If you are a seasoned Christmas shopper like me, you have learned over time that giving a gift just for gifts’ sake leaves the giver and the receiver feeling empty. There is definitely room for those “just because” gifts that let a person know you love and care for them. But, taking the opportunity to go that extra mile and give truly intentional gifts – presents that tell the person you know them well and love them greatly – is such a blessing to both giver and receiver. And Christmas is a wonderful occasion to experience mutual blessing.
I love giving my husband, daughter, extended family and friends special presents at Christmas. I want them to know that I observe them, that I take note of their interests and needs, and that I affirm their place and importance in the world.
I want to celebrate their unique, God-given design and encourage them to shine brightly in this era they were created for. So, when I read about the three wise men of the Christmas story, I tend to identify with them. They brought presents to Jesus after his birth, but they weren’t just items from Amazon’s Top 20 stocking stuffers. They weren’t from Popular Mechanics Greatest Gadgets of 1 B.C. The wise men’s gifts were items that not only heralded Jesus for his unique, God-ordained calling, but also reflected their personal designs, as well.
So, what were these gifts? Most of us could rattle off the list from memory: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But that’s not the question. Better written, the question would read, “What were these gifts?” In other words, what did they mean? What was their significance? And by asking that we discover how very intentional they were, for two important reasons. They not only reflected the true identities of the givers, but they also confirmed who Jesus was and why He came to earth.
Identifying the Wise Men
The identity of these three men is significant. Biblical teachers tell us that they were religious scholars, professors and teachers “highly educated in many fields, including religion, astronomy, and even astrology.”[i] They were not Jewish, but came from either Arabia or Persia. If from Persia, their predecessors would have come under the leadership of Daniel (a young Jewish man taken into exile in Babylon, later taken over by Persia). Daniel, well-versed in the Torah and other Old Testament prophets, would have taught the prophecies of the coming Messiah. (See Numbers 24:17; Micah 5:2). So, they would have been looking for Him.
Given their astrological interest, they also would have immediately noticed an unusual star in the sky and sought it out, because stars often were the sign of great events. Daniel’s teachings would have included his prophecy of “the seventy weeks of years,” (see Daniel 9:24-27) which indicated the general time period of the Messiah’s coming. So, when an astrological wonder appeared in the night sky at just around the time of Daniel’s prophecy being fulfilled, the wise men went searching. And knowing what Daniel said about this Messiah, they wouldn’t dare go empty-handed. This baby was a promised king, deserving of reverent and intentional gifts. And these gifts both reflected their culture and referenced the true identity of this promised King.
Gold – the most precious of metals, purified under extreme conditions by the refiner, was also the currency of kings.[ii] In giving gold, the wise men were declaring that this child was a king.
Frankincense – There is such a beautiful parallel here between the ceremonial bread offered in the Temple by the high priests, and Jesus as our High Priest. Frankincense was added to the grain offerings, and it also was among the special incense that burned continually in the Temple. The twelve loaves of bread that sat on the pure gold tray in the Temple also were anointed in frankincense. When the Wise Men came to Jesus, whom we also know as the Bread of Life, and “Christ,” the “anointed one,” they brought the frankincense to anoint him. And when a high priest was anointed prior to his service, what was the basic ingredient of that holy anointing?
Myrrh – the third and final gift of the wise men was both the basic ingredient of holy anointing, as well as the key component of embalming solution for burial. This gift not only affirmed Jesus as our ultimate High Priest, but it also foreshadowed the sacrificial gift He would offer the world, forgiveness of sins through His death on the cross.
The wise men offered intentional gifts indeed. And in so doing, they also affirmed their own identity: God’s chosen children, not by virtue of their ancestry (for they were not Jews), but by the sheer grace of a loving God who made a way for them to be in fellowship with Him forever. And He does the same for us. This Christmas, friend, follow the star. Bow at the feet of Jesus and worship the God who through every detail is communicating to us, “Come! Have your sins washed away, let your identity be made whole, and let me secure for you a place with Me forever.” He loves you so much!
— Linda R. Maynard © December 2023
[i] https://www.christianity.com/wiki/holidays/significance-of-the-three-wise-men-and-their-gifts.html
[ii] https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/why-did-the-wise-men-present-jesus-with-gold-frankincense-and-myrrh.html
