THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NE S S
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Ghost. John’s ministry had to do solely with those who were moved to repent ance and who came confessing sin, whereas if he had been the herald of the earthly kingdom his business would have been with the leaders of the nation and the scene of his min istry would not have been in the wil derness where he was to cry the sol emn message of Is. 40.-—Mauro. Jesus was indeed born King and He will yet reign over the house of Jacob and on the throne of David forever, but the purpose of His first mission was to “ save His people from their sins,” after which He will come in kingly splendor, not humility, to be owned of all as King of Kings.— Brooks. We have seen His star. They were astrologers., They were living up to the best light they had and God. met them where they were and gave them more light. It is al ways so.— Torrey. A luminous meteor which appeared under special laws and for a special purpose.—D. Brown. Though God gives signs and evidences of Christ’s coming, yet all do not ob serve them, but such only as God re veals them to.— Dickson. Come to worship. The magi represent those who earnestly seek the truth, the scribes and Pharisees, those who rest in the letter of the truth, Herod, those who are alarmed at the truth, Joseph and Mary, those who are affectionate guardians of the truth.— D. Thomas. The contrast of these Gentiles’ joyful eagerness to worship the King-of Israel with the alarm of His own people at the whisper of His name is a prelude of the tragedy of His rejection and the passing over of the kingdom to the Gentiles.—Maclaren. Faith sees Christ to be God and that overcomes a world of difficulty in seeking communion with Him. We can worship only God. —Horn. Com. v. 3. Herod troubled. Christ’s birth caused more excitement than any other birth has ever done before or since. Excitement in heaven (Lk. 2:9-14), on earth (Lk. 2:8, 17; Matt. 2 :1 ).— Booth. v. 5. In Bethlehem. Men would have naturally thought that Christ would be born in the greatest city of the world. A boy or girl is not to be despised on account of his or her birth place.—McAuslane. Thus it is written. Seven hundred years before Micah had prophesied that He whose goings forth had been from of old was to come forth
papa,” the child cried, “ that is just ‘Suffer the little children to come unto Me.'” Our Saviour must be- not only “ a great man” but the meek and lowly Son of God. Golden Text Illustrations. Dr. Alexander was dying and a brother minister quoted, “ I know, in whom I have believed.” The good man inserted the preposition “ in” before the pronoun “ whom,” “ No, no, said the dy ing man, “ Don’t put a preposition be tween me and my Saviour. I know Whom I have believed.” Mr. Walter Scott was once speaking about the veil of the Temple being rent in twain from the top to the bottom, when a man at the back stood up and asked, “ How big was that hole?” “ It was big enough to let any sinner pass through,” , immediately replied Mr. Scott. Mjjf v. 1. Bethlehem of Judea. Means “ House of bread.” Jesus was the bread of life.— Comp. Bible. Wise men from the east. The first indication of the coming fulfilment of the gracious promises of God COMMENTS FROM toward the Gen- MANY SOURCES. tile world. “His Keith L. Brooks. own r e c e i v e d Him not” but strangers recognized Him and bowed before Him, a token of what was after ward to come to pass.— Inglis. v. 2. Where is He? First New Tes tament quéstion. Compare Old Testa ment question, “Where art THOU?” (Gen. 3 :9 )— Garry. Born King of the Jews. Literally “ the born King.” Herod was not a born king in Israel.— Morrison. The title, “ King of Jews,” was unknown to eariier history of Israel and applied to no one except the Messiah. It reappears in the inscrip tion over the cross.— Carr. The es tablishment of the earthly kingdom had no place within the scope of Christ’s first mission. No word or act of His or of His forerunner ever gave the slightest foundation for the thought that the millennial kingdom was then at hand. John pointed to the Lord Jesus as the Lamb of God and the One who should baptize with the Holy
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