Preparing For The Season – The Gifts of the Magi
We find their story in Matthew 2. “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” Just who are these “wise men from the east”, how did they know there would be a king, and why did they bring these particular gifts? As I studied this weeks lesson I discovered some pretty fascinating things. So here we go.
So who were these wise men or magi? In my research I found that they were probably descended from the Magian priests of Zoroaster, founder of Zoroastrianism. Upon further study, I found a connection to Judaism in the book of Daniel when King Darius comes on the scene. Darius is a Persian king well acquainted with the religion of Zoroastrianism. He was also highly influenced by Daniel as was his successor Cyrus. As we look into Zoroastrianism, we can see many similarities between it and Judaism. I believe contact with Daniel would have heavily influenced the trajectory of the religion. We also know that both Darius and Cyrus had encounters with Daniel’s God. After Daniel comes out of the lion’s den unscathed Darius says, “I issue a decree that in all my royal dominion, people must tremble in fear before the God of Daniel: For He is the living God, and He endures forever; His kingdom will never be destroyed, and His dominion has no end. He rescues and delivers; He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth, for He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.” We find that Daniel served in the royal court and prospered in both the reigns of Darius and Cyrus. In fact, Isaiah 45:1-6 describes a unique relationship God had with Cyrus in particular. “The Lord says this to Cyrus, His anointed, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him… “I will go before you and level the uneven places; I will shatter the bronze doors and cut the iron bars in two. I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches from secret places, so that you may know that I, Yahweh, the God of Israel call you by your name I call you by your name, because of Jacob My servant and Israel My chosen one. I give a name to you, though you do not know Me… so that all may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is no one but Me. I am Yahweh, and there is no other.” God actually called Cyrus His anointed and then tells him that Yahweh, the God of Israel calls him by his name even though Cyrus doesn’t know God. You might be wondering what all this has to do with the wise men. I don’t believe in coincidence and I don’t believe it was accidental that Daniel was placed where he was. His faithfulness to God impacted Darius in a profound way. This was passed on to Cyrus giving Daniel the unique ability to lay the groundwork for those who descended from this Persian empire. The Magi would have followed the teachings of Zoroaster as it was handed down to them from their ancestors. They would be looking for a coming Messiah. Like Darius and Cyrus before them, they know there is One God who is over all, and they travel over 2000 miles to give Him gifts and worship Him. The gifts they bring are gold, frankincense and myrrh, each having a deep seated meaning for the King of kings.
Gold is still sought after today as a precious metal of great worth. In fact, as I write this, gold is going for over $1800 per ounce. We do not know how much gold the magi brought to the Christ child, but we do know any amount would have been a great gift indeed and a gift worthy of Jesus as the King of kings. Throughout the bible gold is seen as a sign of great wealth. More importantly, I believe this gift is a direct symbol of the temple of God as it relates to Jesus. When God describes the ark of the covenant we see the symbolism. It was to be acacia wood overlayed with pure gold inside and out. The poles that were to carry the ark were to be overlayed with gold as well. The mercy seat on top of the ark was made of pure gold. All this gold has a purpose – He is worthy of our honor and praise and nothing less than pure gold will suffice as pure gold has been all the impurities burned off. The ark is the symbol of God’s presence with us, the mercy seat is a symbol of his salvation and forgiveness. Inside the ark we find God’s holy law (the 10 commandments), His provision for us (the manna) and the priesthood (Aaron’s budded rod). The ark is behind a veil and only the high priest can go in once a year on behalf of the people. In this gift of gold, we see the correlation between Christ and the ark. He is the new covenant given to us by God to bring us to reconciliation. Jesus’ incarnation is God presence with us – Emmanuel. He has come to fulfill the law so we might be reconciled to God. He is our provider and He is our high priest. And finally, in his death, the veil was torn from the top down symbolizing that we can now come before His mercy seat where forgiveness for sins take place.
