Passage to Study:
Matt. 2:1-23.
Passage to Read with the class: Matt. 2:1-18.
Memorization text: - Matt. 1:21.
OBJECTIVES: - To teach that:
1. The Wise Men arrived some two years after the birth of Jesus.
2. God provides spiritual light to guide those that seek Christ.
3. People can possess a real knowledge of the truth and yet not act on the basis of that
knowledge.
4. Jesus’ birth was unusual and Satan sought to destroy Him right from the start.
5. Today it is not the child Jesus we seek but rather the King of Glory, now enthroned.
SCENE No. 1. On a country road.
DEVELOPMENT of the lesson:
- The Wise Men were Astronomers, scientists that study the heavenly bodies.
- The Lord guides each one to a knowledge of where to find Christ and uses different means
to awaken people’s interest.
- The way opens before them bit by bit as they move forward, believing the truth.
- The Wise Men travelled a long way knowing only that a King has been born. They
have no further knowledge.
Cns. This knowledge was enough for them to keep on their journey.
Apl. How many with greater knowledge take no action on the basis of what they know?
Sug. Some students in the class will have Christian parents and relatives. Ask them
if they are as eager as the Wise men to seek the Saviour.
SCENE No. 2. At the entrance of Jerusalem.
DEVELOPMENT of the lesson:
- Upon reaching Jerusalem, the Wise Men ask for the King, showing their intense interest
in locating the place where the Child could be found.
- They do not know His name, only that He is a King.
- Jesus’ birth had taken place less than two years earlier. This can be
calculated by the maximum age that was stipulated for the slaughter of the children that
Herod ordered.
- The king “called the wise men and inquired of them diligently what time the
star appeared”.
- Herod tries to ascertain how old “the King” might be.
- The arrival of visitors from a distance and their different dress, plus the question
they asked must have awakened the interest of the population.
Cmt. The residents of Jerusalem had been near the place where this event occurred without
knowing about it.
Cns. The testimony of Anna, of Simeon and the shepherds seems not to have reached a very
large circle of people. Would some have denied it could be true? Might others
not have believed it?
SCENE No. 3. In Herod’s palace with the priests and scribes.
DEVELOPMENT: - These interpreters of the law knew all the prophecies about the Lord Jesus,
without deriving any benefit from them.
Apl. One can know all about the gospel without receiving Christ as Saviour.
Cns. The lost ones in hell now know that the gospel is truth, but they are beyond its
reach.
- King Herod pretends to be interested in going to worship the Child when in truth, he
wanted to eliminate any hint of danger to his position as king.
- The Wise Men did not promise to return to Herod.
- In the palace on this occasion, there were some who sought the Lord Jesus. Others
had knowledge of what the Bible said, but were indifferent, while still others were
totally opposed to the new king.
- Those who were truly wise did not rest from their search for Christ.
Apl. The mark of wisdom is seen in those who seek the kingdom of God and His
righteousness. Afterwards comes the addition of the “all things”
pertaining to life for which the King assumes
responsibility.
SCENE No. 4. In a house, with the Lord Jesus, Mary and the Wise Men.
DEVELOPMENT of the lesson:
- Jesus would be somewhere around two years of age when the Wise Men arrived. They
came, not to a stable, but to a house.
- Jesus is probably a young child now, able to walk.
Cmt. This detail is not specifically stated but is mentioned to show he was not a babe in
arms.
- The gifts the Wise Men brought are given TO JESUS, not to Mary.
Apl. Imagine how the wise men would recount their experience after they returned to their
native land.
- God overturns the purposes of Herod, instructing the Wise Men to return by another route
and not talk to Herod.
Apl. We see the divine protection over the Lord Jesus Christ in His humanity.
- Herod was probably reluctant to order their arrest since they were not his subjects.
- On finding himself foiled, Herod orders the slaughter of the children.
Cmt. The wickedness in the heart of man knows no bounds and extends to killing innocent
children to satisfy the deep-seated jealousy of a politician who occupied a precarious
place of importance in a Roman province.
SCENE No. 5. Application.
DEVELOPMENT of the lesson:
- Whereas the Wise Men had the star as a sign the King had been born, we have the
light of the Holy Scriptures with its divine revelation of the truth.
- It is not the stars that guide us today to the Son of God, but the light of His Word.
- There is a throne ready for the Lord Jesus to occupy. He is already King and
creation longs for the time when He will take control. Rom.8:18-21.
- He is already King in heaven.
Apl. Just as the Wise Men followed the light of truth they knew about the coming King, our
students must follow the light of the Scriptures to get to know Christ as their personal
Saviour.
NOTE: Much is made today of the horoscope and it’s system of future predictions
depending on a person’s birth. Astrologers, (not astronomers), have imagined that
stars or galaxies have certain supposed powers to control the destinies of
individuals born in the time frame when these celestial bodies are supposedly in a certain
position. Astrology tries to make a connection between the stars in heaven and events here
on earth. This Satan-inspired belief does not take God into account. The saying, “to
thank your lucky star” is derived from belief in this error. A New Age philosophy
about “your guiding star” originates in this error of astrology. Sunday School
teachers should be aware that some New Age proponents use the story of the Magi as proof
of their teaching. The star seen by the Wise Men was a sign given to reveal to them the
King had been born. We do not find there is reference to the star guiding
them. They were guided to go to Jerusalem by what they knew, the time to go was
given by the signal of the star. Upon arrival, they did not ask IF he had been born; they
asked WHERE he might be found. Their awareness of a coming king might have had it’s
origins in Daniel’s writings. See Dan. 2:48. See also Isa.11:1-10. The
nations were to hope in the branch out of the root of Jesse. An example of God repudiating
this philosophy is seen when he descended in judgment and confounded the language when
they were building the Tower at Babel. |
