Page 42 - Advanced Life of Christ - Student Textbook

The star initiated their journey and appeared
again to lead then to a specific house in
Bethlehem. Stars move east to west in the sky,
but the direction from Jerusalem to Bethlehem is
north to south. This was a miraculous star of
guidance, perhaps the Shekinah glory of God which led
the children of Israel for 40 years in the wilderness.

Herod was born in 73 BC. He was a madman who
murdered his own family and a great many rabbis. He
was married 10 times. He sent away some of these
wives and executed his favorite wife and two brothers
accusing them of treason. He destroyed the monastery
at Qumran and all living there were killed. Two
teachers, Judas and Matthias, asked their pupils to
remove the golden eagle from the entrance of the Temple (his signature). The teachers and the pupils
were all burned alive. He executed two of his sons to keep them from succeeding him. It was said of
Herod, “It is preferable to be Herod’s pig than his son”. (This is a very insulting remark for any Jew.)
Herod ordered the killing of all male children two years and younger in the vicinity of Bethlehem.
Bethlehem was a very small town. It is estimated that in the vicinity of Bethlehem, there were no more
than 20 boys living two years old or younger, which is certainly no less a crime, but that explains why no
historian reported the event.

It is no surprise that Herod tried to kill Jesus. Herod was not a Jew, but a descendant of Esau. Again, we
have a picture of the old struggle between Esau and Jacob that began even before the boys were born.
It is the spiritual versus the carnal, the godly versus the worldly.

The gifts the wise men gave to Jesus are significant and meaningful. All of them were luxury items and
very symbolic gifts. Gold is a pure metal and stands for the deity or purity of Jesus. Frankincense and
myrrh were very costly spices. They were resins or gums taken from plants that grow in Arabia or the
Horn of Africa. They were used for a variety of things but provided incense and perfume as they were
pleasant smelling. Frankincense stands for the fragrance of His life but was used in sacrificial offerings.
Myrrh was a spice used in embalming a person after death. This spice speaks of Jesus’ sacrificial death.
Joseph probably used the value of these gifts to sustain his family while in Egypt until Herod died.

Isn’t it amazing? The Priests in the Temple were only 6 miles from the very Son of God, yet they did
not go to see Him!

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