Pastor Tom Johnson, January 6, 2013
Gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Three royal gifts. And not just royal gifts—but prophetic gifts—gifts provide a prophetic vision of who this baby Jesus is.
Gold. Au 79 on the periodic table. Gold is a malleable metal with a shiny luster. It is perfect for making jewelry and adorning furniture and buildings. It is not like most metals that corrode, rust, and need constant attention to shine. It never loses its luster. Gold has never been mined in Palestine—the Israelites had to import this metal over great distances. It was a rare and costly commodity. The Magi—these wise men—were offering the baby Jesus and his family a kingly gift. Unlike you and I, the average Israelite would not own any gold—it was a royal privilege. And I wonder…in what form did these wise men deliver the gold? Was it in a wooden chest filled with gold coins—with the faces of foreign kings—Persian kings, Ethopian kings, Arabian kings, Rome’s Caesar—these little golden faces bowing down to an infant Child foreshadowing the Christ’s dominion as King of kings? Or was Jesus given a golden crown as He deserved as King—instead of the thorny crown that will make mockery of Him later?
Frankincense. The gum and sap of a tree from the Boswellia family of trees. Frankincense was used to embalm the bodies of kings and the wealthy. When burned, it was also used to fumigate large rooms and areas of foul smells. When burned, it produced a sweet smelling aroma—the Scriptures describe Frankincense as “a sweet spice” and “a pleasing aroma to the Lord” (Exod. 30:34; Lev. 2:2). It was used by the priests of the Temple in Jerusalem along with animal sacrifices. These frankincense-producing trees only grew in Southern Arabia and India. This was also a rare and costly commodity. The only people that could afford to have Frankincense were the priests of the Temple in Jerusalem and the morticians of wealthy families. And I wonder…the priests were instructed by God to burn animal sacrifices which smelled horrible—these burnt offerings were the repugnant smell of our sin. And masking that smell was the pleasing aroma and sweet spice of Frankincense. Did this gift foreshadow the life of Christ—lived under the Law—perfectly obedient to God in thought, word, and deed? Is this a picture of the righteousness and justice of Jesus that masks and clothes us—we who only produce the repugnant smell of sin?
Myrrh. The exudate and sap of the Commiphora Myrra tree. Myrrh is a pleasant smelling substance used as a perfume as well as to embalm the bodies of kings and the wealthy. Myrrh was used between the lovers of the Song of Solomon. But its most common use was to mask the smell of a decomposing body—to withhold the repugnant smell of death. The Commiphora Myrra tree did not grow in Palestine. These trees only grow in modern day Yemen, Somalia, and East Ethopia. This was also a rare and costly commodity. The only people that could afford to have Myrrh were the wealthy and the morticians—the embalmers—of privileged families. And I wonder…old Nicodemus brought 75 lbs of Myrrh mixed with Aloe to anoint the body of Jesus—a kingly burial in a newly hewn tomb right next to the place He was crucified. Did this gift foreshadow the death of Jesus—and the death of death? Did its sweet smell in the nostrils of Mary and Joseph speak of the sweet death of their Son who would be crucified for our sins—who would conquer death—and give us the victory over our graves—a sweet perfume and pleasant smell of His death and life that masks our mortality?
Gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Three royal, priestly, costly, and rare gifts—gifts that had to be imported into the land of Israel. These foreigners brought their best from a long distance to worship an infant Child—He who is the royal, priestly, costly, and rare Gift—a Gift that had to be imported from the right hand of the Father from heaven—a Gift that could not be found anywhere on earth or among the daughters and sons of Adam and Eve—a Gift that delivers us a royal adoption—streets paved in gold—an eternal, heavenly home that will never lose its luster—a Gift that delivers us a covering for our sin—clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ that fumigates the stench of our sin—a Gift that delivers us from the decay of death—that holds back the penalty and consequence of sin—which presses us down in the grave—the sweet smell and aroma of His death and resurrection—that gives us the victory over the grave—the Gift of the Christ Child—eternal Son of God born King—the Gift that will keep on giving, in this life—even to all eternity.
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