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Wise Men Give Gifts To God
Brian Mashburn
December 11, 2011
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How Do We Give Gifts To Jesus?
"On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and... they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh." - Mt 2:11
I've heard some neat thoughts about the gifts given to Jesus by the wise men. Gold denotes Jesus as a King, frankincense marks him as a Priest, and myrrh (used in burial rites) points to him as a Sacrifice.
But today I want to explore with you why these men brought gifts at all. Why would a group that is looking for God think they had anything at all to offer God? Would they not come as needy subjects?
And one other question: How do we go about giving gifts to Jesus today?
When I look at the teachings of both Jesus, the most frequent activity he exalts is the giving of material blessings to the poor (Mt 6:2-3; 19:21; Lk 12:33), and he even says overtly that "whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." (Mt 25:40)
For Christmas this year, consider bringing material gifts to Jesus by giving them to the poor. If you need a trustworthy idea, feed the poor children in Africa or educate the poor students in the Philippines. These are the perfect gifts to give both to Jesus, and to your family and friends who have everything.