THREE APPROPRIATE GIFTS FOR JESUS
Geoffrey T. Bull, a British missionary to Tibet in
1949, was cold, exhausted, and hungry. He had been seized by Communists
following their takeover of China. His captors drove him day and night across
frozen mountains. Late one afternoon, he staggered into a small village where
he was given an upstairs room, swept clean and warmed by a small charcoal
heater.
After a meager supper, he was sent downstairs to feed
the horses. It was frigid and dark. He clambered down the notched tree trunk to
find himself in pitch blackness. His boots squished in the manure and straw on
the floor, and the stinking smell of the animals was nauseating.
Geoffrey, cold, weary, lonely, and ill, begin to feel
sorry for himself. "Then, as I continue to grope my way in the
darkness," he later wrote, "it suddenly flashed into my mind. What's
today? I thought for a moment. In traveling, the days had become a little
muddled in my mind. Suddenly it came to me. It's Christmas Day. I stood suddenly
still in that Oriental manger.
To think that my Savior was born in a place like this.
To think that He came all the way from heaven to some wretched eastern stable,
and what is more, to think that He came for me. I returned to the warm, clean
room which I enjoyed even as a prisoner, bowed to thankfulness and
worship."[1]Today
is Christmas. Let us worship the God-incarnate Jesus Christ our Lord.
No Christmas nativity scene excludes the three
colorfully dressed wise men with their camels and colorful gifts. But who are
they? What were they searching for? How did they respond when they found what
they were looking for? How does that impact us today?
I.
Visitors from the East. The story begins with some Magi, translated as
wise men from Eastern lands, coming to Jerusalem. The East of Jerusalem was the
Parthian Empire, the area that, at one time, had been the kingdom of Babylon
(250 BC).
The wise men were specialized in astrology, magic, and
natural sciences. They existed in Babylon during King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel
4:9). These wise men were not only three men on camels, as seen in Christmas
nativity scenes. The designation of only three comes from the fact that only
three gifts are recorded as having been given to the Christ Child. From
historical information, a cavalry of formidable men on camels rode into
Jerusalem.[2]
They went to the palace and asked Herod, "where
is the newborn King of the Jews? We saw his star in the East and have come to
worship him. The wise men came from a far country, traveling about 900 miles
through rugged terrain to worship Christ, while the Jews, his kinsmen, would
not take a step and go to the next town to welcome the newborn King.
Upon hearing what the wise men said, King Herod and
everyone in Jerusalem were deeply disturbed. Why? Until then, King Herod
thought he was appointed as the King of the Jews, and no successor had been
born, but now the wise men were talking about a new king that had been born,
and they saw his star when it appeared in the East.
Herod quickly summoned the leading priests and the
religious leaders and inquired where the Messiah was supposed to be born. They pointed
the King to two ancient prophecies, "And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who
will be the shepherd for my people Israel." (Micah 5:2, II Sam 5:2)
Without showing his nervousness, King Herod told the
wise men, "Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when
you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too! Would
he really worship Jesus, or was it a plot to kill him? The wise men went to
Bethlehem, led by the same star that appeared to them in the East. The Star of
Bethlehem is one of the greatest mysteries in astronomy and the Bible. How did
it lead the Magi to Jesus?
The star-led journey ended at the house where the
Christ child was. Throughout their search for the newborn King, God guided them
through a star, for which they were filled with Joy. Upon entering the house,
whom did they find? How did they respond, and what gifts did they offer? Matthew
2:11, "They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and
they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and
gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and Myrrh." Who would offer such
gifts to a newborn baby?
You would take a crib or bundles of diapers when
visiting a newborn, not gold, frankincense, and certainly not Myrrh used to
embalm a dead body. But those were precisely the gifts the wise men presented
to Jesus. At first glimpse, they look inappropriate, but if you take a closer
look and see their significance, we will find them to be very appropriate gifts
for Jesus.
II.
Three Appropriate Gifts For Jesus
By reading the text, we will know that a few days might
have passed since Jesus was born. We usually see the wise men at the manger in
the nativity scene, but we see them here in the house. Before looking into the
gifts, the wise men offered, we observe their posture. They bowed down and
worshiped the child and offered their gifts. Why is that so important?
For Matthew, the focus was less on who the wise
men were. That's why we know very little of them in the story. Instead, he was
interested that Gentiles came to worship the Jewish Messiah and the
gifts they bore. Before we do anything or give anything to God, we must bow
down and worship Him first. Let's look at the significance of the gifts.
Gold: It is easy to see
why gold is an appropriate gift for Jesus Christ. Gold is a symbol of divinity
and is mentioned throughout the Bible. The Ark of the Covenant was overlaid
with Gold (Exodus 25:10-17). The gift of gold to the Christ child was symbolic
of His divinity—God in the flesh. The wise men worshipped him, recognizing
Jesus as God.
Gold is also the metal of kings. When gold was
presented to Jesus, it acknowledged his right to rule. The wise men knew Jesus
was the King of kings, so they bowed down. Isn't that what Isaiah prophesied
about Jesus? "His government and its peace will never end. He will rule
with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all
eternity." Isaiah 9:7 By offering gold to the baby Jesus, the wise men
paved the way for the world to recognize the Kingship of Jesus, bow their
knees, and confess with their mouths that He is Lord.
Frankincense: It was used in
temple worship. It was mixed with the oil used to anoint the priests
of Israel. It was part of the meal offerings of thanksgiving and praise to God.
In presenting this gift, the wise men pointed to Christ as our great High
Priest, whose whole life was acceptable and well-pleasing to his Father.
Myrrh: Myrrh was used for
embalming. By any human measure, it would be odd, if not offensive, to present
to the infant Christ a spice used for embalming. But it was not offensive, nor
was it weird. It was a gift of faith. We do not know what the wise men may have
known about Christ's ministry, but we know that the Old Testament foretold his
suffering. At the time of dedication, Simeon told Mary, "A sword will
pierce your very soul," implying Christ's death.
God gave Jesus as his love gift to humanity. Jesus,
through his death and resurrection, offers the gift of salvation to all who
believe in Him. On this Christmas Day, what gifts do you bring to Jesus? By
faith, we, too, may present our gifts of Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh.
Let's begin with our Myrrh, by identifying in the
death of Christ and by dying to our flesh. Let's consider ourselves dead to sin
and being alive for Christ. When that happens, we bring our frankincense which
is our life. We offer our lives to Jesus as a living sacrifice. Our
frankincense can also be our good works, by which God is pleased (Hebrews
13:16). Finally, we honor and worship our King Jesus with our gold by living a
life of purity. Amen!
