“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, {2} saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’ {3} When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; {4} and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. {5} They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: {6} “And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.” {7}Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. {8} And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, 'Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.’ {9} After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. {10} When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. {11} And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. {12} And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.” (Matthew 2:1-12)
We are now a little over a week away from Christmas Day. Are you feeling a little stressed? Have you finished your Christmas shopping? Have you wrapped all your gifts and placed them under the tree?
If you’re like me, the answer is a solid, “No”. I’ll be joining the crowds and rushing from shop to shop this next week to finish off my list. And in a way that’s part of the fun.
But I imagine one reason you have yet to finish off that Christmas list is you probably have someone who’s hard to shop for. You know, the person who doesn’t seem to need anything. Or maybe a person whom we don’t really know that well. Perhaps a Scrooge who doesn’t even like Christmas. “Bah humbug!”
You think, “What in the world am I going to get them?”
As difficult as that seems, imagine what it was like for the wise men who brought gifts to baby Jesus.
I mean, talk about someone who has everything!
Despite the fact that Jesus was born in such humble circumstances, make no mistake: He was/is the King of Kings! The Lord of Lords! Everything belongs to Him.
Paul says, “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things” (Romans 11:36).
Talk about pressure! What do you give to the One who really has it all?
The wise men (or “magi”) brought three gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. Each gift was valuable and costly, but that wasn’t the point. It was more about what they represented.
The gift of gold was a gift fit for a king and pointed to the fact that Jesus was born to be king.
The wise men asked Herod, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2).
He was a king like no other!
He didn’t live in a palace filled with servants to meet His every need. As He told His disciples, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20).
And He didn’t come to be served by his subjects. Rather, He came to serve them!
In Matthew 28:20, Jesus says, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 28:20).
The gift of gold acknowledged that Jesus was born to be our king (1 Timothy 6:15).
Frankincense was used in the temple by the priests and this gift pointed to the fact that Jesus was to become our high priest.
In Hebrews 4:14-15 we read:
“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. {15} For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
Priests offered sacrifices for sin and served as mediators between God and man.
Jesus offered a once-for-all-people-for-all-time sacrifice for sin by giving His life for us on the Cross (Hebrews 9:28). He now serves as a mediator between us and God (1 Timothy 2:5).
Do you know what the gift of myrrh represented?
Among other things, myrrh was used to embalm the bodies of the dead. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus used myrrh to prepare Jesus’ body for burial.
In John 19:39-40 we read,
“Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. {40} Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.”
The myrrh brought by the wise men signified that Jesus was born to die.
And He was!
The angel told Joseph, Mary’s husband:
“Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. {21} She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21)
Gold, frankincense and myrrh. Gifts for the newborn King who was our Great High Priest and who was born to die.
I guess the question now is: what gift will we give to this king?
I think it’s clear that what He has always wanted is our heart (cf. Mark 12:28-30). If you haven’t already, give your heart and life to Jesus Christ. Acts 2:36-38 shows us exactly how to do that.
And that’s a gift you don’t even have to wrap and place under the tree!