Why did the wise men bring Jesus gold, frankincense, and myrrh?
Jesus is a gift that God gives to us and the magi come to also give gifts to him. As we've heard many times, the wise men brought Jesus gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But why those three things? Gold is for kings. This is lavish wealth, given to the baby Jesus, shows that Jesus is our King. Frankincense, which is incense used by the priests in the temple, shows that Jesus is our priest. Myrrh is an embalming fluid for the dead, foreshadowing Jesus' death on the cross as a sacrifice. These gifts show that Jesus is King, priest, and sacrifice.
This clip is excerpted from the sermon "Giving Your Gift to Jesus," part 3 of our sermon series He Made Us Family: God's Work, Our Witness 2012. It was preached by Pastor Mark Driscoll out of Matthew 2:1--12 at Mars Hill Downtown Bellevue and released on December 16.
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