The Music of Christmas, Day 20

 Rejoice and Sing

Read Matthew 2:9-12
And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, 

and they fell down and worshiped him.

One year, in an effort to fight the excess of Christmas in America, we decided to limit our children to get three gifts each. Jesus, as far as we know, received only three gifts from the wise men. So, if three was good enough for Him, it was good enough for the Webber kids. This was, in my humble opinion, a brilliant parenting moment. We even had biblical justification for our choice. While we were pleased with the decision, our kids and their grandparents were not.

But we failed to consider the quality and value of those three gifts. Gold was obviously valuable then as it is today, but what about the frankincense and myrrh? Both had a variety of uses in the ancient world—everything from incense and perfume to making sealant for a leaky boat. Myrrh was also used as an embalming fluid. Not exactly the kind of gift you’d expect from a baby shower. 

The pharaoh Hatshepsut, one of the world’s first female heads of state, first brought the myrrh tree to Egypt, centuries before Jesus’ birth, and had cornered the market on this valuable commodity. Frankincense and myrrh traded in the ancient middle east much the way oil does today. And in a world without common currency, travelling with valuable commodities like what the wise men possessed ensured that you could buy and trade with a variety of people, anywhere, anytime. 

While Matthew is specific about the three gifts, he does not specify the number of magi who brought them. With all due respect to the beloved Christmas carol “We Three Kings” there could have been any number of travelers in that caravan to Bethlehem. Rather than focusing on the specifics of the givers, Matthew chose to focus on the gifts laid before the infant king. He may have done this for a few reasons, but one was to emphasize how far these men traveled to worship the King. These truth seekers gave Jesus their most valuable resources. The very assets needed to make the trip were what they left at His feet. It is possible they set out intending to give these as gifts, but it’s also possible they were so overwhelmed by the Son of God that they simply gave the most valuable thing they had – their traveling money. 

Authentic worship and overwhelming joy will do that. A full heart overflows in acts of unexpected and extravagant generosity. Consider the father throwing a lavish party for his prodigal son (Luke 15), or the woman who pours out her life’s savings in the form of oil on Jesus’ feet (John 12), or the widow throwing her last two pennies into the offering plate (Luke 21). These. and many others, demonstrate what can happen when a sincere worshipper finds himself or herself face to face with Jesus. 

These extravagant gifts would also serve a practical purpose. The wise men did not know at the time that, by making this sacrificial offering, they were also underwriting the holy family’s escape to Egypt, the ancient world’s center for trade and commerce, where frankincense and myrrh were the favored commodities. Too often, we underestimate the meaning and expense behind the wise men’s gifts on that first Christmas. Oh, and our feeble attempt to scale down Christmas in our home also failed to recognize the extravagant worth of our Savior. So, a few extra gifts may be under the tree this year.

 

 

Precious Jesus,

 

You are worthy of my very best offering. 

If I were a shepherd, I would surely have brought a lamb.

If I had been a wise man, I would have left my treasure at Your feet. 

Yet, You need none of these gifts. You, in fact, are the Gift and the Giver.

I lay my whole life on the altar before You as a living sacrifice. 

May it be holy and pleasing to You.
Amen.

The Music of Christmas is available in print or digital formats.