Three Gifts
Bible passage: Matthew 2:9-11
“9. After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh."
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Merry Christmas!
Today is a truly merry and happy Christmas.
Christmas is the day when Jesus was born on this earth as the Savior for all mankind, and the day we celebrate His birth. About 2,000 years ago, baby Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the land of Judah, and suddenly, the heavenly army and angels appeared and sang praises. Luke 2:14 says, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
At the same time, an angel appeared to the shepherds in the nearby area and told them that the Savior had been born in Bethlehem, the city of David. Then they came to Jesus and when they saw the baby Jesus lying in the manger, they gave glory to God and told everyone in that place the news of great joy that the angel had delivered. There were also people who followed the star from far away to celebrate the birth of Jesus. They are the Magi from the east in today’s scripture. Matthew 2:1-2 says, “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?
For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” Although they were not the chosen people of Israel, they believed in and waited for the Messiah who would save all mankind, following a good conscience and receiving God’s revelation. The Magi followed the star that led them to the place where the Messiah was born and finally reached Jerusalem.
And they said they had come for the One who was born as the King of Judea. Hearing this, King Herod called the chief priests and scholars and asked where Christ would be born. It’s because it had already been prophesied through the prophets. Scholars found the prophet’s prophecy and said that He would be born in Bethlehem. King Herod told the Magi from the east this and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child, and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” King Herod didn’t really want to worship the baby Jesus, but he wanted to kill Him as He was born as the King of the Jews.
He deceived the Magi with evil scheme. Then, the Magi headed to Bethlehem. At this time, the star that was guiding them from the east appeared again and stopped at the place where the baby Jesus was born. It says in Matthew 2:11, “After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” God chose the Magi from the east who were good and righteous on behalf of all mankind to worship the birth of Jesus, who came as the Savior. Also, God let everyone know that the Magi from the east offered gold, frankincense, and myrrh as true offerings to celebrate the birth of Jesus. And these gifts have an important meaning. It is telling us what is the most precious gift we can give to Jesus. I hope that through today’s message, all of you can realize the spiritual meaning of the three gifts and give the true gift to the Lord.
1. The first gift is gold. Gold is one of the most favorite jewelries of people on this earth, and it symbolizes wealth and riches.
Then, is the gift we will give to the Lord wealth, honor, and authority? It’s not so. As Matthew 6:21 says, “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”, it signifies our heart. Therefore, to present a gift of gold means to offer our heart. It is to offer all that we have to the Lord. When you offer more than what you can give, that is, when you can give even your life, it can be the true gift. I am reminded of the work “The Gift of the Magi” by the American novelist O. Henry. In a certain city, there lived a poor but loving couple, Jim and Della. As Christmas approached, both became worried. They wanted to give each other gifts but were too poor to afford anything. However, Jim decided to buy a hairpin for his wife's long hair and resolved to sell the watch he owned.
Meanwhile, Della decided to gift her husband a watch chain and sold her long hair to afford it. The two went to the market to purchase their gifts. They returned home at almost the same time, eager to bring joy to one another. Jim held out the hairpin to adorn Della’s hair, only to discover her hair had already been cut short. Similarly, Della presented the watch chain, only to find that Jim no longer had the watch. Though their gifts became useless, they soon embraced each other and shed tears of happiness. Love melts the coldest of hearts. Let us pray that this Christmas becomes one where everyone abundantly shares Christ’s love.
Our Lord suffered severe suffering because of our sins, and eventually died on the cross. And He gave us true life. Therefore, it’s natural for us to love the Lord. Because we love the Lord, we should be able to give everything precious to us for the Lord. In the Bible, there is a person who gave everything she had. Luke 21:1-4 says, [1] And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. [2] And He saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins. [3] And He said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; [4] for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on.” The poor widow put two copper coins, her entire living expenses, into the treasury. ‘Copper coin’ was the smallest coin in Greece at the time of Jesus, and in today’s terms, two copper coins are equal to several dollars.
But when Jesus saw the widow giving two copper coins, He praised her, saying, “She put in more than all of the others.” At that time, it was difficult for a woman to lead an economic life, so it was much more difficult than now for a woman to live alone. Therefore, her two copper coins were more precious and valuable than a rich man’s large amount of money, and so spiritually, it was ‘gold’ given to the Lord. The Lord praised the widow who gave everything she had. The same goes for the widow of Zarephath, who gave the last food for her family to God’s servant Elijah.
