The birth of Jesus drew some unexpected guests from a faraway land, Magi or magicians, from the East. These wise men are not Jewish in ethnicity, they were Gentiles. In Matthew’s rendition of Jesus’ birth narrative, he wants you to know that Jesus is for everyone. And everyone can learn from the Magi how to honor and worship Jesus, the better gift.
The Magi were overjoyed
When the Magi meet Jesus, they are overjoyed. What does the Christmas story do to you? Are you overjoyed by the coming of Christ?
Joy to the world! Christmas is a celebration of Jesus as king!
But it may not be a celebration for everyone.
It could be that right now, consumerism is king, your love of money is king, your selfish ambition is king, your politics are king, and you are not overjoyed because something else overrules Jesus as king of your heart.
When your heart’s desires are misaligned, you don’t find joy in Jesus. When you find him you won’t worship him and you won’t come bearing gifts.
But if you meet Jesus with an open heart it becomes a wellspring of grace and both joy and generosity flow from within. Apathy and indifference become adoration and honor.
The Magi opened their treasures.
When the Magi found him, they opened their treasures. They didn’t close their treasures keeping them from Jesus. They came with open hearts and open hands.
“For where your treasure is there your heart will be also.”
The Magi bring Jesus gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Three gifts make us think of three kings, but it could have been more or less.
Some have believed that these three gifts were chosen for their special spiritual symbolism about Jesus himself—gold representing his kingship, frankincense a symbol of his priestly role, and myrrh a prefiguring of his death and embalming.
I don’t think the Magi had that understanding. They simply wanted to honor the king of the Jews.
These valuable items were standard gifts to honor a king or deity in the ancient world: gold as a precious metal, frankincense as perfume or incense, and myrrh as anointing oil. In fact, these same three items were apparently among the gifts, recorded in ancient inscriptions, that King Seleucus II Callinicus offered to the god Apollo at the temple in Miletus in 243 B.C.E. (source)
The Book of Isaiah, when describing Jerusalem’s glorious restoration, tells of nations and kings who will come and “bring gold and frankincense and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord” (Isaiah 60:6).
Kings bow down to Jesus and nations revere him. He is worthy of our worship.
He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. John 1:11-13 (NIV)
Jesus is God’s gift to the world. Open your hearts to receive him and open your treasures to honor and worship him.
Be overjoyed! Give him your offering of gratitude and praise!
Please subscribe, share, and leave a comment below! Thanks for visiting!
Jovan preaches for the Littleton Church of Christ near Denver, Colorado. Visit here to listen to sermons preached at the Littleton Church.