[Special] Three Gifts Offered to Jesus by Three Magi Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh
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December 26, 2010 |
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On Christmas, we rejoice with and celebrate the birth of Jesus who came down to this earth as the Savior of mankind. But many people consider Christmas as just another holiday or a day of 'Santa Claus' without understanding the true meaning of Christmas. If even the believers unconsciously follow this trend of the world, how painful it would be for God the Father!
Jesus was originally the Son of God, but He abandoned all the heavenly glories and came down to this earth in a human form. Before he was born, the three magi had made note of it and prepared three gifts to celebrate His birth. Under the supervision of God, the three magi followed a very brightly shining star that guided them to Bethlehem where they worshiped the baby Jesus and offered Him the three gifts—gold, frankincense, and myrrh—on behalf of all men.
Let's look into the spiritual meanings of the three gifts and commemorate the blessings God has given us on this Christmas.
 The First Gift of Gold, 'the Heart'
Pure gold is one of the most valuable of all minerals. People love it the most of all metals on the earth. It is considered to be 'forever unchangeable'. It is the very symbol of riches and wealth. As recorded in Matthew 6:21, ". . .for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also," gold also refers to our heart. So, 'giving gold to the Lord' means we have to give everything we have to the Lord.
God was pleased when gold was offered to the baby Jesus. He rewards us with heavenly mansions built with gold and various jewels. Anyone who believes and accepts Jesus Christ as his Savior possesses the kingdom of heaven in his heart and is blessed to enjoy eternal life in Heaven forever.
Therefore, the kingdom of Heaven is in the heart of true believers in the Lord. God allows for the believers to hope for Heaven in their hearts. They cannot accomplish the kingdom of heaven without the hope for Heaven. On the other hand, to the same extent that they lack hope for Heaven, they will be unable to accomplish the kingdom of Heaven in their hearts.
The Second Gift of Frankincense, the Fragrance of the Christ
Frankincense is an aromatic resin obtained from trees of the genus Boswellia, particularly Boswellia Sacra. It is also known as olibanum (Hebrew: לבונה, levonah), which is derived from the Arabic al-lubān (roughly translated: 'that which results from milking'). It is a reference to the milky sap tapped from the Boswellia tree. It is also postulated that the name comes from the Arabic term for "Oil of Lebanon" and in Exodus 30:34, it is named levonah, meaning either "white" or "Lebanese" in Hebrew. It is used in incense and perfumes. Exodus 30:34 says it was an ingredient for incense.
The giving of the frankincense spiritually means the spreading the fragrance of the Christ through the circumcision of the heart. When we spray perfumes, it removes foul odor and sends forth a good fragrance. In the same way, when we remove all forms of evil and glorify God with good deeds, we can spread the fragrance of Christ. This is represented by the offering of frankincense to the Lord. God doesn't search for only our deeds but also sees our heart. He first receives good aroma from our hearts. That's why those who really love God and understand this heart of God do their best to get rid of every form of evil and circumcise their hearts.
Those who spread the fragrance of Christ by circumcising their hearts, namely those who give the Lord frankincense, can give everything they have to the Lord and do not spare even their lives for Him. Then, their souls will prosper. They will be successful in everything they do and they will enjoy good health (3 John 1:2).
In the same way that many blessings of God are given to those who 'give gold' to the Lord by giving Him everything they have, God also gives blessing in accordance with what a person has done. God is well pleased and He gives overflowing blessings to those who have circumcised their hearts and spread the fragrance of Christ.
The Third Gift of Myrrh, Unchanging Faith
Myrrh is the dried oleo gum resin of a number of species of trees, Commiphora. Like frankincense, it is produced by the tree as a reaction to a purposefully inflicted wound through the bark and into the sapwood. The trees are bled in this way on a regular basis. Its name is rendered into English from the Greek myth of Myrrha 'μύρον' from Greek. The related word became a general term for perfume. However, the term ultimately derives its name from the Aramaic word 'murr' which meaning "bitter." Since ancient times, myrrh has been valued for its fragrance, its medicinal qualities as a wound dressing and an aromatic numbing agent. The ancient Egyptians used it as the principal ingredient in the embalming of 'mummies'. In ancient history it has been so valuable at times that it has been equal in value to its weight in gold. During times of scarcity its value rose even higher. It has been used throughout history as a perfume, incense and in medicines.
Jews used myrrh at the funeral ceremony as the embalmment to preserve the dead body (John 19:39-40). In a spiritual sense, giving myrrh to the Lord means we have to give the Lord what does not perish, but lasts forever. It is none other than unchanging faith. The believers in the Lord must be able to surrender everything they have, even their lives, to the Lord. They must dedicate themselves to Him unchangingly. Because some forms of evil that remain in you may cause you to seek your own benefits and cause you to change your mind, you must possess unchanging faith and you have to cast off every form of evil above all else.
God was delighted when myrrh was offered to the baby Jesus, and He gave us a life that lasts forever—eternal life. We were all originally doomed to fall into Hell. But, when we possess unchanging, spiritual faith we will be able to put on the imperishable and renewed body at the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
On this happy Christmas, all men are expected to sincerely feel the love of God the Father, our Lord Jesus Christ and our Helper the Holy Spirit. We should commemorate Christmas with the spiritual meanings embedded in the three gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh and present them to the Lord as true gifts.
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