The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1896-12-18
1-777T171---7--~7-
The SUNDAY SCHOOL.
International Lesson for December -
isa0-Ths Birth of Christ-Matthcw

brlng you IoOu tuillkh OF tItaA jVs' "Hf~e'
shall DO 20 all people. 2.l0.
THE SECTION Included IN this lesson.
the whole OF which should be read, Includes
John his. Luke il-s0. and Matt ll-4s;
2i-l2. .
Four years before the commencement OF
our common era. A. ID. ! (Anno Domino,
wear OF the Lord, so that christ was porn
1900 not 1896 years ago. The visit of the
wise men was In February, u. Z. 4. when
Jesus was six or eight weeks old.
cE.-Bethlehem OF Judea, "A village
Ave or six miles south OF Jerusalem Beth
lehem means House OF Bread very
fitting name for the place where He was
born who was the Eread Of Life.
| LESSON NOTES.
The Birth of Jesus.-N. !. Now
when Jesus was BORN" Jesus, the Di-
vine son of God. became man by being
born of the Virgin Mary:"ln Bethlehem
of Judea:" probably about December
25. Il. c. 8. 1t is not told in Matthew
how Jesus came TO he in Bethlehem.
For that we turn to Luke. In the
DAYS Of Herod the king" IIerod died
April |, b. c. 4.QLewin's Fasti Cacri) ut
Jericho, at the age of 20, SO that the
visit of the wise men must have been u
few weeks previous. This Herod WAS
7 HerOd the hTtdt, loAhu't - 'H~ 49,
rodiar family.
Tn Wise Men from the East.-N. z.
"Say ng: Where is lie Tat is born king
of In. Jews?" This in luiry more liter
ally translated, is: Y. here is the born
king; that is. the newly born king of
the Jews? The magi expected, no
doubt, TO find him in the capital city
and in the royal ace.-Morison.
The Star in the East-"For we have
seen His star in the east This must
have been miraculous star, for IT
went down before them. and stood over
the exact place where Jesus was with
His mother. But, at the same time, the
remarkable conjunction of planets at
this time may have ad something 10
do with it.
Seeking and Finding. = VS.. Bill.
2. "When Hcrod the king had heard these
things:- The tidngs would run like
an electric shock through the palace OF
the usurping Herod.-Trench. He
was troubled" agitated, disturbed, lest
he should lose his throne and bis power.
4. And when he bad gathered all
the chief priests and scribes:' Inc
chief priests were probably the heads
of the "a courses into which the sons OF
Aaron were divided C Chron. 23:s;
Luke 1857. but the term may have in
cluded those who had, though only for
time, held the Office Of high priest.
The "scribes' were the interpreters OF
the law. casuists and collectors of the
traditions of the elders, for the most
part Pharisees.-Ellicott. Tie de-
manded (rather, inquiredD OF them
wher. Christi" in the original The
Christ. not the proper name. but the
Messiah. the official title of the prom
ised Deliverer. SHOULD be born" What
do your Scriptures say? What is your
: expectation?
5. "And they said" 1. e., the chic
priests. etc. The answer seems to have
been given without any hesitation. ~
q matter perfectly well understood
and settled by Divine authority.-Alex
ander. "Thus it is written" What il
: quoted in the next verse. by TIT
prophet" Micah. in chap. So.
6. sand thou, Bethlehem" This II
quoted freely from the Septuagint tth'
Greek version Of the Old Testament)
Iust as such quotations were popularl,
I made at that time. for there were M
Bibles in circulation. and quotation
must be made chiefly as remembered
from hearing them read. "Shall com
] a GOVERNOR" A leader, guide or ruler
: 7. "Then Herod :. privily (pri
. vately) called the wise mem" Privily
! for he was already Matching, still NOR
y privily. his malicious plot. Inquired o
: them diligently" or. rather, ascer
tanned from them accurately. "Wha
& time the star appeared:" That he Nigh
!. know what was the exact age of tn
i infant whom he wished to slay.-At
u bott
e g. "He sent Tor directed) them I
D bethlehem" short six miles fror
C. Jerusalem. search diligently" S
" FAR as the mission became known,
!" would impress people with the belle
u that he, too. shared their hopes, an
u was ready to pay his homage to tn
y newborn king.
" 0. 40, the starr" Unexpectedly til
star they had seen in the east Gt wa
= not now In the east, but in the south
HppfdItu 10 tncIn III TIC 40 viz
= went toward Bethlehem. "Stood owe
- where the young child was:" !. e., owe
= the house. as IMPLIED by verse IL; ne
merely over the village of Bethlehem
: VII. Reverence and Gifts.-Vs. IL, I
i. "And fell down." In the oriental mai
= ner of showing homage and worshi
!, "Opened their treasures: The won
i, points to casxets, or chests. which the
&. had brought with them.--Ellicot
n "Thcy presented unto Him gifts" A
&c cording TO the oriental custom in pa
- ing visits to royalty. Setting for
NJ greater truths than they knew. thu
es offered to the Son of Man and Son
he God myrrh, limiting at the resurrectit
n of the dead: the royal gold, and fran
I'd incense that breathes prayer.
in ~. Being warned Of Cod" In
nj dream, in the same manner as God mi
ir have spoken to them before. I'm
A.