“WISE GIFTS FOR A GREAT KING”
Readings: Matthew 2:1-12 and Ephesians 4:25-5:2
Preached at Fayetteville Presbyterian Church – January 5th 1997
A favorite seasonal hymn for many folk is "We three Kings". Did you ever stop to think about how the gifts the Wise men bought to Jesus were related to the life He would lead? That’s what I would like us to think about on this Epiphany Sunday and I’m keeping at the back of my mind two bible verses;
Ephesians 5:2
"Christ loved us and gave himself for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God"
&
Matthew 2:11
"They offered to him gifts; gold, frankincense and myrrh"
THE GIFT OF GOLD
"Born a King on Bethlehem plain
Gold I bring to crown Him again
King for ever, ceasing never
Over us all to reign."
Gold, in the time of Jesus - as it is today - as it was in many ancient cultures - was the most precious metal. A golden denarius was the most precious Roman coin. The goldsmith in Israelite society was an important person. Only pure gold was used to make the ornaments used in the two centers of worship for Old Testament religion, the tabernacle and the temple.
Upon each of my hands, I proudly wear a couple of gold rings. The rings are precious. They are made of gold. But their true value lies in what they signify. I say that because I’ve also got three gold teeth in my mouth and whilst I’m sure the gold in my mouth is as materially valuable as that on my fingers, one signifies the lack of care I’ve shown to dental hygiene, whilst the rings on my fingers signify the gift and commitment of love that my wife Yvonne made to me, firstly when we were engaged, secondly when we were married. It’s the significance of the gold and the rings that makes them precious. Gold represents a commitment of life. Gold represents love.
In the Old Testament Tabernacle the most precious ornament was the lampstand or candlestick. According to the instructions Moses had from his God, he instructed the workmen that the candlestick was to be made only from the purest gold. For this was to be the light that illuminated the Holy Place.
In the tabernacle of Moses there was first of all a large outer court, then at the far end was the inner court, the Holy place. Beyond that was the "Holy of Holies", where only once a year an anointed priest was to sacrifice offerings to God. The light was for that Holy place. Bearing the light was a pure gold lampstand. Upon the lampstand were carved symbols of the love and care of God towards His people. Pomegranates symbolizing His peace, Calyx’s (the outer envelope of a flower) to symbolize God’s protection, flowers to symbolize the beauty of holiness, all carved out of pure gold.
By these constructions of pure gold the people were not only reminded that God gave of His best to them, but also that they were to give of their best to Him. So we read of visitors from the East bringing to Jesus, not only themselves, but also their gold; bringing Him the best of their lives.
Isn’t there a message here for our own lives? Is not our calling to give our best to our King? Back in Wales, there was a phrase that I overheard on more than one occasion. It always saddened me when I heard people say, "It will do, It’s only for the church". Some people thought that because something had to do with "church", then it shouldn’t be costly. Second best would do.
Sadly, for many people, their investment in earthly joys far outweighs their concern for the gospel. It is just as well that God’s concern for us is not so cheap - Christ loved us and gave Himself for us.
Notice too that the Wise Men didn’t send their gifts, they brought them in person. They were not content to acknowledge a King from afar, they themselves made the journey and followed the star to wherever it would lead.
Paul tells us that; “Christ loved us and gave Himself for us". In revealing His love to us, God has not been content to send gifts from afar. He, in Christ, brings His presence to the midst of life. He comes where we are, journeys to our homes, our families, our lives. The whole Christmas story is about the God who is with us - God Incarnate.
So we see, at His birth, a wise man offering Him gold, gold a symbol of love, coming himself to give His best to His King... "Gold I bring to crown Him again ....., Over us all to reign".
THE GIFT OF FRANKINCENSE
“Frankincense to offer have I
Incense owns a Deity nigh;
Prayer and praising, all men raising
WorshipHim, God on high"
Frankincense is made of Olibanum, an aromatic gum resin secreted as a milky-white substance by certain species of trees. After "Resin canals" are cut into the bark, the gum comes out as transparent beads, which, once congealed and pressed into cylinder shaped yellowish pieces, are ground into a powder. The highest quality Frankincense is that which has come from the clearest gum and makes the whitest powder. The name in Hebrew for Frankincense "Lebona" means "White, Shining".
The Frankincense powder is burnt and provides a pleasant, penetrating odor (similar to balsam). It was used, not only by the Israelites but by other religions as well, as ritual incense at various festivals and religious occasions.
In the book of Leviticus are outlined five offerings that the people of Israel were to make to their God. Frankincense was used in connection with the Meal Offering, the "Minchah". It was a voluntary offering, a gift made to God to maintain His favor. Leviticus 6:15 gives these instructions: "The priest is to take a handful of fine flour and oil, together with all the frankincense on the meal offering, and burn the memorial portion on the altar as an aroma pleasing to the Lord’.
