Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1896-12-17
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
international Lesson for December 20.
1S96-The Birth OF Christ-Matthew
Oh

MILE.
ARRANGED from Pelouhet's Notcsl
GOLDEN TEXT-And the angel said
unto them: Fear not; for, behold. I
bring you good tidings OF great joy. which
shall be to all people.-Luke2 :10.
THE SECTION included in this lesson.
the whole of which should be read. includes
John ILLS: Luke 11-s0. and Matt 1I-2Ss
2:1-12.
TIME.-The last of December, z. c. s.
four years before the commencement of
our common era A D. (Anno Domino.
year of the Lord. that Christ was born
1900. not 1886, years ago. The visit of the
wise men was in February, B. g 4. when
Jesus was six or eight weeks cid
PLACE.-Bethlehem. OF Judea. a village
lehem means House Of Bread" q very
hitting name for the place where He was
born who was E sss SFe Sd q Life
The Birth of Jesus.-V. 1. ~Now
when Jesus was born" Jesus, the Di-
vine Son of God, became man by being
born Of the Virgin Mary: Bethlehem
of Judea:" probably about December
25, B. c. 5. It is not told in Matthew
how Jesus came to be in Bethlehem.
For that we turn to Luke. In the
days of Herod the king" Herod died
April 1, B. c. 4. CLewin's Fast Cacri) at
Jericho, at the age of 20, so that the
visit of the wise men must have been q
few weeks previous. This Herod was
Herod the Great. founder Of the He
rodian family.
The Wise Men from the East-V. ..
Saying: Where is He that is born king
of the Jews?" This inquiry more liter
ally translated. is: Where 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 Palace.-MoriSon.
The Star in the East.@.For we have
seen His star in the east" This must
have been a 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 had something to
do with it.
Seeking and Finding. - VS.. 2-11.
5. ''When Herod the king had heard these
things:" The tidings 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 his power.
f. "And when he had gathered all
the chief priests and scribes:" The
chief priests were probably the heads
of the "a courses into which the sons of
Aaron were divided G Chron. 23:s;
Luke 1859, but the term may have in
cluded those who had, though only for
a 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. HE de-
manded (rather, inquired) of them
81 in he nriO
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?
priests, etc. The answer seems to have
been given without any hesitation, as
a matter perfectly well understood
and settled by Divine authority.-Alex-
ander. "Thus it is written" What is
quoted in the next verse. by the
prophet" Micah. in chap. 5:2.
6. And thou, Bethlehem" This is
quoted freely from the Septuagint (the
Greek. version of the Old Testament),
just as such quotations were popularity
made at that time, for there were no
Bibles in circulation, and quotations
must be made chiefly as remembered
from hearing them read. "Shan come
a governor" a leader, guide or ruler
z. ''Then Herod . . privily (pri-
yately) called the wise mem" Privily,
for he was already Matching, still more
privily, his malicious plot. Inquired of
them diligently" or, rather, ascer-
tanned from them accurately "What
time the star appeared" That he might
know what was the exact age of the
infant whom he wished to slay.-Ab-
bott.
s. HE sent Tor directed) them TO
Bethlehem" short six miles from
Jerusalem. search diligently" So
far as the mission became known, it
would impress people with the belief
that he, too, shared their hopes, and
was ready to pay his homage to the
newborn king.
Q. 10. the STAR" Unexpectedly the
star they had seen in the east lit was
not now in the east, but in the south)
appeared to them in the evening as they
went toward Bethlehem. STOOD over
where the young child was" l. E., over
the house, as implied by verse IL; not
merely over the village of bethlehem.
VII. Reverence and Gifts-Vs II, 10.
Sand fell down In the oriental r,o1