wise men

Story – The Greatest Love Story Ever Told

by

The Magi were philosophers from the East and wise as man reckons. They studied for long years the heavens and the stars, and as they observed these marvelous things they beheld the glory of the Creator.

Even though they were considered heathens, in their wonderment they turned to the Hebrew Scriptures and learned that there were prophesies that had been handed down century after century regarding a Messiah. Even in their own land there were treasured prophesies regarding a divine Teacher. And as they studied, they learned that His coming was near.

One night they noticed an extremely bright star in the heavens, one they had not observed before. They consulted with priests and philosophers and searched the ancient records. Balaam of the Old Testament had been one of their number and they found that he had declared “There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel.” Numbers 24:17. Some were given dreams and in this way instructed to go in search of the newborn Prince.

They did not know that the star they beheld was actually a company of angels declaring the birth of the Messiah in a manger, in a stable, to the shepherds upon the hills outside Bethlehem. An angel had appeared to the shepherds and said, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manager.” And then this angel was joined by a multitude of angels and they all sang together, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Luke 2:10–14

When that company of angels had faded away, a luminous star appeared and lingered in the sky.  This was the star observed by the Magi and we are told that once they set off, it led them each night closer to the Christ child. They brought with them rich gifts from their land, as was their custom, to bestow upon the Child. It is a beautiful thought that while the Magi had not only the physical star in the sky to guide their way to the manger, they were also given inward evidence by the Holy Spirit. And though the journey was long, this impressed their hearts and filled them with hope.

The star ultimately led them to the manger in Bethlehem and they were able to bow before the Prince of heaven and to give Him their gifts and worship and praise.

The Spirit of Prophecy says that sin had become very bad and had even found its way into the religious practices of the day. It caused rebellion in the hearts of men and made them hate God, all the while claiming to be His children. “It was demonstrated … that, apart from God, humanity could not be uplifted. A new element of life and power must be imparted by Him who made the world.” The Desire of Ages, 37

Even the inhabitants of the unfallen worlds thought that God would rise up and sweep the earth clean of sin and sinners. But this would have given Satan the opportunity to declare again that God’s government could not be both just and merciful.

But instead of destroying the world, God sent His Son to save it and though sin was everywhere, God made a way for its recovery. “At the very crisis, when Satan seemed about to triumph, the Son of God came [as an emissary] of divine grace.” Ibid.

The angel who came to tell Mary that she would give birth to the Messiah said, “[Y]ou shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21. And verse 23 declares further, “ ‘and they shall call His name Immanuel … God with us.’ ”

So herein lies the greatest love story ever told. The story of a God who wanted children so much that He created worlds until one chose not to be His. Yet, His love for them was so great that instead of abandoning them, leaving them to die alone, He made a plan to send His Son to pay the price they could not pay. He came to die for their sins and to show them how to live their lives so that they could one day be restored again to their heavenly home, to live for all of eternity with their Father.

“Through every age, through every hour, the love of God had been exercised toward the fallen race. Notwithstanding the [wickedness] of men, the signals of mercy had been continually exhibited. And when the fullness of the time had come, the Deity was glorified by pouring upon the world a flood of healing grace that was never to be obstructed or withdrawn till the plan of salvation should be fulfilled.” The Desire of Ages, 37

When the need was the most dire, Jesus came. He lived. He died. He rose again. He lives. He forgives. He saves. This is love.

Adapted from The Desire of Ages

Children’s Story – Three Gifts

by

Three beautiful Christmas gifts were given to a baby boy, nearly two thousand years ago. He was just a little baby, and He was in a stable.

I’m sure you think that a stable is an odd place for a little baby to be, so I’ll tell you why this baby was in a stable.

His parents were away from home. They were at a town called Bethlehem. There was no room for them in the hotel, so they had to find lodging somewhere else. They looked here and there, but the only place they could find was a corner in a stable. There they had to stay for several days.

