Christmas: Gifts Of The Magi (Gold) Series

The Gifts of the Magi (Gold)

Scott Bayles, pastor

Blooming Grove Christian Church: 12/10/2017

Christmas is a time of giving. And that means Christmas is a time of shopping. Ever since the wise men from the east showed up at the stable carrying gold, frankincense, and myrrh, people have been exchanging gifts at Christmas.

Of course, it’s much more complicated today than it was for the wise men. For one thing, they didn’t have to contend with shopping malls, all packed full of parents going from store to store to store, desperately searching for the hottest new toys. The magi didn’t have to worry about sizes, or colors, or return policies. There were no robot dogs in those days, no Star Wars Legos, and definitely no flying drones with streaming video. Just plain old gold, frankincense and myrrh.

I once heard someone suggest that Jesus would have been better off if it had been Wise Women instead of Wise Men—they would have asked directions, arrived on time, helped deliver the baby, cleaned the stable, made a casserole, and brought practical gifts from Baby’s-R-Us, like diapers, wipes, and formula!

And, while not all gifts need to be practical, if you put any thought into a gift, it ought to tell you a little about the person who receives the gift, right? For instance, earlier this week Facebook reminded me of this memory from three years ago.

Next Slide: 2014 Stocking

This is what Ashley and the kids filled my stocking with on Saint Nicholas Day 2014. This tells you a little about me, doesn’t it? If you didn’t know any better it might tell you that I’m eight years old. However, it obviously tells you that I’m a superhero fan and I like Little Debbie snacks! While it’s easy to give someone a gift card or simply purchase something off their Amazon wish list, the best gifts are always personal—specially tailored for the person to whom you are giving the gift. They take into account the recipient’s personality, likes, dislikes, and individuality. Gifts like these often reveal something about the recipient.

This Christmas I want to invite you to reflect on the gifts of the magi. The magi were, after all, wise men. Certainly, they put some thought into the gifts they brought to Jesus that first Christmas. What might these gifts tell us about Jesus?

The story of the Magi is told in Matthew 2. If you have a Bible or an app on your phone, open it there. Matthew tells us: “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem” (Matthew 2:1 NIV).

We often assume that there were three of them, though the Bible never says that. There may have been a dozen or more for all we know. And we don’t really know if the Magi arrived on the day of Christ’s birth or not. In fact, in prior centuries Christians use to celebrate the day of the Magi’s visit twelve days after Christmas, on January 6— which is where get the 12 Days of Christmas. Regardless of when they arrived or how many of them there were, however, the Magi followed a star in search of a Savior. Matthew continues:

“The star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (Matthew 2:9-11 NLT).

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. But in addition to the honor and status implied by the value of the Magi’s gifts, many scholars think that these three gifts were chosen for their special spiritual symbolism about Jesus himself. So for the next three weeks, I’d look to take a closer look at each of these gifts and discover what they reveal about the baby in the manger and who he would grow up to be.

Let’s start with gold.

In all ages, gold has served as an article and store of enduring value. Unlike silver, its lesser cousin, it is highly resistant to oxidation and corruption. It is soft and malleable, warm and beautiful, and holds its value over long periods of time even as other goods and commodities rise and fall. It was a treasure befitting royalty. As such, scholars generally agree that the gift of gold represented the kingship of Jesus.

In fact, the kingship of Jesus is central to the story of the Magi. When the Magi first arrived in Jerusalem, they began asking around, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him” (Matthew 2:2 NLT). Because the Magi were coming to hail this newborn king, gold was the perfect gift, an acknowledgement of royalty. The Magi came in search of a king and they came to Jerusalem because that would be the most likely place to find a Jewish king.