Our Text....
Who were the Magi?
Almost all of our "knowledge" about the Magi is simply early church fiction. Most have assumed there were three of them, since the Bible lists three specific gifts, but the Bible never tells the number of the Magi themselves. They are called "Magi" from the Latinized form of the Greek word magoi, transliterated from the Persian, for a select sect of priests. (Our word "magic" comes from the same root.) By the 3rd century they were viewed as kings. By the 6th century they had names: Balthasar, King of Arabia; Melchior, King of Persia; and Casper, King of India. None of this information comes from the Bible.
Church traditions and fictions have also gotten the Magi mixed up with the nativity and the shepherds and the stable in Bethlehem. According to the Bible the shepherds came to the stable, but the Magi came to see the Christ child as much as two years after the birth.
King Herod wanted to know the exact date of the birth of Jesus Christ, and then he took drastic steps to make sure the infant child was assassinated by killing EVERY male child two years of age and less (Matthew 2:16-18).
Mary and Joseph were from Nazareth, but had made a special trip to Bethlehem to register for Roman taxation. After Jesus was born in Bethlehem they may have remained in Bethlehem for several years, and gotten a house. And so when the Magi appear, they find the holy family living in a house (Matthew 2:11).
After the visit of the Magi the holy family fled to Egypt for several years. And when they returned to the holy land, they settled in Nazareth.
What are these gifts?
Everyone knows what gold is. It's a valuable metal. It is seen by much of the world as money. An ounce of gold nowadays (December 2007) will buy you about $800. When I was in high school, you could buy gold for $35 per ounce.
Incense. In some versions of the Bible the word is: frankincense. What is frankincense?
Frankincense, like myrrh, is a dried tree sap, or resin, primarily used to make incense.
Frankincense comes from the deciduous tree Boswellia Thurifera. Somalia, Oman, and Yemen are all known for having trees that produce this high-quality resin. In order to collect the sap, the tree bark is cut, allowing the sap to ooze out of the bark in the places it was cut. The sap dries on the tree and is then collected. This procedure is repeated two or three times a year, and the resulting frankincense is opaque if it is of superior quality. The young trees produce higher-quality resin than the older trees.
In some parts of the world, frankincense is known as olibanum, which comes from the Arabic word for "the milk," al-lubán. This is most likely referring to the milky color of the sap which hardens to make frankincense. In Exodus 30:34 in the Bible, it is referred to as levonah, which can mean "Lebanese" or "white" in Hebrew. In the Western world, the name "frankincense" is a more common term. This name is likely to have been derived from "the incense of the Franks" since it came to Europe via Frankish crusaders.
In the ancient world, frankincense was generally used to make incense. It was used to perfume the homes of the ancient Greeks and Romans. The ancient Egyptians, Assyrians, and Babylonians used frankincense in their religious rituals. It later became a part of Jewish rites, and even later, in the rites of the Catholic Church.
Frankincense has also been used throughout history for medicinal purposes. It was used in the first century as an antidote to hemlock poisoning. In Iran in the tenth century, it was thought to cure vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and tumors. In China it is still used today to treat leprosy, gonorrhea, and other ailments.
Frankincense is mixed with spices, seeds, etc. to create the desired scent, and is still used in incense in the Western world. The frankincense essential oil is used in aromatherapy, as some extol its stress-reducing powers. Perfumes may contain the oil, which evaporates slowly, maintaining its scent. The raw chunks of resin may also be directly set on a heat source, such as hot coals, to have the same incense experience as ancient peoples.
What is myrrh?
According to the Bible, the wise men who visited Jesus shortly after his birth brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. While gold and frankincense are fairly well known to most people who hear the Christmas story, myrrh is another story. Myrrh refers to the resinous dried sap of a number of trees of various Commiphora and Balsamodendron species. The Commiphora myrrha, the most common source of myrrh, grows natively in Somalia and eastern Ethiopia. The word myrrh comes from the Hebrew murr or maror, which means "bitter."
Myrrh was a symbolically appropriate gift for the baby Jesus because it was used in embalming at the time. Therefore, while gold and frankincense symbolize the infant's royalty and divinity, respectively, myrrh makes reference to His future death. Myrrh was extremely valuable in the time of the Roman Empire, when Jesus was born, and it was used as an incense burned during funerals until the 15th century. The Roman Emperor Nero reportedly burned a year's supply of myrrh at the funeral of his wife, Poppea Sabina, in the year 65 CE.
Myrrh has also been used in mixtures of incense and perfumes since ancient times, a practice which continues to the present day. It has an earthy, bitter odor when burned. Quality myrrh can be identified by its dark color and sticky texture, which indicates a large amount of the fragrant oil that produces a scent when burned. Myrrh can also be found in salves for skin irritations, perfumes, toothpaste, and other toiletries.
Another use of myrrh that dates from ancient times is as an additive to wine. The resin is also an ingredient in the Italian spirit Fernet Branca, created in 1845 by Maria Scala as a medicine. The drink is very popular in Argentina and San Francisco, and it is commonly mixed with cola.
The Magi were the priests of the Babylonian Empire, and later of the Medes and Persians. They were not only religious figures, but they were the scientists and astronomers of their time. In the Sixth Century BC during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Daniel became their leader (Daniel 3:47-49). Daniel continued as their leader for many decades to come, even when the Kingdom of Babylon was conquered and became the Kingdom of the Medes and Persians under Belshazzar and Darius. No doubt Daniel's influence was permanently imprinted on these Magi, and even after Daniel had passed away they had copies of the Old Testament books that had already been established, the Torah, and parts of the Psalms and Isaiah. They would have read the prophecies about the coming Messiah, including Numbers 24:17....
"I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a sceptre will rise out of Israel."
So they kept watch on the night sky, which would have been remarkably clear in the dry air of Babylon, and somehow God helped them to notice and understand the star that signified the birth of Jesus. And so, inspired by the Holy Ghost, they went seeking the new born King, with their gifts.
What should we learn from the text we have read today? Seven things....
I. Learn that God knows and guides the future.
II. Learn that God always keeps His Word.
III. Learn that God's decision to put Jesus on the throne of the world cannot be successfully resisted.
IV. Learn that even theologically and biblically educated people can be far from God, and that conversion demands the supernatural life-giving power of God.
V. Learn that we live as sheep in a world of wolves.
VI. Learn that we ought to be overjoyed daily.
VII. Learn that we ought to worship and give our best gifts to the Lord.
MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!