We read in a commentary, I can't remember if it was Dakes or Barkley, that there were four wise men.  The fourth had gifts but kept running into needy people and ended up giving all the gifts away.  When he got to the site, Joseph and Mary with Jesus had already left.  Is there any truth to this?  Thank you.

Sincerely,
Four’s A Charm

Dear Four’s A Charm,

No, there is no truth in that.  All the Scriptures ever tell us is that there were wise men... that’s plural (Matt 2:1).  We don’t know whether there were two wise men or two hundred wise men.  The fact that they brought three types of gifts (gold, myrrh, and frankincense – Matt 2:11) does not necessarily mean that there were three men.

In fact, the Scriptures seem to point toward the idea of a multitude of wise men that came from the East.  When the wise men came to Jerusalem, they were a highly noticeable entourage – significant enough for Herod the king to notice them (Matt 2:1-3).  Any commentary that tells you it knows the exact number is going beyond Scriptures and creating an imaginary detail that God never provided.

I have yet another question that I would like to ask.  I have been watching parts of the Jesus of Nazareth movie.  In the movie, Jesus, while on the sermon on the mount, talks about how to pray.  Jesus then says what I think is called the Lord's Prayer.  Before I go to sleep at night after saying my normal everyday prayers, I like to repeat this prayer to God.  Is this okay to do?  I feel like it is okay to do, but I am not sure if it is okay to repeat it... I do mean the words that it says in the prayer; I just wanted to know if that was okay to do.  As always, thanks for your help; God bless!

Sincerely,
The Reiterator

Dear The Reiterator,

We aren’t required to pray the exact words of the Lord’s model prayer (which is found in Matt 6:9-13), but there is nothing wrong with sincerely repeating those words… with one exception.  One of the things that Jesus prayed for in that prayer has already happened.  When Jesus prayed, “Thy kingdom come…”, He was praying that the church would be established.  Jesus’ kingdom, also known as the church, has already come.  That kingdom began on the day of Pentecost when three thousand people were baptized and entered Jesus’ kingdom (Acts 2:37-41).  The apostle Paul said that christians have already entered into the kingdom (Col 1:13).  Therefore, it doesn’t make sense to pray that the kingdom comes.  However, it would be appropriate to pray that the kingdom (church) would expand, grow, and be further established.

Other than that one detail, everything that Jesus said in that prayer is perfectly appropriate today for a christian to pray.

I am an African American; I say this because I recently took a history class and found out that Christianity was used as one of the means of not only imposing slavery, but justifying it.  As someone who was brought up in the church, this has really disturbed me.  So I went to the Bible and began reading the laws of slavery in Leviticus 25, and there was also a particular verse in Colossians 3:22 which implies that slavery was not condoned by God but not frowned upon either.  Funny enough, all of my years being in the church, I have never heard any of these passages mentioned... I have two questions:

Where does God stand when it comes to slavery?  How come it is not allowed anymore if the Bible does not discourage it?

Sincerely,
Loosing Faith

Dear Loosing Faith,

Unfortunately, many horrendous things have been done in the name of Christ… but that doesn’t make them right.  God does address slavery in the Bible.  He makes it clear that it is better when people are free; freedom is what God desires for all men (1 Cor 7:21).  However, God also deals with how people can live in a world where slavery does exist… hence, verses like Col 3:22.  Slavery was, and is, a reality in many parts of the world, a reality that doesn’t go away once people become christians.  How a slave should behave toward their master is a down-to-earth, practical, moral question for many, many people.  The fact that we Americans don’t have to deal with such dilemmas anymore is a blessing indeed.

What does the Bible teach about who is supposed to care for their sick and elderly parents?  (Preferably verses from the New Testament).  I would like the Scriptures and an interpretation, please.

Sincerely,
Caregiver

Dear Caregiver,

The most applicable set of verses on the topic of caring for ageing parents are Matt 15:3-6 and 1 Tim 5:4.  In the book of Matthew, Jesus makes a direct correlation between the command to ‘honor your father and mother’ (Matt 15:4, Eph 6:2) and the act of spending money to care for their needs (Matt 15:5-6).  Part of honoring your parents (whether it be a joy or a burden) is caring for their physical needs.  In 1 Tim 5:4, Paul makes it clear that children should care for their needy parents.  In caring for our parents, we show piety and do something that is acceptable in God’s sight.

I have a question that I am having problems understanding.  I am pretty sure that I have read somewhere that, "We are to do the Father’s will".  I believe that I have read this on church websites, but I don’t understand how this works.  Does this mean to do good things in the Lord’s name?  For example: helping homeless people?  I really want to do God’s will, but I don’t know what He would want me to do.  Please help me understand this.  Thanks again for all your help!

Sincerely,
Willing To Serve

Dear Willing To Serve,

Yes, we must do the will of God (Mk 3:35, 1 Jhn 2:17).  The question is: how can we know what the will of God is?  God tells us that He has revealed His will to us through the Scriptures.  Jesus says that we err when we don’t know the Scriptures (Mk 12:24).  With ready minds, we must diligently examine the Scriptures to see what manner of life we should live (Acts 17:11).  When we study and then live by what we have studied, we are doing God’s will (Jas 1:21-22).