Look at these lyrics from Paul Baloche’s Offering. Listen to it if you want to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYvn4fnWH6w
Over the skies of Bethlehem appeared a star
While angels sang to lowly shepherds
Three wise men seeking truth traveled from afar
Hoping to find the child from heaven
Falling on their knees
They bowed before the humble Prince of Peace
I bring an offering of worship to my King
I bring an offering
Of worship to my King
No one on earth deserves
The praises that I sing
Jesus may you receive
The honor that You’re due
O Lord, I bring an offering to you
I bring an offering to you
The sun cannot compare
The glory of Your love
There is no shadow in Your presence
No mortal man would dare
To stand before Your throne
Before the Holy One of heaven
It’s only by your blood
And its only through your mercy
Lord, I come
And another song, from Point of Grace, called One King: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e013hM0BRuA
Kings of earth on a course unknown
Bearing gifts from afar
Hoping praying
Following yonder star
Silhouette of a caravan
Painted against the sky
Wise men searching
For the holy child
One king held the frankincense
One king held the myrrh
One king held the purest gold
One king held the hope of the world
A star hangs over bethlehem
A journey ends in the night
Three kings trembling
Behold the glorious sight
Heaven’s treasure emmanuel
Drawing men to bow down
Tiny baby born to wear a crown
One king held the frankincense
One king held the myrrh
One king held the purest gold
One king held the hope of the world
We read in Matthew chapter 2 about the visit of the Magi to Mary, Jesus and Joseph. Although this probably occurred nearly two years after his birth, we still celebrate it at this time of year. Often we forget that they played an important role in the prophecy of what was to come in Jesus’ life. The gifts that were offered to Jesus were symbolic – frankincense, myrrh and gold. Some of these gifts make sense – Jesus is a king, and gold is fitting for such royalty.
Let me diverge for a moment and tell you a little about the other two gifts from a botanical and scientific point of view. Myrrh is a natural gum from the Commiphora tree. When it is harvested from the tree, the tree is wounded repeatedly to let the gum bleed out. It is used today for medicinal uses, including to help lower blood sugar of diabetics in an herbal therapy used in Kuwait. In Jesus’ day, it was typically used for embalming. Frankincense is a resin obtained from the Boswelia trees. It can be tapped from trees, and the resulting hardened resin is referred to as tears. One species of Boswelia tree is unique in that it can grow in harsh environments, even growing straight out of solid rock. From all that I can find, frankincense is used as an incense both in temples and in burnt offerings during Jesus’ life.
What I find interesting about these two resins is that they both have qualities that remind me of times in Jesus’ life. It is well known that myrrh foreshadows Jesus’ death, but the way that myrrh is harvested is also very interesting. “wounded repeatedly to let the gum bleed out” – reminds me of Jesus on the cross, but also of what I do every day, and what you do too. It wasn’t just the Jews’ sins that put Jesus on the cross. It was yours, and mine too. Every day I wound Christ repeatedly, with my careless words, my wrong thoughts, my judgements of others. It was my sin that nailed him to that cross, and my continued sins that wound him. The uniqueness of the Boswelia tree growing out of rocks is reminiscent of Jesus’ life. Even in the hardest environments, he shone, and God’s will was done. And isn’t it interesting that the frankincense resin is known as tears? Those that have been shed in the past, and those that will still be shed to be wiped away be none other than our Savior some day?
And yet, all these things being equal, they may be just coincidences. But what really gets me about this part of the story and the songs I shared at the beginning, is the word offering. What are you bringing as an offering to God this day? It’s probably not gold, frankincense or myrrh. It’s probably not even anything you can touch. What are you bringing to God that he can use? Isn’t that how we talk about gifts, too? We want to give someone something under the Christmas tree that they can use, something that they won’t just throw in a box and forget about. So what are you giving God today, not just on Christmas? What offering are you bringing to him who has given you life, salvation, and purpose.