¹⁰ When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. ¹¹ And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
~Matthew 2:10-11

Christmas is a wonderful time of year! As we move through the season, my prayer is that we all slow down enough to enjoy the wonder and set our sights on the true meaning of Christmas.

At Jesus’ birth, everyone in the region knew something special was happening. Mary and Joseph had been visited by angels, shepherds in the field were given supernatural insight and instruction to visit the Christ child, Herod was triggered by the birth, and wisemen made a trek from the east, bringing extraordinary gifts. This was no ordinary event.

Historical writings tell us the wisemen, known as magi, were Babylonian scholars in areas of science, philosophy and medicine. It is also possible that, while in Babylonian captivity, Daniel may have instructed the wisemen of Babylon in Old Testament teachings of law and prophecy, including the coming Messiah. (More about Daniel and the magi here.) The gifts they brought were not common gifts for a child, so perhaps such teaching had a bearing on the gifts they brought.

Matthew 2:11 explains that the magi brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. According to Revelation 19:16, Jesus is declared KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Gold seems fitting for a king, yet that would be very prophetic since the declaration was not yet made. But God knew!

Frankincense was used by the priests in Temple worship and sacrifices. Hebrews 2:17 proclaims Jesus to be a merciful and faithful High Priest who made propitiation (atonement) for the people. Indeed, Jesus was born a Lamb to ultimately be the sacrificial Lamb of God for our sins. Jesus is both our High Priest and the sacrifice. How were the magi to know their gifts were prophetic!

Perhaps the most intriguing gift was the gift of myrrh, a spice used to embalm the dead. Why would wisemen bring embalming ointment to the birth of a child? Only because that child was born to die (and rise again!) for the sins of the world! God has an eternal plan.

The royalty of the Christ child was honored with gold. Frankincense signified the priestly sacrifice of that child. And myrrh? Well, it foreshadowed the greatest gift ever given: the righteous sacrifice of Jesus for the sins of all mankind.

Jesus gave us all a gift on His birthday. What gifts will we give Him in return? Here are some ideas: devotion, dedication, our earthly treasures of time and resources. It is truly impossible to out give the One who gave His life for us, but perhaps this Christmas season is a time to commit to giving Him all that we are.

The One who guided wisemen to deliver prophetic gifts is the same One who guides us today! Are we ready to deliver the gifts of which He sends us out?

Tomorrow, we’ll dig into another related and intriguing prophecy from the same passage. See you then!