-December 24, 2023-
Good morning beloved, Happy Lord’s Day, happy Christmas Eve,
“And when they had come into the house they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, myrrh.”
(Matthew 2:11).
The story of the Wisemen or Magi is beautiful and touching. We know very little about these men other than they came from the East in search of the newborn King. They were likely learned, intelligent, wealthy men of renown, students of science, and astronomy.
They followed a special star and ended up in Jerusalem. Everything about them, their journey, their gifts, and most of all their worship of Jesus was very special. When they were told the Child would be in Bethlehem, off they went to see Him. The same star led them to Jesus. “They rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. “
As soon as they saw Jesus they fell down and worshiped Him. They must have been overwhelmed with awe. They opened their treasures and presented gifts to Christ our Savior. There were three special gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Many have surmised that there were three wisemen, though we don’t their exact number.
Gold symbolizes Christ’s deity – He was perfect God. John wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). He was perfect, sinless, blameless, holy, and undefiled.
Frankincense symbolizes Christ’s humanity. Not only was He perfect God but He was also perfect man. He was full of love, compassion, mercy, and kindness. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
Myrrh symbolizes Christ’s sufferings. Isaiah called Him the Man of Sorrows who was acquainted with grief. He suffered spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally on the cross bearing our sins. Hebrews 2:10 tells us, “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”
These wisemen brought their best gifts as ordained by God and presented them to Jesus. What gifts can we bring to our Savior today? We can give Him our hearts, our lives, our worship, our praise, and our thanksgiving. He deserves it all! The hymn writer Issac Watts appropriately wrote, “Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were an offering far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, demands my my heart, my my life, my all.”
Have a blessed and wonderful Christmas Eve seeking Jesus in the midst of the crowds, festivities, and events. He is what Christmas is all about; He is the reason for the season. Stay safe and healthy.
Proclaiming His worth in His glorious birth,
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 