Parting Gifts

Mary prepares dinner while her son, Jesus, plays at her feet. Joseph is putting away his tools as he wraps up his day. Suddenly there’s a knock on the door. When Joseph opens the door, he and Mary and Jesus are confronted with a strange and interesting sight … a group of oddly dressed men who explain that they are Magi … astrologers, scientists, philosophers … from Persia who have followed a star all the way to Jerusalem to meet the future King of Israel.

As Joseph and Mary struggle to take all this in, these strange men begin laying gifts at Jesus’ feet … expensive gifts. Gold … frankincense … and myrrh. Gifts fit for a king. Having been warned in a dream, the Magi head in the opposite direction from Persia in the hopes of throwing King Herod’s spies and scouts off the scent.

That night, an angel comes to Joseph in a dream and tells him to gather up his family, what few belongings they have, and use the gifts that God has provided for them through the Magi to flee to Egypt to protect Jesus from King Herod’s murderous rage and paranoia. Biblical scholar Luke Wayne believes that the Magi’s “valuable gifts do not appear to have been so numerous and cumbersome as to prevent Mary and Joseph from fleeing abruptly to Egypt … nor to have been of such great value as to propel Jesus’ family to wealth and prosperity.” According to Wayne, it was “probably no more than enough to provide for their temporary flight to Egypt.”

That’s God for you, amen? The perfect gift. Just right. Just enough … like when He provided just enough of whatever the Israelites needed as they wandered in the desert on their way to the Promised Land.

The perfect gift. God provided His Son with another expensive and valuable gift. I’ll let the Apostle John tell you about it. “Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for Him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with Him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples (the one who was about to betray Him) said, “Why was this perfume not sold for 300 denarii and the money given to the poor?’” (v. 3b-5). “Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me” (v. 7-8).

Did Mary know that? When she bought that perfume in the market, did she know that she was buying it for the day of Jesus’ burial? The Magi brought gifts to honor the future King of Israel … God used those gifts to provide for Jesus and His family while they were living in exile in Egypt. Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with a very expensive jar of perfume as a way to honor Jesus for bringing her brother, Lazarus, back to life … God used it to prepare His Son for the gruesome death that awaited Him once they reached Jerusalem. Since Mary poured it out during the dinner at Lazarus’ house, she no longer had it for the day of Jesus’ burial … but that was okay because God had already provided what Jesus would need on the day of His burial … the perfect gift for a deceased king!

If the Romans had their way, they would have left all three of the crucified bodies on their crosses to rot ... a gruesome reminder to the whole community of what can happen if you mess around with the Roman legal system. After the body rotted, their remains would have been thrown into an open, mass grave. Out of respect for Jewish law and custom, the Romans allow them to take down the bodies and bury them, which is how we get to meet Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.

Who is Joseph of Arimathea? In the Bible, he only appears in connection with the burial of Jesus. His appearance is so significant, however, that all four gospels writers mention him. Matthew tells us that Joseph of Arimathea was a devout man and a faithful servant of God who had become a disciple of Jesus. Matthew also tells us that Joseph owned the tomb in which Jesus was laid to rest. A generous gift.

The Apostle Mark tells us that Joseph of Arimathea was a prominent member of the Sanhedrin. You know … the “ruling religious council” that condemned Jesus to death. Luke says that Joseph of Arimathea did not consent to the Sanhedrin’s decision and tried to defend Jesus and prevent an injustice. The Apostle John tells us that Joseph of Arimathea had been keeping the fact that he as a disciple of Jesus a secret because he feared … rightly so … for what might have happened to him if anyone in his family or one of his neighbors or the Jewish authorities ever found out.