1. Welcome to the Westside Church of Christ The king went up to the house of the LORD and all the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests, the Levites and all the people, from the greatest to the least; and he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the LORD. (2 Chron. 34:30) Join us every Sunday at 9:30 AM for Bible class, 10:30 AM for worship, and 6:00 PM for worship. We also meet every Wednesday at 7:00 PM for Bible class. www.warnerrobinschurch.orgPlease silence cell phones

2. Fact and Fiction Examined (part 2)

3. Issues surrounding Jesus’ birth The wise men The star Jesus’ age when the wise men arrived Gifts of the wise men Herod’s massacre

4. Matthew 2:1-21 – Read the text! The wise men – magi of the Medes & Persians Royal advisors (such as Daniel, Chief of the Magi) Magicians, pagan priests Kingmakers Astrologers No one knows how many came to Jerusalem

5. The Star They first saw it when Jesus was born Astrological prediction of a royal Jewish birth Possibly conjunction of the Sun, Moon, Jupiter, & Saturn in the Constellation Aries (sign of the Jews), on April 17, 6 BC They began the journey to Jerusalem soon after they saw it Came to Jerusalem because it was the seat of Jewish power They did not know the exact town, Bethlehem Apparently no one else noticed the star, or else Herod would not have needed to ask them for directions Possibly alignment of Jupiter & Venus in Constellation Virgo Or some divinely appointed light in the sky So it wasn’t a comet (that would be a bad omen in paganism) Not a bright light in our atmosphere visible to all Something about this “star” gave them directions, either by miracle or by astrological interpretation

6. The Star “Everything in the text points to a miraculous star - a supernatural light designed to guide the wise men to the supernaturally-born Jesus.” (Bro. Irvin Himmel) "Evidently we have here another of the many Bible miracles which modern science is unable to explain. Undoubtedly this miraculous appearance, which is called a star, aroused the curiosity of the wise men to such an extent that they followed it for many miles until finally it pointed out the exact place where they wished to go" (Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary)

8. The Wise Men Visit Herod Journey from Persia 3-12 months, plus prep time Persians were enemies of Rome Judea was a “buffer state” between two mighty empires Magi were probably accompanied by an entourage Herod was threatened by this potential future king Dubbed “King of the Jews” by Roman Senate Had murdered his own 3 sons & other family members Highly paranoid about threats to his rule Jewish experts were aware of the prophecy Used input from the magi to determine Jesus’ age Sent the wise men with instructions to return

9. The Wise Men Find Jesus In a house (Mt. 2:11) Not laying in a manger! Greek word for infant “brephos” used at the manger Greek word for young child “paidion” used here Jesus was no infant when they arrived Jesus was at least 80 days old (Bro. J.W. McGarvey) Wise men arrived after the 40 day purification ritual Herod spent last 40 days of his life at Jericho Ordered massacre while still in Jerusalem Wise men still seek him!

10. The Wise Men Visit Jesus Brought gifts fit for a king, not birthday gifts Gold, Frankincense, & Myrrh Kingship, Priesthood, Death Could have been more than one of each item Does not indicate how many wise men there were Then they returned home by different route Angel warned Joseph of Herod, so they left for Egypt the same night

11. Herod’s massacre Magi didn’t return to Jerusalem…Herod eventually realized they weren’t coming back Enraged, he remembered their words, knew how long it took them to travel, estimated the age of the child Jesus, and ordered all males age 2 years & younger to be killed immediately in and around Bethlehem Therefore, Jesus may have been up to 2 years old But Jesus & family had already left days or maybe weeks before Probably a couple dozen at most killed

12. Summary of the Wise Men Came seeking the King of the Jews Followed a divine guide (star) Found Jesus in a house Gave Him multiple kingly gifts Returned home Joseph took the family to Egypt Herod slaughtered the toddler males The Wise Men were not present the day of Jesus’ birth The Wise Men don’t belong in Nativity scenes

13. Why was December 25 th chosen? Miscalculation by Catholic priest Attempt to overtake Pagan traditions Birthday of Mithras, Pagan god of light Winter Solstice, a pagan celebration “There was a tendency to mix with the pure religion of Christ the pagan superstitions and ceremonies. This was done, seemingly, in order to make the religion of Christ less offensive to the world in general, and to get them to accept Jesus as the Christ. When the mixing was done, however, the only result was a corrupted and perverted gospel. The church developing out of such a marriage of paganism and Christianity cannot be the one Jesus built. It is an apostate body.” (Bro. O.C. Birdwell)

14. When did it start? Historians tell us it was three centuries after the death of Christ before a day was set aside for a special observance for his birth. "Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the church, and before the fifth century there was no general consensus of opinion as to when it should come in the calendar" (Encyclopedia Britannica). “Liberius, Bishop of Rome (it should be remembered that the Catholics consider him as one of their early popes), in 354 A.D. ordered that December 25 be adopted. The choice of this date was probably influenced by the fact that this was the day on which the Romans celebrated the Mithraic feast of the Sungod.” (Collier’s Encyclopedia)

15. Real meaning of Jesus’ birth Immanuel means “God with us” Emptied Himself to be like us Lived as a man in the flesh to be the perfect example Died in the flesh to be the perfect sacrifice Resurrected in the flesh as our perfect Savior Praise God that He sent His Son to earth Praise God even more that Jesus died for our sins New Testament directs us to remember His death, burial & resurrection, not His birthday

16. Wise men still seek Him! Do you?