ANSWERS: 4
  • I do have a practice of staying quiet where the Bible stays quiet. In other words, I try not to say "This is what happened..." when the bible didnt find it too important to mention an answer to the "Why".... With that said, I think it is fun, and even helpful to answer questons like these in order to make the bible a little more than just a book to a lot of people... So here is what I think... Right after the birth of Jesus, him and his family had to make an emergency trip to Egypt to out run King Herrod and his decree for all male children to be killed. The family might have sold "the goods" in order to have the abilty to pass to the land of the Pharoahs. This is only an opinion.
  • WEALTH? What do you think their gifts were worth? There is no indication that Mary, Joseph, and Jesus lived in any particular lifestyle that I recall. Other than the humble life of a carpenter.........
  • What makes you think they were poor? Even if they had spent the wealth from the gifts Joseph was a carpenter in a time when building skills were valuable. He made enough that Jesus didn't have to work with him. It was 12 years from the time of his birth until he is mentioned again. Plus they lived in Egypt which probably was a costly venture. Jesus is referred to as poor as a man, not as a child. He gave up worldly possessions as an example to his followers. Doesn't mean his family was poor. Three tresure chests of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Say they were small chests of each. The gold was the cheapest of the three. The other two were worth a lot more than gold. A small chest of gold, abo, and that about 50 pounds and that's pretty small would be worth about a half million bucks at current prices. Since the other two chests were worth more I think it's safe to say that Joseph and Mary probably weren't hurting for money. The carpentry was just a front to keep the Romans from asking questions. Jesus had the means for an excellent education and to travel anywhere he desired. From what I recall Mary's people had money anyway. Jesus used to travel with his Uncle (a merchant) when he was a young man. He really was a very intelligent man, ahead of his time.
  • Ahhh. Grasshopper! U know not about the Purpose of the Gifts??? U have only seen the "Hollywood" version I see where the 3 wize dudes show up a day after the birth??? Not true! Several Months later they showed up expecting the "New King of the Jews" may be dead having been hunted down by the Romans for the Prophecy was well known. The Gifts were to be used for: Gold = buy Burial Plot, Frankincense = making the body smell good (longer dead = more Ripe) & Myrrh = Embalming Salve for the body preparation. "And now U know the rest of the story" (for my detractors, I attribute this saying to Paul Harvey Sr.) John

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