The First Christmas Presents

I’m glad to say that the good people of Holy Trinity, Eastbourne seem quite happy with a bit of interpretative maximalism. No grammatical-historical reductionistic obsessions for us!

I spoke at the all age service yesterday on the significance of the “wise men”’s gift. Mrs Lloyd tells me that I inadvertently said there were 3 wise men, for which, of course, I apologise, since the Word of God doesn’t say so. I was trying hard not to call these philosopher / astrologer "magi" types kings too.

I suggested that gold implied that Jesus is a king (vv2, 6 and the star as a sign of a ruler in the Bible), frankincense (incense used in Old Testament temple worship) that Jesus is a priest and that myrrh points forward to his death. My points were further expounded in ‘We Three Kings of Orient Are’.

Born a King on Bethlehem's plain
Gold I bring to crown Him again
King forever, ceasing never
Over us all to rein

Frankincense to offer have I
Incense owns a Deity nigh
Pray'r and praising, all men raising
Worship Him, God most high

Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume
Breathes of life of gathering gloom
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying
Sealed in the stone-cold tomb

I must admit that I’m not entirely sure that all those ideas were in Matthew’s mind and I fear there may have been a bit of “right doctrine, wrong text”. The gifts may just be choice Eastern products fit for a king, but I had published my title and we’d paid to download images of gold, incense and myrrh from iStockPhoto, and it seemed to make such a neat talk and....

Calvin is dismissive of the idea that each of the gifts has a special significance:

Their presents show whence they came: for there can be no doubt that they brought them as the choicest productions of their country…. Almost all the commentators indulge in speculation about those gifts, as denoting the kingdom, priesthood and burial of Christ…. I see no solid ground for such an opinion. It was customary, we know, among the Persians, when they offered homage to their kings, to bring a present (p137) in their hands. The Magi select those three for the produce of which Eastern countries are celebrated….” (Harmony of Matthew, Mark and Luke, pp137-138)

Nevertheless, the Magi no doubt would have thought long and hard about what to give Jesus and Matthew does bother to tell us what the gifts were. And anyway, given God’s sovereignty and the inspiration of Scripture, we need not limit our interpretation to the intentions of the human actors or authors.

Myrrh is mentioned in connection with the crucifixion (Mk. 15:23) and burial of Christ (Jn. 19:39) but it is also associated with kings (Ps. 45:8, where incense is also mentioned; Song 3:6, where King Solomon is in view) and France (Tyndale NT Comm.) says that in the Old Testament it is a symbol of joy and festivity (Pr. 7:17; Song 5:5).

Isaiah 60:6 prophecies that “all from Sheba will come bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the LORD” and it is interesting to note that in 1 Kings 10:1-13 the Queen of Sheba gives gifts of gold and spices to Solomon the Davidic King.