Advent: The Road to Christmas
“When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly. On coming to the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”
Matthew 2:10-11 NIV
King, God, and Savior
In Matthew 2:11, the Magi present Jesus with three famous gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Did you know that these gifts had special significance in the Old Testament and reflect the One they came to worship?
Gold represents royalty in Psalm 72:15, and the gift of gold affirmed Jesus as the King of kings. Frankincense is associated with the worship of God in Exodus 30:34, and the gift of frankincense acknowledges that Jesus is God. In Exodus 30:22-25, myrrh was used to anoint people for special purposes. The first time Jesus received myrrh was as a gift at His birth. The last times Jesus was given myrrh were on the cross and during His burial. This gift points to the special purpose of Jesus' life: He would die on the cross to save us from our sins and would be raised alive, victorious over death.
The verse in Matthew 2 mentions that when the Magi saw Jesus, they bowed down and worshiped Him. We worship Jesus as our King because He has "all authority in heaven and on earth" (Matthew 28:18). We worship Jesus as our God because “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:3). And we worship Jesus as our Savior “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Ask the Lord to use this Advent season to draw you closer to Jesus through worship, just as the star brought the Magi to worship Him.
Prayer: Father, I thank You for leading me to You. Just as You brought the Magi to Jesus, please draw me closer to Jesus than I have ever been before. Jesus, I worship You as my King, my God, and my Savior! Holy Spirit, help me to lead others who are far from You to draw near to and worship Jesus.
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