If you cook meat or flour in oil, it doesn’t give off a particularly sweet smelling odor. But when frankincense was added, that changed things. The Frankincense released a strong smell that overcame all the other odors. (I wonder why no one has ever invented Frankincense flavored socks. Just think of the service they would provide to wash baskets throughout the universe.)
Think back to that text Paul gave to the Ephesians. The apostle Paul was a man who was very much a Hebrew of Hebrews, an ex-Pharisee who knew intimately the traditions and festivals and practices of the orthodox Jew of his day. He writes of a Christ who loved us and gave himself for us, as "frankincense", a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Two things I’d like you to consider about Frankincense.
1). Frankincense is an offering connected with prayer and praise to God. We see this in the Minchah offering of the Old Testament and throughout the life of Christ. The Frankincense that we are called to give God is an offering of prayer and praise. That is how it has always been between God and His people. The whole purpose of the Old Testament offerings was that they were ways that the people, through the priest, could intercede with God and seek His guidance and blessing. As believers in Christ we make our prayers and praise in Jesus name, for we believe He is the great High Priest who gave His life as an offering for sin.
Frankincense symbolizes prayer and devotion. If our lives are to be an effective witness for Christ then those strands of spirituality must be woven into them. The most prayerful life in the New Testament is that of Jesus himself. Time and time again he urged his disciples to become people of prayer for themselves.
2). In order for Frankincense to be used as an offering it had to be burnt. It needed fire. We use the expression about somebody who is excited about something that they are all "fired up". One of the symbols of the Holy Spirit is that of fire. We need the fire of God’s Spirit to burn in our hearts, that we may live lives of prayer and worship to God. That is how it was for Christ who gave Himself for us as a "Fragrant offering". Think again on the words of the carol, "Frankincense to offer have I..., Prayer and praising, all men raising, Worship Him God on high."
The gift of Myrrh
"Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume
Breathes a life of gathering gloom,
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
Sealed in the stone cold tomb."
Like Frankincense, Myrrh was an expensive perfume. Whilst Frankincense had to be burnt to give up its odor, Myrrh either had to be converted to oil or beaten and crushed before it would give off its fragrance.
Myrrh was one of the ingredients that went into the anointing oil that was used to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the Ark of the Covenant, the altars where offerings were made and the golden lampstand we mentioned earlier. It was only after they had been anointed with sacred oil that they were considered as being set apart for a holy purpose.
The same oil was used to anoint the priests for their work. We read in Exodus 30, "Say to the Israelites, "This is to be my sacred anointing oil for the generations to come. Do not pour it on men’s bodies and do not make any oil of the same formula. It is sacred. Whoever makes perfume like it and puts it on anyone other than a priest must be cut off from his people."
Myrrh was one of the ingredients with which the body of Jesus was treated by Nicodemus and Joseph after his death on the cross. We also read in Marks gospel that before they crucified him, "They offered him wine, mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it".
When Mary poured oil over Jesus feet at the house of Lazarus, she used Nard, a very similar spice to Myrrh. That action was described by Jesus as being an anointing for the day of his burial. Judas Iscariot complained, "Why waste that stuff, the perfume could be sold and the money given to the poor". (The perfume cost nearly a year’s wage). The irony in his words was that he later sold Jesus for a mere thirty pieces of silver.
In the book of Revelation, the second of seven letters to the churches is addressed to the suffering church at Smyrna. The name of the town of Smyrna has its linguistic root in the word "Myrrh". The letter is an encouraging one to a church whose members were being crushed.
At a later date, one of Smyrna’s bishops was a man called Polycarp. A writing that was extremely influential in the early church was the account of his martyrdom in the arena, an event that caused many in that region to take the Christian faith seriously.
Many times in church history, it has been when the church, like myrrh, has been beaten and crushed, that it has produced some of its most effective witness. This caused one church historian to write, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church."
With the benefit of hindsight we can see how appropriate it was that one of the wise gifts bought to Jesus was that of Myrrh, a gift for one who would give his life in an offering of sacrifice, one who was anointed of God for an incomparable task.
The challenge to us is clear enough. We to are called to sacrificial living. Such a life is impossible by human strength alone. We need the anointing oil of God’s Spirit to be our comfort and healing when life brings us its "Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, and dying".
Such aspects of life are not limited to Calvary. They remain realities in our everyday world. From the warring madness of the Middle East, to the starvation of the poorest in the world, from the plight of the homeless and refugees to the daily pains and troubles that form the fabric of many peoples lives - in all these things we need to know that God isn’t distant. In Christ, He feels for our dilemmas and through His Spirit is able to bring His love into the most desperate of situations.
Let us be prepared to offer Him our gold. Let us never be content with offering Him second best, but give to Him the best of our love.
Let us offer frankincense, come before Him with prayerful lives and worshipful hearts.
Let us offer Myrrh . Be prepared to live sacrificially and seek for the oil of His Spirit’s
anointing to be on our lives.
Wise gifts for a Great King.
Rev Adrian Pratt
