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Jevanðelje po Mateju 2:1-12 : Vismännens besök

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1 A kad se rodi Isus u Vitlejemu judejskom, za vremena cara Iroda, a to dođu mudraci s istoka u Jerusalim, i kažu:

2 Gde je car judejski što se rodio? Jer smo videli Njegovu zvezdu na istoku i došli smo da Mu se poklonimo.

3 Kad to čuje car Irod, uplaši se, i sav Jerusalim s njim.

4 I sabravši sve glavare svešteničke i književnike narodne, pitaše ih: Gde će se roditi Hristos?

5 A oni mu rekoše: U Vitlejemu judejskom; jer je tako prorok napisao:

6 I ti Vitlejeme, zemljo Judina! Ni po čem nisi najmanji u državi Judinoj; jer će iz tebe izići čelovođa koji će pasti narod moj Izrailja.

7 Onda Irod tajno dozva mudrace, i ispitivaše ih kad se pojavila zvezda.

8 I poslavši ih u Vitlejem, reče: Idite i raspitajte dobro za dete, pa kad ga nađete, javite mi, da i ja idem da mu se poklonim.

9 I oni saslušavši cara, pođoše: a to i zvezda koju su videli na istoku, iđaše pred njima dok ne dođe i stade odozgo gde beše dete.

10 A kad videše zvezdu gde je stala, obradovaše se veoma velikom radosti.

11 I ušavši u kuću, videše dete s Marijom materom Njegovom, i padoše i pokloniše Mu se; pa otvoriše dare svoje i darivaše Ga: zlatom, i tamjanom, i smirnom.

12 I primivši u snu zapovest da se ne vraćaju k Irodu, drugim putem otidoše u svoju zemlju.

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Christmas Gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh

Av 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.