(August 27, 2015 at 5:01 pm)Chad32 Wrote: Yes, the more we know about the world around us, the less able we are to get away with taking the bible literally. Three guys bringing gifts does seem to be less literal and more allegory, though I'm sure Mary and Joseph would have appreciated the gold after having to put their baby in a feeding trough one night. Though that's likely not literal either.
It's odd that the most important decision in your life depends on a book that's filled with allegories, parables, and metaphors.
The story about the three guys bringing gifts to baby Jesus is an application of the Fourth Commandment which states that "none shall appear before Me empty-handed". (Exodus 34:19-20). Just about all of the stories are intended to be tied to one of the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 34:10-28. The gift story illustrates that the travelers recognized baby Jesus as the living God. There are more instances where people gave Jesus expensive gifts. The most significant is when the woman gave him the bottle of perfumed oil just before his crucifixion.
