Joy to the World - Pt 12

After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. (Matthew 2:9-12 ESV).

Luke writes, “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:25). The gifts of the magi were not given by way of assistance or to meet some need of the Christ-child. After all, what can anyone possibly give to One who doesn’t need anything simply because he either owns or creates all! It would dishonor a monarch if foreign visitors came with royal care-packages. Neither were these gifts meant to be bribes of some sort. God cannot be coerced or bribed (cf. Deuteronomy 10:17). So, we simply come to this description with a legitimate curiosity of what they intended in bringing these specific gifts? How is it that these are their method of worship? The gifts are intensifiers of desire for Christ himself in much the same way that fasting is. When you give a gift to Christ like this, it’s a way of saying, “The joy that I pursue (v. 10) is not the hope of getting rich with things from you. I have not come to you for your things, but for yourself. And this desire I now intensify and demonstrate by giving up things, in the hope of enjoying you more, not things. By giving to you what you do not need, and what I might enjoy, I am saying more earnestly and more authentically, ‘You are my treasure, not these things.’” I think that’s what it means to worship God with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. I hope God will take the truth of this text and encourage us to have a desire for Christ himself. I know how busy and complex Christmas can become. Take a moment or two each day and reflect on who Jesus really is to you. Use the words and concepts you imagine when you think of Jesus as a basis for your daily meditation. All of us have “window time” (that time when we simply don’t need to be doing anything specific other than gazing out the window). Don’t waste it. Use it to meditate. You will see God revela himself in some of the most incredible ways!