This baby boy’s gifts were carried to Him by some grown-up men. They were wise men. The wise men traveled a long, long way to get to Bethlehem. They had never seen the little Child, and they did not know just where He was; but they were led to Him by a bright star.

And they knew that the baby boy was a king!

As they went along the road, they could not always see the star. Once in a while they would ask somebody where the little King was. They would say:

“Where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the East, and are come to worship Him.”

But for a long time, nobody could tell them where the baby King was located.

After a while they came to a city that is only five or six miles from Bethlehem. There they stopped and asked the question again:

“Where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the East, and are come to worship Him.”

And somebody said, “In Bethlehem.”

Then the wise men set out for Bethlehem; and as soon as they did that, they saw the star again. It showed them just where to go.

When the wise men saw the baby King, they bowed down low before Him, and worshiped Him. Then they gave Him the three gifts that they had brought for Him.

And what do you think those three gifts were?

One was gold. I do not know how much gold there was in the gift, or just what the shape of it was; but it was gold – beautiful, precious, shining gold.

Another gift was frankincense. This is something that has a very sweet odor; it is also very precious – perhaps just as precious as gold.

The third gift was myrrh. Myrrh also has a sweet odor and it is a good medicine. It is good to heal sick people and help make them well.

All these gifts were very precious. They were just the kinds of gifts for a king. The wise men brought them to little King Jesus.

History Stories for Children, John W. Wayland, ©1991, 95–97.

From the Pen of Inspiration – The First Advent of Christ

by

The Jews had separated themselves so far from God by their wicked works, that angels could not communicate to them the tidings of the advent of the infant Redeemer. God chooses the wise men of the East to do his will.

“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.” [Matthew 2:1, 2.] These men were not Jews; but they had been waiting for the predicted Messiah. They had studied prophecy, and knew the time was at hand when Christ would come; and they were anxiously watching for some sign of this great event, that they might be among the first to welcome the infant heavenly King, and worship him. These wise men were philosophers, and had studied the works of God in nature. In the wonders of the heavens, in the glories of the sun, moon, and stars, they traced the finger of God. They were not idolaters. They lived up to the dim light which shone upon them. These men were regarded by the Jews as heathen; but they were more pure in the sight of God than the Jews who had been privileged with great light, and who made exalted professions, yet did not live up to the light God had given them. These wise men had seen the heavens illuminated with light, which enshrouded the heavenly host who heralded the advent of Christ to the humble shepherds. And after the angels returned to Heaven, a luminous star appeared, and lingered in the heavens.

This light was a distant cluster of flaming angels, which appeared like a luminous star. The unusual appearance of the large, bright star which they had never seen before, hanging as a sign in the heavens, attracted their attention. They were not privileged to hear the proclamation of the angels to the shepherds. But the Spirit of God moved them out to seek this heavenly Visitor to a fallen world. The wise men directed their course where the star seemed to lead them. And as they drew nigh to the city of Jerusalem, the star was enshrouded in darkness, and no longer guided them. They reasoned that the Jews could not be ignorant of the great event of the advent of the Messiah, and they made inquiries in the vicinity of Jerusalem.

The wise men are surprised to see no unusual interest upon the subject of the coming of the Messiah. They fear that after all they may not have read the prophecies correctly. Uncertainty beclouds their minds, and they become anxious. They hear the priests repeating and enforcing their traditions, and expounding the law, and exalting their religion, and their own piety. They point to their phylacteries, and the borders of their garments, upon which the precepts of the law and their traditions are inscribed, as evidences of their devotion, while they denounce the Romans and the Greeks as heathen and sinners above all men. The wise men leave Jerusalem not as confident and hopeful as when they entered it. They marvel that the Jews are not interested and joyful in prospect of this great event of the advent of Christ.

The churches of our time are seeking worldly aggrandizement, and are as unwilling to see the light of the prophecies, and receive the evidences of their fulfillment which show that Christ is soon to come, as were the Jews in reference to his first appearing. They were looking for the temporal and triumphant reign of Messiah in Jerusalem. Professed Christians of our time are expecting the temporal prosperity of the church, in the conversion of the world, and the enjoyment of the temporal millennium. . . .

