“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.” Matthew 2:11 (NIV)
It may not be the right question to ask why the Magi brought gifts, after all, they were coming to visit a newborn King. It was only right that they have gifts for the new baby. The proper question might be, why these particular gifts? Why gold, incense and myrrh?
The gift of gold we can easily understand. This baby was born to be a king. Gold is the metal of kings. It was only proper that they acknowledge the kingship of this child by offering a gift of gold. Jesus was born to be the King of the Jews. The Magi came seeking a King. The first gift presented was a gift to confirm that truth.
When we read Luke’s Gospel we can understand why the second gift was a gift of incense. Throughout Scripture the smoke from the burning incense is used to illustrate the prayers of man rising to God. Jesus was born to be a priest and as a priest He makes intercession for the people. Jesus was born to intercede for us. He tells us in His prayer in John’s Gospel that He is praying for us. Jesus is not just a priest; He is the great High Priest. When He was born in Bethlehem there was no need for another priest. It was this second gift that acknowledges that Jesus came as the Son of Man.
The third gift was a gift of myrrh. Myrrh was the spices that were used in burial. What a strange gift to give to a baby. As the gift of incense looked beyond the cradle at the life of Jesus, the gift of myrrh looked beyond that life to His death. Jesus was born not to give us an example, though He does give us an example of how we should live, He was born to die. When the Magi presented this gift they acknowledge the fact that this baby had been born to die.
I wonder if the Magi truly understood the significance of the gifts they brought to this baby. I know they knew that He was born to be King but did they know that He was also born to be a priest and a Saviour? I don’t really think they understood the total significance but they acted in obedience to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
We are to bring gifts but what are the gifts that we are to bring? We can offer Him gold but He owns the gold in every mine. When we offer Him our gold we acknowledge that all we have belongs to Him. We are to offer Him our prayers, the gift of incense. Finally, we too must acknowledge the fact that we must offer Him our lives, the gift of myrrh. He has called us to die. He has called us to die to ourselves, our ambitions, our dreams and our plans. We are to take up our cross and follow Him, follow Him all the way to the cross. So often we offer Him trinkets and tokens instead of the gifts that He desires. He does not want our trinkets and token, He wants us as living sacrifice.
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