"And they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshiped Him; and opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh."
Recently I acquired a small jar of frankincense and myrrh. Just holding it in my hand gave me a strange and excited feeling that I was holding something extraordinary and ancient. The color of the goopy mixture is brown. The fragrance is sweet. Its texture is oily. As you can imagine having such a special mixture of ancient herbs in my possession made me want to revisit the account in the Gospel of Matthew of the Magi and their visit to the new King of the Jews.
In Matthew 2:1-12 I read that the Magi came from the east. Some Biblical scholars believe they came from Persia (Iran), some from Babylonia, and some from Yemen. I tend to think they came from China. After all China held the oldest knowledge of herbs. The Chinese have been healing with herbs for thousands of years. However, it doesn’t really matter where they came from. They were astrologers, evidently, and they had seen a bright star which they knew from their studies meant there was a new king born in Israel. And they wanted to worship him.
Unlike what we learned in Sunday School when we were children it seems that the star or bright planet did not shine on them the whole trip and lead them to the manger. That is a myth and stuff of Christmas carols. From the reading in Matthew it seems evident that the Magi saw the star while they were still in the east. It was their motivation to make the trip. Then they did not see the star again until they left Jerusalem and headed to Bethlehem. "...they went on their way; and lo, the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them..." (verse 9) "...when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy" (verse 10).
I have often wondered why they went to Jerusalem first. It doesn’t make sense that they would go see Herod. Unless they believed that the new king of the Jews would be the son of the present king of the Jews, Herod. It seems to me the only explanation. They arrived in the capital city of the Jews, Jerusalem, and went straight to see Herod the king whom they assumed was the father of the new king, the new baby. And they asked Herod, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?" In other words, "Where is your new baby who will inherit your throne?" They had brought Herod and his new baby gifts. Treasurers for the present king and for the future king.
When they saw Herod’s reaction and the uproar they caused in the city, they must have been upset. Maybe they had misread the stars where the king was born. Maybe they had misjudged who the king would be. When Herod told them to leave, they were probably happy to get out of town. They headed towards Bethlehem. But before they got there, the star made its appearance again, and they were overjoyed. It was the same star or bright planet they had seen at home before they left on their trip. It had been two years since they saw the star. It confirmed they had been right in their calculations. Maybe it had been two years since they started on the trip. We don’t know. But by that time the baby king was no longer in a manger in a stable He was living in a house. But the star knew the way. The Creator of the star was leading them to His Son. They, unknowingly, were being used by the Most High God to provide for His Son.
When they found the Mother and Child, they were exceedingly happy. They fell down and worshiped Him. Their trip had been successful. They had found the treasure they were seeking. But their destiny and their purpose was not finished. They still had treasures in their caravan that they had brought for the present king and for the baby. And they had two gifts for the baby. Since Herod turned out not to be the father of the new king then the baby’s parents became the recipients of all the treasures they brought for the king. Enough treasure to take care of the Child King for the rest of His life. But what did they bring for the Child Himself? They brought holy and sacramental gifts. They brought gold for prosperity, and they brought frankincense (perfume) and mryhh (anointing oil) for healing. Perhaps they knew about the holy anointing oil that God had given the children of Israel for their tabernacle many years before. The tabernacle or place where God intended to reside. In Exodus 30:22-33 the scripture talks about God’s instructions to Moses about making the holy anointing oil, the perfumed mixture, the frankincense and myrrh with which He wanted everything anointed. He said, "Whatever touches them shall be holy."
These were no ordinary gifts. None of them were. The treasures the Magi brought were set aside for the king of the Jews. They thought that king was Herod, the king. But "the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous." (Proverbs 13:22) And the treasures of king Herod, in this case, were stored up and given to the righteous, Joseph and Mary. God, the Father, was providing through the Magi for His Son for the rest of His life.
After the Magi saw the Child who would become king of the Jews they spent the night or several nights. We don’t know how long. But one of them had a warning dream. The dream told them not to return to Herod as he had requested but that they should return home by another route. They listened to the dream and obeyed what it said. The dream was meant for their safety. They had been used by God, and they were being protected by God from Herod. They had fulfilled their destiny and their purpose. They had delivered prosperity and healing for the Son of God. The two gifts that would sustain Him in His life on earth. And they had delivered treasurers to His parents for the prosperity of the family. The story of the Magi is more than a nice story about wise men from the east. It is a story about God’s provision for His Son and the Holy Family. It also holds promises for us. Today He delivers those same gifts, of prosperity and healing, to us, the children of the King of Kings.