The city of Jerusalem was thrown into great excitement by the sayings of the wise men. The news was immediately carried to Herod. He was exceedingly troubled, yet disguised the discomfiture, and received the men with apparent courtesy.

The advent of Christ was the greatest event which had taken place since the creation of the world. The birth of Christ, which gave joy to the angels of Heaven, was not welcome to the kingly powers of the world. Suspicion and envy were aroused in king Herod, and his wicked heart was planning his dark purposes for the future. The Jews manifested a stupid indifference to the story of the wise men. But Herod is intensely interested and excited. He summons the scribes, and the chief priests, and urges upon them to search carefully prophetic history, and tell him where the infant king was to be born. The careless indifference and apparent ignorance of the scribes and chief priests, as they turn to their books for the words of prophecy, irritate the fully aroused king. He thinks they are trying to conceal from him the real facts in regard to the birth of the Messiah. He authoritatively commands them to make close search in relation to their expected king. [Matthew 2:4–8 quoted.]

Although Herod received the wise men with apparent respect, yet the intimation by them of the birth of a King to reign in Jerusalem, excited his envy and hatred against the infant whom he thought might prove his rival, and drive him, or his descendants, from the throne. A storm of opposition and satanic fury took possession of Herod, and he determined to destroy this infant king. Yet he put on a calm exterior, and requested a private interview with the wise men. . . . The wise men were not able to read the heart of the tyrant Herod; but God, who is acquainted with every emotion of the soul, with the intents and purposes of the heart, was not deceived by his hypocritical pretenses. . . .

After the wise men had left Jerusalem, they again saw, to their great joy, the guiding star in the heavens, which directed them to the birthplace of our Saviour. [Matthew 2:11 quoted.] The wise men found no loyal guard to debar their entrance to the presence of Christ. The honorable of the world are not in attendance. In place of the people who should have welcomed with grateful homage the Prince of life, he is surrounded with dumb, beasts. . . .

The Lord moved upon the wise men to go in search of Jesus, and he directed their course by a star. This star, leaving them when near Jerusalem, led them to make inquiries in Judah; for they thought it was not possible for the chief priests and scribes to be ignorant of this great event. The coming of the wise men made the whole nation acquainted with the object of their journey, and directed their attention to the important events which were transpiring. God well knew that the advent of his Son to earth would stir the powers of darkness. Satan did not want that light should come into the world. The eye of God was upon his Son every moment. . . . The Lord provided a way for Joseph to preserve his own life, and the life of Jesus, and that of the mother, by their fleeing into Egypt. He provided for the necessities of their journey, and for their sojourn in Egypt, by moving upon the wise men of the East to go in search of the infant Saviour, and to bear him valuable offerings as a token of honor. The Lord is acquainted with the hearts of all men. He directed the course of Joseph into Egypt, that he might there find an asylum from the wrath of a tyrannical king, and the life of the infant Saviour be preserved. The earthly parents of Jesus were poor. The gifts brought to them by the wise men sustained them while in the land of strangers.

Herod waited anxiously for the return of the wise men; for he was impatient to carry out his determined purpose to destroy the infant King of Israel. After he had waited long for the knowledge he desired, he feared his purpose might be thwarted. . . .

Herod issued a proclamation to a large body of soldiers, whose hearts were hardened by crime, war, and bloodshed, to go throughout Bethlehem and all the coasts thereof and massacre all the children from two years old and under. . . .

This was the reception the Saviour met as he came to a fallen world. . . . He who came to bring life to man, met, from the very ones he came to benefit, insult, hatred, and abuse. God could not trust his beloved Son with men while carrying on his benevolent work for their salvation, and final exaltation to his own throne. He sent angels to attend his Son and preserve his life, till his mission on earth should be accomplished, and he should die by the hands of the very men he came to save. Review and Herald, December 24, 1872.

[All Emphasis Supplied.]