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Easter Joseph
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1 The Coming of the Magi

2 This ebook, The Coming of the Magi, is set up for your child to retell the nativity story. We encourage you to use it according to your child s needs. For non-writing children, you can act as their scribe. We have supplied lined pages for those of your children who can write and for you to duplicate as you need. Although we have lined up the colored pages in story form, they can be revised to fit your child s telling of the story. We strongly encourage you to allow your children to color the stand-up figures after you have run off that section of the ebook on cardstock. Before they cut out the figures, we encourage lamination for years of durability. That is, of course, a personal choice. Have your children reenact the nativity story with the figures provided and display them proudly during this most precious of seasons. The final pages of the ebook can look confusing, but if you run one off, you will find a light tracing of an illustration in the story. Your child can go over these faded tracings and create their own illustrations. They may even choose to use their own drawings in the book they create of the nativity story. The Coming of the Magi is near and dear to our hearts here at Teacher Book Bag. We pray that this activity inspires your child and your family as you share in the story of three humble but wise men honoring the birth of the Christ child.

3 The Three Wise Men, also known as the Magi, were described in the Book of Matthew as having visited the Christ child following his birth. They brought with them three specific gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. They came to worship the baby Jesus as the newborn king of the Jews. Their visit is prominent in traditional nativity accounts. Each Christmas, Christians all over the world remember them as the three kings visiting from the east led by a star to Christ s birthplace. They are commonly thought of as astrologers as well. From the Gospel of Matthew we learn about the magi, but a particular number is not stated. It is traditionally believed that there were three due to the three gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, but some scholars believe there may have been upwards to twelve magi. They are believed to be kings due to a passage in Psalms 72:11, May all kings fall down before him. The Gospel of Matthew is the only gospel to mention the presence of the magi. Mark, Luke, and John do not. It is written in The New Revised Standard: In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'" Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another path. Matthew 2:1 12 The word magi is commonly interpreted to mean wise men and kings. It is the plural form of the Latin term magus. Tracing the word back through the Greek magos and the Persian magus, the word referred to a priestly group of men who were astrologers. It was the star that caught their attention. They were the scientists of their day The Western Christian church call the magi Melchior, Caspar, and Balthasar. A manuscript written in Alexandria about 500 A.D. cites these names.

4 The Eastern Christian churches descended from Ethiopian Christianity cite the three names as Hor, Karsudan, and Basanater, while the Armenians have Kagpha, Badadakharida and Badadilma. Chinese Christians believe that there was one of the Magi that travelled from China. The biblical historian, Chuck Missler, cites an Armenian tradition identifying the Magi as Balthasar of Arabia, Melchior of Persia and Gasper of India. The star that the magi followed was later named the Star of Bethlehem after the town where Christ was born. Old Testament prophesies mention kings worshipping Christ in worshipped by kings in Isaiah 60:3, Psalm 72:10, and Psalm 68:29. When the magi reached their destination, they bowed down and worshipped the baby which they believed to be the new King of the Jews. They were warned in a dream that the King of Judea, Herod, intended on killing the baby so they left by a different route. Herod began killing all of the infant boys in what is known as the Massacre of the Innocents in hope that he would destroy the Christ child. Joseph too Mary and the baby, Jesus, and fled to Egypt to escape Herod s wrath. Little is known what became of the magi after leaving Bethlehem and a great deal of conjecture surrounds them. The gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh are commonly considered gifts given to a king. Frankincense is a perfume derived from the bark of a tree and myrrh was used in the ritual of anointing someone of high statute. The three gifts are also symbolic in nature with the earthly gift of gold, frankincense as a symbol of prayer or priesthood, and myrrh a symbol of death or suffering as it was an embalming agent. Different Christian groups celebrate the coming of the Magi in various ways. The important thing to gain from their journey is that they had the faith and belief that he was indeed the king of the Jews, but even more, the son of God. The knelt down and worshipped him as we likewise worship him today. There are so many questions surrounding the Magi. Where exactly did they come from? Were they truly kings? When did they come before the Christ child? How many of them were there? Where did they go upon leaving? This ebook is not intended to answer those questions. It is a traditional account based on the testament in Matthew and the Alexandrian manuscript written about 500 A.D. The focus is on the faith and belief of three men who sought the Christ child and worshipped him. They brought him gifts of value and believed he was the son of God. It is on that premise that this ebook is written.

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HIS CHRISTMAS Matthew 2:1-12 after Jesus was born East came to Jerusalem Where is He worship Then secretly star young Child worship star young Child

HIS CHRISTMAS Matthew 2:1-12 after Jesus was born East came to Jerusalem Where is He worship Then secretly star young Child worship star young Child HIS CHRISTMAS Matthew 2:1-12 Now after Jesus was born (not before) in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East (probably Persia) came to Jerusalem, (not Bethlehem