Frankincense is an aromatic resin used in incense and perfumes. It is obtained from Boswellia trees which are found in the horn of Africa, particularly Ethiopia (biblical Sheba), Somalia and Kenya. In fact, both frankincense and myrrh come from this area of the world. The first time we encounter frankincense in the Bible is in Exodus 30:34-35. God is instructing Moses on how to prepare the sacred incense that was burned on the incense alter. “The Lord said to Moses: “Take fragrant spices: stacte, onycha, and galbanum; the spices and pure frankincense are to be in equal measures. Prepare expertly blended incense from these; it is to be seasoned with salt, pure and holy.” The next place we find it is as a part of the grain offering in Leviticus 2:1-2. “When anyone presents a grain offering as a gift to the Lord, his gift must consist of fine flour. He is to pour olive oil on it, put frankincense on it, and bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests. The priest will take a handful of fine flour and oil from it, along with all its frankincense, and will burn this memorial portion of it on the altar, a fire offering of a pleasing aroma to the Lord.” The grain offering was the only offering that did not involve an animal, therefore it did not involve blood. It was an offering of worship, and this is why frankincense is included. The grain was mixed with olive oil and frankincense, so when it burned it sent up a heavenly scent to the Lord. The alter of incense was symbol of our prayers rising to God and His throne of grace. The gift of frankincense symbolizes our prayer and worship of the King of kings who’s sacrifice brings salvation and grace to us.
Myrrh is a natural gum or resin extracted from a thorny tree species called Commiphora. It is used as a perfume, incense and as medicine (myrrh mixed with wine was common across ancient cultures as a pain reliever). We first come across myrrh in Genesis when nine brothers of Joseph give into their jealousy and sell him to a passing caravan. “As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.” When they encounter their brother again, he is 2nd in command in Egypt and in charge of the distribution of food and when they meet up with him the second time they bring him “a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds.” (Notice the similarity between what they bring to Joseph and what the caravan was bringing to Egypt.) Myrrh was also used as the anointing oil of the Lord. “The Lord spoke to Moses: “Take for yourself the finest spices: 12½ pounds of liquid myrrh, half as much (6¼ pounds) of fragrant cinnamon, 6¼ pounds of fragrant cane, 12½ pounds of cassia (by the sanctuary shekel), and one gallon of olive oil. The anointing oil was used to anoint everything in the temple, including the ark, consecrating them and making them holy. Jesus encounters myrrh three times in the New Testament. Once at his birth when it is a gift from the Magi and twice at the end of his life. In Mark 15:23, the soldiers try to give it to him for his pain “They tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh, but He did not take it.” And then again after his death: After this, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might remove Jesus’ body. Pilate gave him permission, so he came and took His body away. Nicodemus (who had previously come to Him at night) also came, bringing a mixture of about 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes. Then they took Jesus’ body and wrapped it in linen cloths with the aromatic spices, according to the burial custom of the Jews, John 19:38-40. So, when we look at Myrrh, we see that without knowing it, the magi gave Jesus a gift that would prepare him for his death and burial. They gave him myrrh which comes from a tree with thorns, perhaps a symbol of the crown of thorns. It is an ingredient in the Lord’s anointing oil which was used to consecrate the temple making it holy. And, it was a spice used for burials.
In the three gifts we see symbols of His worthiness, worship and His death on the cross for the sins of the world. But, as we know, it does not end in His death – for we serve a risen Lord who will come again. Isaiah 60:1-6 gives us a picture of the gifts that will be brought when Christ comes again to reign forever. “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of he Lord shines over you. For look, darkness covers the earth, and total darkness the peoples; but the Lord will shine over you, and His glory will appear over you. Nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your radiance. Raise your eyes and look around: they all gather and come to you; your sons will come from far away, and your daughters will be carried on the hip. Then you will see and be radiant, and your heart will tremble and rejoice, because the riches of the sea will become yours and the wealth of the nations will come to you. Caravans of camels will cover your land young camels of Midian and Ephah all of them will come from Sheba. They will carry gold and frankincense and proclaim the praises of the Lord.” Notice there is no myrrh this time. He is alive and we will come into His house to worship the almighty King who is worthy of all worship and praise. Hallelujah.
And so, the magi gave me several things to contemplate. Yes, I was excited by the symbols of the gifts and the wonderful promise in Isaiah when Christ returns again. But the thing that struck me most was what I learned in Daniel: how one man, who was totally faithful to God, ended up influencing some magi from the east many years in the future. Daniel’s impact on an entire culture changed how they saw who God was and how they listened to Him. What seemed like a horrible circumstance (the overthrow of Jerusalem and the ensuing Babylonian exile), was orchestrated and used by God to influence and impact an entire nation and religious framework through Daniel. As we contemplate our current circumstances, I have to ask – what impact am I and are we having on the world around us? Make no mistake, God has allowed these circumstances in our life. There are many things to learn from them including the realization that He is all we need. But it is the decisions we make within the context of these circumstances that will have a lasting impact for either good or bad. If we, as people of God, stay faithful to Him, we, like Daniel, can effect change on our nation and in the world around us. Then once again, wise men will seek after God and come to bow down and worship Him.
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