“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.” Matthew 2:2 ESV
What a sight it must have been in the humble Bethlehem neighborhood when a bright and shining star came to rest over the carpenter’s home. Soon after the star’s arrival, an entourage of foreign dignitaries and their servants parked their camels in the little home’s front yard.
No doubt the neighbors were abuzz wondering what was going on at the home of the young family that had moved into the community in the past year or so. They were more perplexed when they saw what appeared to be gifts unloaded from the camel’s packs.
I’m guessing the neighbors were no more puzzled or surprised than the occupants of the modest home. When Mary opened the door, there stood a group of Magi holding expensive gifts waiting for an invitation to enter.
Upon seeing the child, the wise men fell to the ground and began to worship the child named Jesus. They then presented their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the little one.
The gifts were unlikely presents for a baby. Today, when moms-to-be or new moms are showered with baby gifts, those gifts tend to fall into categories like diapers, baby clothes, baby blankets, crib linens, baby bottles, stuffed animals, or baby toiletries. The gifts of the wise men were tributes fit for a king and monetarily of great value.
The gifts of the Magi were chosen to honor the newborn King, but we can see the prophetic significance in the meaning of each.
– Gold is a gift for royalty, a gift for a king.
– Frankincense is a gift to be offered on a divine altar, a gift for a deity or priest.
– Myrrh is a gift for the dying or dead, a gift symbolizing humanity or the mortality of man.
How very appropriate.
Gold for the King of Kings. (Rev. 19:16)
Frankincense for the Great High Priest. (Heb. 4:14)
Myrrh for the Lamb of God, slain for the sins of mankind. A gift that foreshadowed the death of our Savior. (John 1:29)
Notice that instead of giving the gifts to Jesus’ earthly parents, the gifts were given directly to Jesus. Jesus’ parents would ultimately be responsible for managing the use of the gifts for the benefit of their son, but the gifts of the Magi were offerings to Jesus. Jesus – He alone was the one to be honored, glorified, and worshipped – not his parents.
More significant than the gifts themselves was the reaction of the Magi when they met Jesus, the toddler who was between 6 – 24 months old at the time. They “fell down and worshipped Him.”
To say they “fell down” is the idea of falling prostrate before or laying flat on the ground in recognition of being in the presence of a person in a superior position, higher authority, or deity worthy of worship. A subject kneels before his master.
The Magi, learned men of position and authority, fell prostrate before the tiny Savior of the World, and offered their gifts and worship. I wonder what Joseph and Mary’s neighbors would have thought if they had peeked in the window and witnessed the amazing scene.
Picturing the scene also makes me wonder how often we neglect to recognize the absolute deity, authority, and transcendent majesty of Jesus Christ.
It seems that modern Christendom has worked hard to humanize, demystify, and dilute Jesus Christ so that He is more relatable, more palatable, a congenial good buddy, an easy-going friend, and an indulgent big brother.
It has become easy (perhaps preferable to many) to forget that He, Jesus Christ, is God Almighty, Creator of the Universe, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is One with God.
“Whoever has seen Me (Jesus), has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’ Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?”
John 14:9-10
When Jesus came to earth to be born of a virgin, He was (and is) God the Son, who stepped away from His royal throne to wrap Himself in human flesh so that He could walk among those He had created. The Eternal God walked on this earth so that He could complete His plan of redemption that He has made available to “whoever believes.” (Mark 16:16)
We must never forget who Jesus is. We must never try to bring Jesus down to our level so that He’s more relatable. We must never attempt to diminish the image of our Savior so that He’s less intimidating. He is who He is and we must acknowledge Him in His fullness.
As John the Baptist explained to his disciples when they were concerned that John’s followers were abandoning him to follow Jesus:
“He must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all. …He who comes from heaven is above all.”
John 3:30-31
The Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, provided a masterful summary of Jesus Christ in Colossians (Col. 1:15-20)
– He is the image of the invisible God and the fullness of God dwells in Him,
– He is preeminent before and over all things, and He is the creator of all things,
– He holds all things together,
– He is the Head of the Church and conqueror of death, and
– He has reconciled all things to Himself through the shedding of His blood on the cross.
This is Jesus. This is our Lord. This is our Savior and Redeemer. This is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
This is the One before whom we should fall prostrate in worship and adoration just as the wise men did.
And what of our gifts?
Gold. Most of us have no gold to bring, but Peter writes that our genuine faith is more precious than gold. (1 Pet. 1:7)
Frankincense. Our prayers are a sweet-smelling incense offered up to God. (Rev. 8:3-4)
Myrrh. We are to die daily to the sins of the flesh. Every moment of every day, we are to put our sin to death each time it rears its head. (1 Pet. 2:24)
Our gifts:
– a genuine tried and tested faith,
– persistent, praise-filled, petitions and prayers, and
– living a life of obedience in which sin is quickly identified and put to death.
But perhaps the best gift we can offer is to lay ourselves at His feet in complete submission to His Lordship and preeminence in every area of our lives.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God.”
James 4:7