As Christmas approaches, I can’t help but reflect on the whole Christmas event. From Mary being chosen to carry the Christ, Joseph being instructed by an angel of the Lord throughout the whole process to save the lives of his family, Elizabeth experiencing the first earthly worship to the Messiah within her womb, the prophecies of Micah 5:2-5, Zacharias( Luke 1:67-80), Simeon (Luke 2:25-35) and Anna ( Luke 2:36-38), all speaking of the Christ Child, the worship of the shepherds, angels and the magi. All these events providing evidence of the significance of the birth of Jesus. Jesus’ birth was no normal birth of just any baby, for Jesus was not just any baby, he was a King, High Priest, and the Lamb of God.

It is the Magi that I meditate on this year, for they brought interesting gifts. Christmas songs speak of gifts brought to the Baby Jesus in “We Three Kings,” and “The Little Drummer Boy,” Now although the song of the little drummer is pure fiction, it is a beautiful illustration of bringing our best gifts to Jesus. Many times, people think that there were only three wise men that came in search of the newborn king because that is what we sing about and represent in our nativity sets, yet the Bible never specifies just how many came. The Bible, however, only speak of three gifts given by the Magi. They are gold, frankincense, and myrrh. I always thought these gifts were so odd for a baby. I attended a baby shower 2 weeks ago and we showered the mother with diapers and clothes that the baby would be using. Not one of us brought the items that the wisemen brought.

I can’t help but ask myself why those gifts? Is there any significance that those gifts would be brought to Jesus from wise men? These men were said to be wise so there had to be a reason these particular gifts were given, and so the research began. The first gift given was gold. Throughout history gold has always been valued as a precious metal. Wars have been fought for it and expeditions have been launched to search for it. During this time gold was associated with royalty. The wise men giving gold to the baby Jesus was acknowledgment that this baby born with no earthly title, no earthly lineage to a throne, born humbly to poor parents, in a stable, and placed in a manger was in fact a king.

Jesus is not an earthly king, but our heavenly king. The Bible speaks in different places of Jesus’ kingship. In the Old Testament the Bible speaks of Zechariah 9:9 of the coming king.

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation,

Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey. Zechariah 9:9

In the New Testament, the magi stated, Matthew 2:2, the wise men claim Him as king.

2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod,

Magia from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it in rose and have come to worship him.” Matt. 2:2

In John 18:36-37, Jesus verbalizes His kingship to Pilate,

6 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world.

If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”

37 Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?”

Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king.

For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” John 18:36-37

In Revelation 1:4-5 speaks of Jesus being ruler over of kings of the earth.

4 John, to the seven churches which are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.

To Him who [a]loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6 and has made us [b]kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus is in fact a king with a kingdom. Jesus is ruler of all creation since he is the author of creation and will be honored as such. People only get down on one knee and bow before another to show submission to authority, Philippians 2:8-11speaks of this.

And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:8:11

The next gift that was presented was frankincense. What is the significance of this gift? Frankincense was ordered by God to Moses and how to be used for ceremonial worship. These ceremonial events were conducted by the high priest who served as a mediator between God and the people of Israel. It was the burning of incense that was part of the praise and worship offering onto God. It also represented how the priest were consecrated apart from others, they were allowed to enter into the Holy of Holies which the priest were able to experience the presence of God. Bible verses that point to the use of frankincense are;

And the Lord said to Moses: “Take sweet spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, and pure frankincense with these sweet spices; there shall be equal amounts of each. 35 You shall make of these an incense, a compound according to the art of the perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. 36 And you shall beat some of it very fine, and put some of it before the Testimony in the tabernacle of meeting where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you. 37 But as for the incense which you shall make, you shall not make any for yourselves, according to its composition. It shall be to you holy for the Lord. 38 Whoever makes any like it, to smell it, he shall be cut off from his people.” Exodus 30:34-38

The frankincense was given to acknowledge that Jesus was consecrated for his divinity. He is our high priest, the one who goes before the Father to mediate on our behalf. Without the Son we are unable to approach the throne of the Father, so it is so important to see Jesus as our High Priest.

Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2 a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man. Hebrews 8:1-2

The last gift is the gift of myrrh. Myrrh was used medicinally, meaning as medicine to help cure, purify, anoint during burial, and it signified sacrifice. This definitely would not be a gift appropriate for a baby, yet we are able to see the foreshadowing of the significance of this gift. Jesus being God who volunteered to come to earth as man to sacrifice Himself for all of humanity. We see in a multitude of areas in the Old Testament and the New Testament that Jesus was always meant to go to the cross.

2 ‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. 13 Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. Exodus 12:12-13

But He was wounded[k] for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities;

The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way;

And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth;

He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,

So He opened not His mouth. Isaiah 53:5-7

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. John 3:14-17

And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, 50 nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” 51 Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad. John 11:49-52

All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Revelation 11:8

The Passover was not only the deliverance of the Israelites from the slavery and bondage of the Egyptians but is was a foreshadowing for us of how Jesus is our perfect Lamb who suffered and died to bring deliverance and salvation to all those that believe. The myrrh was used in the burial of Jesus.

Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment. Luke 23:56

Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. Luke 24:1

In closing we can now see the significance of the gifts the magi brought the Baby Jesus. All three point to the reason for his coming which benefits us. The gifts shows that he is King of Kings, He is our High Priest which is a mediator between us and the Father. Lastly, Jesus since the foundations of the earth was meant to be our Passover Lamb to be slain, so we wouldn’t have to suffer that death. As we continue to celebrate the Christmas holiday, let us celebrate what each of those gifts mean to us. God Bless you all, and Merry Christmas!

Vedel