A Lot to Put in a Little Cradle

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And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshipped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Matthew 2:11)

We love the traditional stories about the birth of Jesus, but some of those traditional stories are not biblically accurate. Some of these inaccurate traditions have to do with the wise men from the East.

The Bible never says they numbered three, but we sing the carol “We Three Kings of Orient Are,” and many people assume there were three. The Bible never says they were kings, but that they were an order of Persian wise men – “magi.” Perhaps most importantly, the Bible does not tell us they came on the night Jesus was born, but later – probably when Jesus was in His first year. Seeing the star, the wise men began to plan their journey on the night Jesus was born, and it took them several months to arrive.

We do know this from the Biblical record: they brought at least three appropriate gifts for the Child, gifts also fitting for the Man He would grow up to be.

Gold was a fitting gift for a king. In ancient Persia, whenever one appeared before the king, they had to have a gift of gold. These Persian wise men honored a child as a king. Strange, isn’t it? Children aren’t born kings; they are born princes and later become kings. But this Child was different – He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords and will reign from the throne of David, forever and ever.

Frankincense was a fitting gift for a priest. Frankincense is a glittering, fragrant resin that comes from trees. It was used as incense by the priests of Israel and as incense, it is a picture of prayer and intercession in the Bible. This was an appropriate gift for Jesus, our High Priest, and intercessor before God! In Scripture, a priest represents who God is to the people and represents the people before God. Jesus did both perfectly. The Bible says He ever lives to pray for His people.

Myrrh was a fitting gift for someone who would die. Myrrh is a fragrant spice used primarily in embalming. This was an appropriate gift for Jesus, who came to die. Even now, the pale shadow of the cross cast its dark image over the cradle of Jesus; here was a Man born to live, to show us God, to heal, and to teach. But more than anything, He was born to die. On the cross, He bore the judgment we deserved and stood in place for all who would receive Him.

That is a lot for God to put in a cradle – but God did it! We are invited to receive Jesus Christ as our King, our High Priest, and the One who paid the price for the sin we deserve to pay.

Click here for David’s commentary on Matthew 2