Pop Quiz
- T or F – There were three Wise Men
- T or F – The Wise Men were kings
- T or F – The Wise Men were from the Orient
- T or F – The Wise Men showed up at the manger scene
They (the Wise Men) 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 2:11 (NLT)
Have you ever wondered about the significance of these three particular gifts? Why gold, frankincense, and myrrh? What is frankincense and myrrh?
These three gifts can be looked at in at least three different ways. First, they can be looked at practically. Each of these gifts was very, very expensive. Joseph and Mary could have used these gifts to help aid in their journey to Egypt. Some have taught that it could have even been enough to live off of the entire time they lived in Egypt before returning home to Nazareth.
Second, the gifts were symbolic of the life of Jesus. The gold represented the kingship of Jesus. Gold was a common gift presented to kings. Frankincense represented the priesthood of Jesus. Frankincense was commonly used in the Old Testament as a tool to aid in worship. Myrrh represented the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus. Myrrh was actually used during 1st Century culture as an embalming fluid.
Third, the gifts are symbolic of gifts we should present to Jesus. Gold representing the best we have to offer. Frankincense representing our worship to Jesus. And Myrrh representing our dying to self daily.
As we all consider the gifts we will be exchanging these next few weeks, most importantly let’s not forget the greatest gift that was ever given, the gift of life … eternal life!
Oh yeah, the answer to the first three questions on the Pop Quiz is “we don’t know” and the answer to the last one is “false.”
Randy Harp 