The Bible

 

Matthew 2:1-12 : The Visit of the Wise Men

Study

1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.

5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,

6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.

9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.

10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

Commentary

 

Christmas Gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh

By New Christian Bible Study Staff

The Adoration of the Magi, a Design for Bas Relief.

In the Christmas story, the wise men bring gifts to the Lord: gold, frankincense and myrrh.

The gold is listed first, because it is the inmost - signifying good, e.g. the good that we do when we love the Lord and the neighbor.

The frankincense is next. It signifies rational truth, which is the set of true ideas that we know, not about external things like cars or cooking, but about what is really good, and what is really true.

These rational truths are built on earlier knowledges that we learn, before we have really made them our own. Those early knowledges about spiritual things - often learned in childhood - are represented by the myrrh.

In a way, these gifts are really a reciprocation. We can't actually give them to the Lord until the Lord has given them to us. We necessarily start out by learning and doing the Lord's law (myrrh). The Lord can then call up those memories to become rational truths (frankincense). Then, over time, and with effort, those truths can be transformed into good (gold). The wise men from the East had gone through this process of learning and becoming vessels that could receive truths and goods. They were able to perceive the Lord's birth, and find him, and bring gifts to him.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #8623

Study this Passage

  
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8623. 'And Moses built an altar' means for the holiness of worship and of remembrance. This is clear from the meaning of 'an altar' as the chief representative of the Lord, dealt with in 2777, 2811, 4489, and consequently the holiness of worship, 4541. The reason why it is also for remembrance is that in ancient times heaps were erected to serve as a witness and memorial that something was to stand firm and be remembered; and later on altars were erected too, 4192. Moses' altar was built for the remembrance of something, which was that because Amalek's hand was against the throne of Jah the war of Jehovah would be against him from generation to generation. The fact that altars too were erected to serve as a witness and memorial is clear from the altar which the Reubenites, Gadites, and half tribe of Manasseh built by the Jordan. They told the children of Israel who wished to go to war against them that they had built it to be a witness to the fact that they were to worship Jehovah, not with burnt offerings and sacrifices on that altar but on the altar before the tabernacle. 1 Therefore they called the former,

A witness between us and you that Jehovah is God. Joshua 22:10-34.

Footnotes:

1. literally, the dwelling-place

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.