Hope Awakening: The Gifts
“After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.”
Matthew 2:9-12
The star continued to guide the magi on their journey to find and worship the newborn king of the Jews. Centuries prior, Balaam prophesied that “a star shall advance from Jacob, and a scepter shall rise from Israel” (Numbers 24:17). The scepter points to Christ, who would be the royal authority over all people. Is it possible this star was both a literal and symbolic sign? Theologians are not in agreement as to whether or not the star guiding the magi is the fulfillment of this prophecy, but it’s interesting to see the Scriptural evidence of a star connected to the rise of the Messiah!
If you’ve ever taken a walk at night and gazed at the stars, you know they don’t seem to move at all. If I know the general direction of the little dipper, I can always find it by changing my direction on a walk; but it doesn’t follow me. We can be sure of this: God was guiding these Gentile wise men. Just as he guided the Israelites with a cloud by day and fire by night, He led these men directly to Jesus. He made the star stand still over the house where they’d find the Messiah. What an encouragement this is, especially if you have unbelievers in your life. God can use anyone and anything to grab someone’s attention!
The men enter the home to find the child with his mother, Mary. You might notice our translations of the Bible use both “infant” and “child” in this story. The Greek word used in Matthew’s Gospel is paidion, which translates as “childling, infant, or half-grown boy or girl; an immature Christian.” We don’t know exactly how old Jesus was when the wise men visited, and ultimately it doesn’t matter. It’s possible Jesus was as young as a few months old, or he could’ve been as old as 18-24 months. Herod would later order all Jewish males 2 years old and younger to be killed, which is where we get the age range from.
The wise men prostrate themselves before baby Jesus and worship him. Gentiles recognizing Jesus as the new King! I can’t imagine what Mary and Joseph must have felt witnessing this. It’s further confirmation that Jesus is who God said he would be. The wise men presented Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These gifts were no ordinary baby shower presents. Each item is deeply significant. Gold signified royalty. It is a highly valuable commodity and beautiful in presentation. Scholars agree this gift represented the magi’s (correct) belief that Jesus was destined to be a king. Frankincense signified Jesus’ destiny as High Priest. Priests used frankincese for their temple offerings. This gift tells us the magi didn’t think of Jesus as any priest, but that his priesthood would be set apart from others. Finally, myrrh was an oil used in embalming services in Egypt. Myrrh would have been associated with death and burial. This gift alluded to the future death and burial of Jesus. Three gifts to represent three facets of Jesus’ short life on earth. The child born to be an eternal King and High Priest. The child born to die for the sins of all humanity.
Jesus, surrounded in Bethlehem by Jewish people, was honored and worshipped by Gentile men from a far away land. His own didn’t recognize him, but through him the whole world would have the opportunity to be reconciled to God.
All glory and praise be to God, forever and ever!
Reflection: Christians around the world celebrate Epiphany, known in some areas as “Three Kings Day,” on January 6. This holiday officially marks the end of the Christmas season for Christians. Western churches commemorate this day as the first manifestation of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. While the Israelites prayed for the Messiah to come, God’s redemption plan would reconcile all people to Him through the sacrifice of His Only Son, Jesus. What a beautiful unfolding of God’s glorious plan!