The whole country suffered from a prolonged drought, and the widow of Zarephath had only a handful of flour and a little oil to eat. This last remaining food was the family’s lifeline. However, this last precious food, like a lifeline, was given to Elijah, the servant of God with power, and God blessed her so that the flour would not run out and the jar of oil would not become empty. In this way, giving everything you have, even something like a lifeline, to the Lord, and serving the Lord first even you cannot do so, is to offer gold as a gift in God’s eyes. In contrast, in Acts Chapter 5, Ananias and Sapphira withheld half of the money from the sale of their land, deceived God’s servant Peter, and offered only the remainder, which led to their death. In terms of monetary value, the amount they gave was far greater than that of the poor widow or the widow of Zarephath, but spiritually, it was not a precious offering. It was like worthless trash, as it lacked any heart of devotion. They ended up living a worthless life.
Are you giving your heart to the Lord? May you offer your heart to the Lord and live a life that shines like gold, not one that is like worthless trash. You want to give your whole heart, but because you are full of worries of the world and desires for wealth and honor in your heart, aren’t you saying you don’t have heart to give the Lord? If your heart is filled with love for the world and for yourself, you will have no heart to give to the Lord. When you fill your heart with the truth and hope for heaven, you can say that you gave your heart to the Lord. On Christmas Day, celebrating the birth of the Lord, I hope you empty the heart filled with the love for the world and the flesh, and fill it with the Lord fully.
2. Second, what does frankincense mean spiritually?
Frankincense smells fragrant and removes the bad smells. Spiritually, frankincense symbolizes the fragrance of Christ. If we diligently evangelize, visit members, serve and be faithful, will the fragrance of Christ be given off? Fragrance of Christ comes out from the changed heart and the heart of truth. So, when you cast away every form of evil and fill your heart with the truth and resemble the Lord, the fragrance of Christ is given off. When you cast off every form of evil and act good with the heart changed by the truth, the fragrance of Christ is given off, and it is to offer the frankincense to the Lord.
In this way, those who circumcise the heart are prosperous in all things and receive blessings in spirit and body, as 3 John 1:2 says, “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.” Those who gave gold to the Lord, as explained earlier, in other words, those who gave everything they had to the Lord, will be blessed as they have sown. However, those who offer gold along with frankincense, that is, those who circumcise their hearts and give off the fragrance of Christ, are blessed more abundantly.
Even if you look at a beautiful flower and admire it, saying, “How beautiful!”, if the flower does not have a scent, something is lacking and you will not feel complete satisfaction. How much happier would your heart be if the flowers had a fresh and sweet scent in the beautiful shapes? In the same way, we should remember that God, who sees even the heart of man, not only looks at our deeds, but also smells the fragrance of our hearts. However, is anyone saying, “I’m circumcising my heart, but I’m not serving for the church because I don’t have time or conditions to do it”? This is not right, either.
If you truly discover and cast away every form of evil in heart, your love for the Lord deepens and grows. So, you will have no choice but to serve diligently, thinking, “What can I do for the Lord? How can I repay the Lord’s blood?” Would such a person spare his things and hesitate to give them for the Lord? No he or she can’t. Those who offer a gift of frankincense to the Lord by circumcising heart and giving off the fragrance of Christ give their everything to the Lord. They don’t spare even their life. I hope that all of you may become the comfort and joy to the Lord by circumcising heart and giving off the beautiful fragrance of Christ in this world full of sin.
3. The last and third gift is myrrh. Myrrh acts as preservative to prevent decay.
Therefore, presenting a gift of myrrh means offering the unchanging heart of giving even one’s life to the Lord, with the heart that does not decay. Once you wanted to give your all after meeting the Lord, you should remain the same throughout your life and forever. As time goes by, such a heart should become deeper and more earnest. Even in the world, if a close friend or loved one changes because of something or over time, would you want to receive that kind of love? Would you like to be a friend with such a person?
