The three wise men came to give Jesus gifts. First, gold, which was often reserved for royalty. The Magi had seen the star and they recognized the signal of the star in the sky that an important birth had occurred. The gift represented the fact that Jesus was royal. Second, frankincense, it was a highly valued commodity and somewhat rare. The Jewish people had a common use for frankincense that was directly connected to the worship of God. The smoke rising from the altar of incense represented the prayers of the people rising to God in heaven. The Magi presenting this gift to Jesus represents the fact that He was indeed divine. Third, myrrh, was extremely valuable and had a number of uses. The most common use was a perfume. The major use of myrrh was for burials. Myrrh was placed on the cloths used to wrap bodies for burial to help prevent the smell of decay following death. The Magi presented this gift to Jesus as a representation that He would one day die. The gift almost seems to convey the fact that Jesus was born to die. We also need to recognize that they brought a fourth gift that is often forgotten by many. After they laid their treasures down before Mary and Joseph, they worshipped Jesus. These wise men also came to proclaim that they believed Jesus to be the King of kings. The greatest gift that we can offer to Jesus this Christmas is our praise and worship.
(Used with permission by Pastor David DeWitt)
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