Ok, I'm back! Before I begin my observations of Matthew 2 I'd like to begin with an apology for the length of my first post. It was a bit longer than I planned, but I just couldn't stop writing! Forgive me? Whew! Thanks! Alright, now I can move on! :) Anyway, back to serious business. As I look at chapter 2 in Matthew, I see many subjects I could touch on. There's Herod's attitude and resulting actions, there's the wise men, the gifts of the wise men, and the flight to Egypt. Hmmm... lots of choices... Alright, I'll take... the gifts of the wise men for 100 please Alex. Now there are 23 verses with over 600 words in Matthew 2 (I would know, I checked by copy-paste to Word and used Word Count. Cheating, yes, but it's too late to count on my own!) You might wonder why, out of 600 words, I chose three tiny seemingly unimportant words smack dab in the center of the chapter. It's ok, I wondered the same thing too when I first considered. Why did I choose three small words? Don't forget, two of the three are not used frequently today in America, unless you are telling the Biblical account of the Christmas story. But then I realized how much three little words can tell you. Three words: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These three words tell pretty much the entire story of Jesus Christ. Wait, what? You can know 30-some years of a man's life from three words? It seems a stretch, but with these words and this baby it doesn't seem impossible after all. So there's three gifts given to baby Jesus, and two ways to see the importance of these gifts. Let's dive in! :)
Number 1: the physical meaning
As most people know today, gold has some value attached to it. It's a precious metal, just as it was during Bible times. Gold was precious, valuable, had monetary worth attached to it. Frankincense and myrrh were common in Bible times as well, used in the temple and in preservation after death. The monetary value placed on these gifts would provide Mary and Joseph with money as they traveled to Egypt to flee the wrath of Herod. God's perfect timing of providing the needs of His children at work once again (something I have learned quite well in the recent months...but that's a side note for another day).
Number 2: the 'historical' or 'deeper' meaning
1. Gold-precious metal, usually signified a king or royalty, a physical and tangible display of riches and power
-Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords
2. Frankincense-used in the temple, mostly in worship; some call it the "Yankee Candle of the day" and think that it possibly helped the smell out in the stable
-Jesus IS God and is to be worshipped
3. Myrrh-used in burial preparation, usually known as a preserving method of embalming; bitter smell
-When Jesus died on the cross and was buried, his body was embalmed with spices and linens like the Jewish culture used. Another connection some see is just as myrrh has a bitter taste, the wine that the soldiers gave Jesus while he was on the cross was bitter.
Now I say you can see the whole story of Christ in these mere three words. Do you see it now? Jesus Christ, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, is God and is to be worshipped. When He was crucified, his body was wrapped with myrrh and other spices. But He didn't 'stay dead'; He rose again on the third day and is now seated at the right hand of the Father, ruling and reigning! I've seen this story in these three words in a Christmas song: "We Three Kings of Orient Are" (quick side note: anyone think the first line sounds like something Yoda from Star Wars would say? "Resemblance in speech there is." Ok, I'm done with my tangent). The second, third, and fourth verses of the song describe a bit of the three gifts brought by the wise men and shows how each gift was resembled in the life of Christ. A bit of Christmas in July for ya! :) I find it amazing how God can use some tiny little things like letters and rearrange them into short words that, in the right context, can be a picture of the life of His Son! Isn't that so cool? If He can use some little letters in the alphabet, how will He use you in His ultimate purpose? Just something to think about until I post again! :) See you next time!
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