10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. (Matthew 2:10-11)
We have seen these verses so much, they have lost their impact. The story of Jesus, especially in birth and crucifixion, is perhaps the most confused story in the Bible. We assume we already know it from countless sermons and Christmas Eve / Easter services, which then hinders our vision to go deeper. Of course, this is for us to submit to Christ – our perspective on His story. His Spirit is the only one who can reveal such things to us.
As a kid, we always had fun with the three gifts Jesus got. None of us really knew what frankincense and myrrh was. Was that like the Xbox of the day? Did the wise men have to get up early the day after thanksgiving to ensure they got the hottest myrrh for Jesus?
Notice how they gave Jesus, the creator of the universe gifts. He truly didn’t need them. God doesn’t need our time or money, yet demands them anyway. Why? Because when you love something, you give to them that which you value most. I fear if He came back to look at my checking account, I would be ashamed at how little He gets. If He placed the time I spend with Him next to the time spent online, I would be ashamed. The wise men got this. They worshipped through what they gave.
And what they gave is even more interesting. Gold traditionally meant royalty. Jesus is King. Frankincense was given to priests. Jesus is the true high priest. Myrrh was used to embalm. Jesus died the most meaningful death imaginable for us as savior. Three roles of Jesus all defined by what they gave.
They were overjoyed
They fell down
They worshipped
They gave
Four routes of response to our Lord. Today, take inventory. What do you worship and how does that come out in the 24 hours you are blessed with?
Matt simon blog 