What Will You Give to Jesus?
By Pastor Jim May
Matthew 2:1-11, "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh."
We are in the Christmas Season and at this time of year our thoughts always turn toward the birth of Jesus Christ during that long and wonderful night in the little town of Bethlehem. This story has been told for 2000 years and more, and yet every time we read it, or hear it, there is always a freshness and we often find something new that ministers to our heart with each passing year. This morning I want to draw your attention to the Three Wise Men, those three kings from the east who arrived at some point after Jesus was born.
The time frame of their visit has always been a point of contention or confusion among Bible scholars, but nearly all of them agree on one thing: The visit of the wise men to the new Son of God, didn’t happen on the same night that Jesus was born in that stable and laid in the manger. The time estimates have been anywhere from 40 days to 2 years after Jesus was born. The beautiful Nativity sets that can be seen around the church are really great but in all likelihood, no such scene ever really took place, even though it makes for a great picture.
The birth of Jesus was a giant step forward in God’s plan of salvation for lost humanity and it marked the fulfillment of numerous prophetic scriptures throughout God’s Word. But it wasn’t the final step. It marked the beginning of the end for the powers of darkness; and it marked the end of the beginning for the lost souls of men who needed a Savior. On that very morning, while he laid in that manger as an innocent baby (and I might add, the only innocent baby ever born), Jesus took his very first step towards the Cross. It would take him 33 ½ years to complete the journey, but he never wavered in his commitment to go all the way.
I thank God for sending his only Son in that manger. I can only worship Jesus who never turned back, but kept his eyes set on that final, eternally important goal, of being the perfect sacrifice that would take away the sins of the world. I thank God for the Love of God that held Jesus to that cross for me, when nails could not have done it. I thank God that Jesus laid down his life, willingly, for no demons of hell, nor soldiers of the mighty Roman Army could have held him if Jesus had not surrendered willingly. The death of Jesus on that cross, and his resurrection, were planned in the mind of God from eternity past, fulfilled in time past and will stand for all eternity future. From the moment of man’s creation in the Garden, to the instant in time when time shall be no more, the moment that defines our existence is all wrapped up in a beautiful gift package known as the Lord Jesus Christ.
God instituted the idea of giving gifts and the gifts that he gives are almost beyond comprehension. Ephesians 4:8 says, "Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men." God’s gifts are eternal, supernatural and each one is more valuable than all the wealth of the world. Yet they are gifts, given freely by the hand of the Lord to us all.
The gifts come in three basic categories that can be divided according to their purpose in the life of a Christian. There are Gifts of Operation such as prophecy, ministry to God’s people, teaching, exhortation, giving to the work of the Lord, leading people to Christ, showing mercy and compassion. There are Gifts of Administration such as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Then there are gifts that could be labeled “Charismatic Gifts” such as wisdom, knowledge, discerning of spirits, speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues, prophecy, faith, working of miracles and healing.
But let’s look back for a few minutes at the gifts that a few kings brought to Jesus. These are among the best gifts that mankind could offer to God’s only Son. These wise men, who were astronomers and scientists; rulers with great wealth and students of prophecy, had studied the heavens and were led by the Holy Spirit to find that “star” in the sky that signaled the birth of a new king in Israel. Just what that “star” was is still a matter of question today, but many think that it could have been one of God’s heavenly angels, shining brightly in the glory of God, that may have looked like a star to these wise men. But how did they even know that Jesus was born? Where would their knowledge have come from? It is quite possible that these wise men had copies of the Old Testament since Israel had been captives so many times in Babylon, Egypt and other nations. These wise men could have been made much wiser through their knowledge of the Old Testament writings, and it is likely that they were looking for the coming of the Messiah, and recognized the signs even though most of Israel did not.
The time came that the wise men reached the end of their long journey eastward and came to the very house where Jesus, Mary and Joseph were living. The “star” led them to the exact house. That’s why I lean more to the reasoning of their being led by an angel of light since a “star” couldn’t have been that accurate in pinpointing a certain house.
But whatever the case, the wise men came, found Jesus and then worshipped him. We don’t know for sure just how many wise men actually made that journey to worship Jesus. We base the idea of three because of the three gifts that were offered, but there could have been two or twenty. We just don’t know for sure. When the came to the door of the house, they stopped, dismounted from their camel caravan and bowed their faces before Jesus. In their minds he was already the king, even though scripture says that he was yet a small child. I often wonder just what capacity for understanding the “human brain” of Jesus had at this point. I know that Jesus was endued with far more understanding and knowledge than we are, but I still wonder what was going through his mind as those wise men knelt before him and gave him their gifts. What were those gifts, and what significance did they hold in the life of Jesus that was to come?