Copyright 2011 Gloria Fisher.
All rights reserved.
In Matthew 2:1-12 I read that the Magi came from the east. Some Biblical scholars believe they came from Persia (Iran), some from Babylonia, and some from Yemen. I tend to think they came from China. After all China held the oldest knowledge of herbs. The Chinese have been healing with herbs for thousands of years. However, it doesn’t really matter where they came from. They were astrologers, evidently, and they had seen a bright star which they knew from their studies meant there was a new king born in Israel. And they wanted to worship him.
Unlike what we learned in Sunday School when we were children it seems that the star or bright planet did not shine on them the whole trip and lead them to the manger. That is a myth and stuff of Christmas carols. From the reading in Matthew it seems evident that the Magi saw the star while they were still in the east. It was their motivation to make the trip. Then they did not see the star again until they left Jerusalem and headed to Bethlehem. "...they went on their way; and lo, the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them..." (verse 9) "...when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy" (verse 10).
I have often wondered why they went to Jerusalem first. It doesn’t make sense that they would go see Herod. Unless they believed that the new king of the Jews would be the son of the present king of the Jews, Herod. It seems to me the only explanation. They arrived in the capital city of the Jews, Jerusalem, and went straight to see Herod the king whom they assumed was the father of the new king, the new baby. And they asked Herod, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?" In other words, "Where is your new baby who will inherit your throne?" They had brought Herod and his new baby gifts. Treasurers for the present king and for the future king.
When they saw Herod’s reaction and the uproar they caused in the city, they must have been upset. Maybe they had misread the stars where the king was born. Maybe they had misjudged who the king would be. When Herod told them to leave, they were probably happy to get out of town. They headed towards Bethlehem. But before they got there, the star made its appearance again, and they were overjoyed. It was the same star or bright planet they had seen at home before they left on their trip. It had been two years since they saw the star. It confirmed they had been right in their calculations. Maybe it had been two years since they started on the trip. We don’t know. But by that time the baby king was no longer in a manger in a stable He was living in a house. But the star knew the way. The Creator of the star was leading them to His Son. They, unknowingly, were being used by the Most High God to provide for His Son.
When they found the Mother and Child, they were exceedingly happy. They fell down and worshiped Him. Their trip had been successful. They had found the treasure they were seeking. But their destiny and their purpose was not finished. They still had treasures in their caravan that they had brought for the present king and for the baby. And they had two gifts for the baby. Since Herod turned out not to be the father of the new king then the baby’s parents became the recipients of all the treasures they brought for the king. Enough treasure to take care of the Child King for the rest of His life. But what did they bring for the Child Himself? They brought holy and sacramental gifts. They brought gold for prosperity, and they brought frankincense (perfume) and mryhh (anointing oil) for healing. Perhaps they knew about the holy anointing oil that God had given the children of Israel for their tabernacle many years before. The tabernacle or place where God intended to reside. In Exodus 30:22-33 the scripture talks about God’s instructions to Moses about making the holy anointing oil, the perfumed mixture, the frankincense and myrrh with which He wanted everything anointed. He said, "Whatever touches them shall be holy."
These were no ordinary gifts. None of them were. The treasures the Magi brought were set aside for the king of the Jews. They thought that king was Herod, the king. But "the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous." (Proverbs 13:22) And the treasures of king Herod, in this case, were stored up and given to the righteous, Joseph and Mary. God, the Father, was providing through the Magi for His Son for the rest of His life.
After the Magi saw the Child who would become king of the Jews they spent the night or several nights. We don’t know how long. But one of them had a warning dream. The dream told them not to return to Herod as he had requested but that they should return home by another route. They listened to the dream and obeyed what it said. The dream was meant for their safety. They had been used by God, and they were being protected by God from Herod. They had fulfilled their destiny and their purpose. They had delivered prosperity and healing for the Son of God. The two gifts that would sustain Him in His life on earth. And they had delivered treasurers to His parents for the prosperity of the family. The story of the Magi is more than a nice story about wise men from the east. It is a story about God’s provision for His Son and the Holy Family. It also holds promises for us. Today He delivers those same gifts, of prosperity and healing, to us, the children of the King of Kings.
Copyright 2011 Gloria Fisher.
All rights reserved.