Our Lord has given us unchanging noble love. And He wants us to look to the Lord with an unchanging heart. It is how to reach the beautiful heaven. But how many believers lose their first love? God knows well the heart of people that changes likes this, so He put this lesson in the gift of Jesus’ birth. The apostle Paul is a representative person who gave myrrh as a gift to the Lord. A young man Saul, who persecuted the Lord, met the Lord who came as light. And he changed abruptly to live only for the Lord. He gave up everything he had and devoted his body, mind, time, and youth to preach that the Lord is the Savior. Philippians 3:5-6 says, “circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.” Philippians 3:7-9 says, [7] But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
[8] More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, [9] and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, However, what came back to this Apostle Paul was persecution and bullying. It says in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28, [23] Are they servants of Christ? - I speak as if insane - I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. [24] Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. [25] Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. [26] I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; [27] I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. [28] Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.”
Apostle Paul’s love and passion for the Lord did not change in his heart even when he faced unbearable persecutions and hardships. Thinking of the Lord who died for him, the worst sinner, he did not waver at all with the mindset that he would give his life. And eventually he suffered martyrdom. This is to offer a gift of myrrh, the unchanging heart. We should also be able to offer this kind of a beautiful heart. However, in order to achieve an unchanging heart, we have to discover and cast off every form of evil in our hearts. Because you have evil and love for the world, you forsake the grace you have received and you cannot keep your promises. If the form of evil still remains in you, and if you still have ill feelings and changing mind, you cannot be said to be perfect to offer myrrh as a gift.
Therefore, when you cast away all untruths and fill your heart with the truth through the circumcision of your heart, you can be the best gift to offer yourself completely to the Lord with an unchanging heart.
Conclusion
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Today, with a gratitude for the Lord’s grace, I talked to you about the true gift we should give to the Lord. I explained about ‘gold’ - to give our all, ‘frankincense’ - to give off the fragrance of Christ by the circumcision of heart and good deeds, and ‘myrrh’ - to give even our life with an unchanging heart. Rather than placing a small offering in an envelope to give to the Lord, when we offer ourselves to Him, just as the Lord gave His life on the cross to save us, this becomes the most precious gift we can give to Him on Christmas. David Livingstone, a 19th-century Scotsman who was a doctor before becoming a missionary to Africa, is a representative example of someone who gave himself as a Christmas gift to the Lord. There is a well-known story about him. When he was young, he attended a church revival and received great grace.
During the offering time, however, he had no money to give. After the service, he went to the place where offerings were collected, placed the empty offering tray on the floor, and stepped into it. The pastor, surprised, asked, "Livingstone, what are you doing right now?" Livingstone replied, "Pastor, I have nothing to give to the Lord, so I am offering my heart and body by standing in this tray." Later, he became a missionary to Africa, dedicating his life to evangelism and saving countless souls until the day he died. He was the first to journey across the African continent, enduring hardships such as tropical diseases, threats from wild animals, and the loneliness of being separated from his wife. Despite these challenges, Livingstone left behind a famous remark during a lecture to students at Cambridge University. "People think I have made sacrifices, but considering the grace God has given me, this is not a sacrifice; it is a privilege. When I think of the bright hope of heavenly rewards and the peace in my heart, how could this be called a sacrifice? It is a privilege." If you haven’t prepared the perfect gift yet, please prepare it diligently from now on.
And I hope you make a decision to give the true gift of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the Lord. In a city of a certain country, there was a church with a bell tower. The bell was there, but it had no rope to ring it. According to tradition, the bell would ring by itself on Christmas Day when the most precious gift was offered to baby Jesus. The king, nobles, and wealthy people of that country brought what they considered valuable gifts, hoping to hear the bell's chime. Yet, the bell remained silent. The following Christmas, many attended the Christmas celebration service. Some offered jewels, others gold coins, and some brought family treasures.
The king even presented his crown. But still, the bell tower was silent. People began to doubt the legend of the bell. However, just as the service was about to end, the long-silent bell gently began to chime. The reason for the bell's ringing was an elderly believer who, though unable to give a Christmas offering due to her lack of money, had brought several neighbors to the service. These were people who were perishing without knowing why Jesus had come to this earth. What gift have you prepared for Christmas?
Have you prepared a precious gift that could ring the bell in the tower? May you reflect on the spiritual meaning of the "gold," "frankincense," and "myrrh" offered by the Magi, fully achieve the circumcision of your heart, produce the fragrance of Christ through good deeds, and become someone who can give even your life with unwavering devotion. May you, in doing so, ring the bell of salvation throughout the world. - END -