The first gift was that of gold. Isn’t it ironic that man’s best gift, and most expensive gift, that he could find in the earth to give to Jesus was gold, something that is used to pave the streets where this Jesus had come from! There was a significance in this gold that I want you to see. Gold represented the great riches of the world for nothing could surpass its value in the ancient world. It was used to depict the great Babylonian Empire in the time of Nebuchadnezzar as a “Head of Gold” because of his great power and wealth.
Not only was gold given to represent the power and wealth of Jesus as the King of Glory but I believe it also represented the fact that all of the wealth and power of this world, the dominion and dwelling place of the devil, had now been transferred to the authority of Jesus Christ and would soon be redeemed with a price that far exceeded gold, diamonds and rubies. This gold represented Jesus’ royalty as the King of Heaven and Earth; King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It also represented the riches of God’s great gift to man of his only begotten Son as a sacrifice for our sin.
The second gift was that of frankincense. This was a perfume resin that was imported from Arabia and was one of the ingredients of the incense used at the Altar of Incense in the Old Testament Tabernacle. It was always used in the sacrifice of the “Meat Offering” and it’s sweet odor was an emblem of God’s divine name, Yahweh, and an emblem of the prayer that rose before the throne of God in Heaven.
In giving this frankincense, the wise men were possible aware that Jesus would be a man of prayer, and the Son of God who would answer prayer. They also could have recognized the fact that this “King” was to offered as a meat sacrifice for the sins of man. They knew of his divine nature and worshipped Jesus as Lord, King and very God.
I think it’s an interesting point to know also that frankincense was made from the resin of the Boswellia tree that grows to be 40 feet tall. That number 40 reminds me of the time that Jesus would spend in the wilderness at the beginning of his ministry where he withstood Satan face to face and overcame every temptation that is common to man.
The odor of the incense filled the room and I know that Jesus recognized that odor as the same one that he had received from the Altar of Incense as the Children of Israel worshipped him in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle. That incense would rise, causing God to know that his people were praying and worshipping him. Now, in human form, Jesus still sensed that same dedication of prayer and worship coming to him from the hearts of men who desired to know God and to worship the True God.
The third gift of the wise men was Myrrh. Myrrh is first mentioned in the Old Testament as a principal ingredient of the holy anointing oil used in the Temple. It was used to anoint priests for service and kings for their office. It was also used in the process of embalming a body in preparation for burial.
As we see at the crucifixion of Christ, myrrh was also mingled with wine to numb the pain of crucifixion. Jesus never accepted the myrrh, but endured all of the pain for you and me.
The implications of the myrrh as a gift then are quite clear. It was pointing to the day when Jesus would be crucified, and then be prepared for burial. It was also pointing to the day when he would be crowned as the eternal King of Glory, and that through his death, burial and resurrection, the sting of death would be forever removed for those who accept him as Lord and Savior.
One thing about the myrrh that also strikes me is the fact that is was made from the gum of the Acacia tree found in Africa and Arabia. Do you remember where Acacia wood was used in vast quantities? It was in the construction of the Tabernacle of Moses. Acacia wood, covered in gold, was used to make the walls of the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. It was used in the Table of Showbread and in the Ark of the Covenant.
In a fashion, the gift of myrrh represented the earthly side of Jesus’ existence as a man, born of woman, while the gold represented his heavenly origin as the Son of God.
The gold, frankincense and myrrh, brought to Jesus by the wise men carried a lot of symbolism, but that wasn’t the most important gift that they brought that day. The most important gift that they brought nearly goes unnoticed by most people. What was that gift? It was the gift of their submission to his rule over them, and their worship of Him as King of Kings.
The gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh were gifts of sacrifice; they cost the wise men something. But the gift of obedience and worship were much more valuable to God.
In 1 Samuel 15:22, Samuel was speaking to a backslidden King of Israel by the name of Saul. Saul and the armies of Israel had disobeyed the Lord and taken spoils of their enemies when God had said to destroy it all. Saul wanted to offer his own gifts to God but God would not accept them. That’s when Samue said, "And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams."
What gifts will you offer the King this morning? Will you offer him only those gifts that are temporary? God loves a cheerful giver, but not just a just cheerful giver of our finances and our offerings, but he wants our gift of commitment and worship.
Jesus already has all of the wealth of Heaven, yet he accepts our offerings and blesses us for giving to him a portion of our wealth though tithes and offerings. But what Jesus really wants is your heart, your worship and your praise of him.
Will you give God the gifts that really count?
Will you give him yourself in complete obedience?
Will you give yourself willingly and wholeheartedly?
That’s the gift that Jesus wants more than anything that this world has to offer.
Join the ranks of those who are called wise. Come and worship the Lord, bearing your gifts, your praise and your worship and lay them at the feet of Jesus.
