Not So Much Christmas...but We Think So

When we think of the Christmas story, there are many things that we include, that truthfully, are not a part of the Christmas story. Instead, they are part of the early life of Christ and how other individuals have a significant part to play in the early part of His life.

Wise Men The first thing we tend to add is the group of wise men that traveled from the east. We commonly associate the number of those who came to see the baby Jesus with three.  However, truthfully, we do not know how many there were; only the gifts that we see that were brought to the new king.  When we look at Scripture, the wise men were even prophesied by the Psalmist that the kings of Tarshish and of the Isles would bring presents as well as those of Sheba and Seba (Psalm 72:10, Isaiah 60:6).  While these men, referred to as Magi or stargazers, paid attention to a message from God and sought to bring their respects, they used their knowledge to find the king at the only place that made sense and realized something was different about this king.  As we see in Matthew 2, they went to the only king in the region to find out who this special heir to the throne was. 

King Herod

This brings us to the second character of the Christmas story that is presented: King Herod.  Herod, however, had one small problem; the queen had not given birth to a young child during the timetable these men presented.  So like all kings would have done, he assembled his council, and the question was asked, “What are they talking about?”  It is interesting that they all knew what the prophets had said but knew nothing about the occurrence of the birth of Jesus, including remembering the shepherd's message a couple years previously.  So then Herod uses these men with a false narrative to find this infant king and report back to him so that he can pay his respects.  It is interesting that Herod would say this because, historically speaking, if there was competition, you would automatically find a way to eliminate it and not pay respects.  Instead of reacting immediately, however, Herod actually presumed that these men would report back to him as if they were his to command.  It is after the magi relocate the star that had guided them that they find the Messiah and present the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  They then go a different way after receiving a vision from God not to go back to Herod.  Herod, once realizing that they were not obeying his request, then gave an order that no one wanted, and that was the destruction of all male children, two and under.  Because of the gifts of the Wise Men, Mary and Joseph were likely able to use them to pay for an upcoming trip to escape that judgment.  In addition, each of these gifts held a special meaning for royalty, which we will look at next.  

Gifts

When we look at the gifts that the kings presented to Christ (gold, frankincense, and myrrh), these each held special significance related to all aspects of his kingdom.  Looking at several of the kings in the past, we see that they were known for their wealth; from Solomon to Hezekiah, in many instances it was known that they were extremely powerful based on the wealth that they had accumulated.  So for the Magi, to bring a gift of gold was a way of respecting the future wealth that the king would accumulate.  The only thing that they didn’t know is that this King already owned everything and they had just paid a tribute back to Him.  While Scripture is not clear on exactly how much gold was given, it was most likely used on the trip that Joseph and Mary would have to take to Egypt and also take care of their needs in a foreign land.

Frankincense was an oil that was very expensive and was used during very special practices of the Jewish culture.  It was used as part of the sacred anointing oil that was in part of the worship practice of the sacrificial offerings that the people would give at the temple.  So this gift can symbolize the acknowledgment that Christ is the true sacrifice for mankind that was foretold by the prophets. So the Magi, when bringing gifts for the king, were bringing some of the most valuable resources from not only their region but the world because they recognized the importance of this particular king based on their observations.  This was, in Bible times as well as today, considered the most valuable of the spices, second only to Myrrh - which also has significance.  Myrrh is also considered a valuable resource; it was typically used in the anointing rituals as well as the embalming process.  For Christians, we should look at this gift as an acknowledgment that Christ was to die on the cross for our sins and that, unlike man, He would rise again and be the eternal Savior for our sins. 

When we stop and think about the gifts of the Magi, we see that the purposes were not only for the here and now as a means to finance the upcoming trip to Egypt, but also of secondary importance as they show just who Jesus truly is to mankind.  When it comes to the gifts that we present, we must remember that we are not only acknowledging thankfulness for what Christ did, but also truly bringing the first fruits, or the best, that we have to offer for Christ. 

While these men have found their way into the tradition that we call Christmas, we must realize that they were not a part of the first days of Christ’s time on this earth. However, their willingness to be a part of the narrative in the life of Jesus shows us that we, too, play a part in the narrative of the continued message of Christ’s love to this world. We should make every effort to show the world that the greatest gift that they could ever receive is the one that was already paid for and is ready to be received at any time.