to a mortal; gold, to a king; frankincense, to God, the myrrh hinting at the resurrection of the dead, the frankincense breathing prayer, and gold a kind of symbol of royalty. Frankincense is a gum resin obtained from the trunk of a tree of the genus Boswellia. The best is almost colorless, and is, in its commercial form, semi-opaque, in round or oblong tears; valued for its sweet odor when burned, and counted in ancient times as one of the most valuable products of the East. So says "Encyclopedia Britannica." Myrrh was an aromatic gum highly prized by the ancients, and used in incense and perfumes. It exudes from a small, thorny tree, which grows chiefly in Arabia. These treasures given by the wise men doubtless helped to sustain the family on their journey to Egypt, where they fled from the wrath of Herod. Even so we should bring to Christ our best gifts, as Heber has said in his beautiful hymn:—

"Say, shall we yield him, in costly devotion, Odors of Eden, and offerings divine? Gems of the mountains, and pearls of the ocean, Myrrh from the forest, and gold from the mine? "Vainly we offer each ample oblation; Vainly with gifts would his favor secure. Richer by far is the heart's adoration; Dearer to God are the prayers of the poor."