On entering the house, they saw
the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then,
opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense,
and myrrh. –Matthew 2:11 (NRSV)
What do you give a young king? The
Magi, traveling more than 500 miles to see the child, brought gold, frankincense,
and myrrh. Why those gifts? What did the gifts mean in relation to
Jesus? And what did they mean for those
who gave them?
GOLD: The magi
knew without a doubt they were searching for a king, and in that day gold was
currency only for kings. This was a gift
of great value, symbolizing sacrifice on their part as worshipers. Gold represented their willingness to give
everything to God, because God alone is King of all.
FRANKINCENSE:
Worshipers in the OT inserted the dried gum of frankincense into candles
to make offerings in the temple. The magi chose this gift to acknowledge the
Child as not only a King, but also a Priest who would intercede for humanity
before God. In this way, the gum was a
symbol of the magi’s humility before the Child, recognizing their dependence on
a holy and just God.
MYRRH: The
ancients used myrrh when embalming the dead, making this gift especially
appropriate for Jesus whose death would change history. While the magi likely had no concept of the
death Jesus would die, the gift signified the importance of Jesus’ death. (Myrrh was a resin extracted from a variety
of trees in the Middle East.)
The King received the gold. Our Intercessor took the
frankincense. And the One who died on
the cross had myrrh wrapped around His body by His friends. The magi’s gifts to Jesus pointed to the
utterly unique, glorious and sacrificial ministry of the Lord Jesus. [WORSHIP FULLY]
What gift would you
give our young King? How about
worship?
King Jesus, Lamb of God who takes away the
sin of the world, lead us to realize your authority over us & humility
before us.
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