Lesson 8 – The Visit of the Wise Men

The Wise Men came to see the Savior and honor Him with gifts. In church, we see the Savior in His Gifts of Word and Sacrament, which honor and bless us.

Opening

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

This lesson will use the Bible, the Bible Exploration Guide and the Lesson 8 Leaflet from the Student Pack. The front cover shows how the artist sees the Wise Men visiting the baby Jesus. Also paper and pencil will be needed.

When royalty gives up the crown, it's called abdication. It happens very rarely. Jesus is the King of kings. What do you think Jesus gave up to become our Savior? Jesus preexisted in heaven as the Word of God. He gave up the glories of heaven, with its absence of sin, tears, sorrow, pain, death, and mourning, to become human and suffer in the flesh.

Watch the video, "The King's Descent".

The video paraphrases Philippians 2:6-1.

Why did Jesus become human? To become our Savior, to die for our sins.

How did Jesus humble Himself? Jesus emptied Himself, took on the form of a servant, and was born as a human, a baby. He went obediently to the cross and died there for us.

Why did Jesus do that? In love, Jesus fulfilled the Father's plan to deliver us from sin and death with His death and resurrection and to gather us to Himself.

How did God honor Jesus for His obedience? God exalted Him above all and gave Him the name above all other names so that every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Prayer:  Dear Jesus, thank You for Your obedience to the Father, even dying on the cross for us. Help us confess this truth. Amen.

God Speaks

When Jesus was born, King Herod the Great ruled over Israel for the Romans. Herod enjoyed rich favor with Caesar Augustus early on, but he lost Caesar's trust because of his temper and extreme cruelty. Augustus said, "I’d rather be Herod's pig than his son."

Herod killed many, including his favorite wife and many of his children. He was extremely paranoid in the last years of his life, when Jesus was born.

Follow directions on page 2 of the lesson leaflet and answer the questions.

SECTION ONE

Read Matthew 2:1-8

Where did the Wise Men come from? Where did they go? From the east; to Jerusalem, the capital city of Judea.

How did Herod and the people react to the Wise Men's questions? They felt troubled. Herod probably also felt threatened.

For help, Herod summoned the religious leaders. Where did they tell Herod to look for the Christ? Why? Bethlehem, as the prophet Micah prophesied.

What did Herod do and say to the Wise Men? He summoned them secretly and asked when the star appeared. Herod told them to go and find the child in Bethlehem and to tell him so that he could worship the Christ too.

 SECTION TWO

Read Matthew 2:9-15

How did God help the Wise Men find Jesus? God moved the star to lead them to Jesus' home. Although the Wise Men saw the star rise, it only led them from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, not all the way from their home.

Where did they visit Jesus and His mother, Mary? In Bethlehem, in a house.

What did the Wise Men do when they found Jesus? They fell down and worshiped Jesus. They gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrh.

 How did the Wise Men escape? Warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, they went home a different way.

How did God save Jesus from Herod? God sent an angel to tell Joseph in a dream to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt, away from Herod.

SECTION THREE

 

Read Matthew 2:16-23

How did Herod show his paranoia and temper? He sent people to kill all the male children two years old or younger in Bethlehem and the region.

Why did Joseph bring his family back from Egypt? An angel appeared to Joseph and told him Herod was dead and to go back to Israel.

Where did they settle, and why? Joseph heard Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father, Herod. He feared him and so moved the family to Nazareth in Galilee, where he and Mary lived before Jesus' birth.

Why do you think Gentiles traveled so far to see the king of the Jews? The Wise Men saw the star rise and believed it indicated the new king of the Jews had been born. They had some knowledge of the messianic prophecies.

Many scholars think "the East" was Persia or Babylon, where the people of Judea were exiled and Daniel became head of all the wise men (Daniel 2:48).

What do you know about the gifts the Wise Men gave Jesus? Gold is a very valuable mineral. Frankincense is an expensive aromatic herb used as incense and as a scent for perfume, cosmetics and the home. Myrrh is an expensive resin, a spice used in perfume, incense, and medicine. It was also used for anointing the dead. The women may have carried myrrh to Jesus' tomb on Easter morning.

How many Wise Men were there? Scripture doesn't say. Because of the three gifts, people often say there were three Wise Men.

Why do you think Herod killed all the boys under age 2? This was probably based on the time the Wise Men said they saw the star rise.

How did these events fulfill Old Testament prophecies (verses. 6, 15, 17-18, 23)? Matthew wrote for Jews and cited fulfilled Old Testament prophecies:

• Verse 6 quotes Micah 5:2; the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.
• Verse 15 quotes Hosea 11:1 about God calling His Son out of Egypt.
• Verse 18 quotes Jeremiah 31:15S about weeping and loud lamenting by women.
• Verse 23 says the prophets said the Messiah would be called a Nazarene.  "Because Nazareth was a despised place, someone coming from there would also be despised...That many would despise the Messiah is reflected in various OT prophecies".

We Live

Read "Wise Men and a Star" on pages 20-21 and "Herod the Great, King of Judea on pages 22-23 in the Bible Exploration Guide.

Continue on page 3 of the leaflet. Answer the questions.

How were Herod and the Wise Men different from the people we met in Jesus' birth narrative? The Wise Men were wealthy, and they brought expensive gifts. Mary, Joseph, Jesus, and the shepherds at Jesus' birth were poor.

When was Jesus rich? In heaven, before He became man; now and forever.

When did Jesus become poor, and why? Jesus humbled Himself to take on the form of a servant and was born in the likeness of men. He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:7-8).  The one who knew no sin became sin for us so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). Through His poverty, we become rich.

How are we poor? Our sin makes us wretched, pitiful, poor, naked, blind, and separated from God and His blessings.

How has Jesus made us rich? By His death on the cross, through His resurrection, Jesus makes all who believe and are baptized rich. Believers in Christ receive rich spiritual blessings from Him-forgiveness of sin, the Holy Spirit, eternal life, freedom in Christ, joy, peace, patience, and so on. We will share the eternal riches of heaven someday.

On page 4 of the leaflet, read the Second Article of the Apostles' Creed and its meaning.

Closing

Listen to the hymn "Jesus! Name of Wondrous Love".