JESUS - PROVISIONS IN ADVANCE - NYOBS 10.03

RABBIT TRAIL FROM NYOBS 10 - THE PLAYERS TWELVE

PROVISIONS IN ADVANCE - RABBIT TRAIL

• Jesus and his family were very poor and could not even afford a lamb as an offering in the temple.  According to scripture their finances were at poverty level until the visit of the Magi who brought very expensive gifts of GOLD, FRANKINCENSE and MYRRH. 
• The Magi were Religious leaders who could appoint kings and place people in power and authority.  They traveled almost two years and almost a thousand miles just one way.  It is not known how many of them there were or the number of servants, or the value of their gifts as they had much wealth.
• Gold – Associated with “Royalty” Most people in the time of Jesus could not afford to own Gold.
• Frankincense Associated with “Worship” – Gum from the Arabia tree – Expensive - perfume of Love.
• Myrrh – Associated with “Suffering” – Offered to Christ on the Cross – A sedative when mixed with wine. The Gum is extracted by “Piercing” the bark of a “thorny” bush to allow it to bleed.  It turns red on contact with air.
• God financed (in advance) their flight to Egypt to avoid Pharaoh’s decree to kill all the new born males under the age of two. From Bethlehem to Helipolis Egypt was 300 plus miles taking up to three weeks for the family to get there. For safety concerns, people usually paid the price to travel in a caravan.  From His road trip to Egypt and the return to Nazareth was about a year.
• There probably wasn’t much of the “treasure” left after 30 years for Jesus’ ministry, but who knows.