Gift Giving #2

Let’s consider the gifts that Jesus received:

v GOLD

     If diamonds are a woman’s best friend – then gold can’t be far behind!  Almost any adult would appreciate a gift of gold.  To give a gift of gold is equal to giving a gift of money!  Who would turn that down?  Money is good!  Right? 

     In this case, the gold was probably used to finance Joseph and Mary’s escape to Egypt.  There is no evidence to indicate that Joseph was a wealthy man.  He obviously had a trade and was capable of producing income;  however, he had just financed a costly trip to Bethlehem and was facing the transition from caring only for his own needs to caring for the needs of himself, his wife, and a newborn son!  The gift of gold given to Jesus was probably viewed as a gift from God  to enable them to be obedient to His guidance!         

v FRANKINCENSE

     Remarkably, giving gifts of fragrance is not uncommon in our day!  Many of us will either buy or receive gifts of cologne or perfume.  Others may receive gifts of potpourri, scented candles, or even incense!  Something capable of eliminating harsh or unwanted odors must have been a welcomed gift in the days of Mary and Joseph.  Who knows?  If there really were animals present at Jesus’ birth, some of that incense might have been handy right on the spot! 

     But this was not just any incense!  It was a specific incense that was rare and probably expensive.  It was almost exclusively used in the Temple and was associated with the burning of sacrifices before God.  It had to have been perceived as an odd gift to give to a newborn baby or its parents!  Its purpose was clearly symbolic.  It was a divinely inspired gift to indicate that Jesus would become the unique sacrifice for our sins.  His ultimate death on the cross would be a pleasing sacrifice to God and would satisfy the death penalty that comes on all of us as a result of our sin.

     For the record:  the frankincense was probably sold or surrendered to the Temple with the possibility of either gaining a profit for Mary and Joseph or of being a gift from them to God!

v MYRRH

     Myrrh is another perfume, but this one would have been a source of mystery to Joseph and Mary.  It was a specific perfume used almost exclusively for embalming the dead!  This would be the equivalent of buying a newborn baby a subscription to AARP magazine.  It was obviously another symbolic gift.  It was a foreshadowing of the death of Jesus.  Is it any wonder that we find Mary repeatedly pondering these things and treasuring them up in her heart? 

     Let’s remember, she was probably a young, Jewish girl.  She had been visited by an angel who told her that she would miraculously give birth to God’s Son.  A baby was conceived in her womb without the involvement of a man.  Hardship followed.  A census is called for at the critical time of her delivery.  The baby is born in a stable and His first bed is a manger.  Shepherds come, unexpectedly to worship Him.  Finally, wealthy wise men come reporting the appearance of a new star in the sky and delivering these odd gifts!  What is Mary to make of all this?

 

     When we lived in Maryland, we took training to become foster parents.  While doing so, we ran into a couple where the woman was from a large family in my hometown, New Brighton.  As we shared with this couple they told us that they only buy their children three gifts for Christmas every year.  In doing so they  control the commercial aspects of their Christmas by making a clear statement that if three gifts were good enough for Jesus – then it’s good enough for us too. 

 

     We might wonder:  Why do we exchange gifts at Christmas anyway?  Is it because the wise men brought gifts to Jesus?   Historically, the practice of gift-giving around Christmas only roots back about 200 years.  Some think that our gift-giving springs from the example of St. Nicholas who was a bishop in Asia Minor from whom many legends have arisen.  These legends all have to do with the fact that he was a man who knew how to give “so that the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing.”  Legends report several practices of this church leader:

o   He baked cookies and distributed them to poor children

o   Having come from a wealthy home, he left three bags of gold hanging on the doorknob of a poor family that had three daughters with no dowry.  Without this gift, they would have been forced into prostitution.

o   The miracle that is recorded to his credit comes from him begging grain for his starving people from passing merchant ships, promising them that at the end of their trip, not an ounce would be missing.

     The memory of this saint has been embellished and changed significantly over the centuries till he is almost unrecognizable to us now.  Is that why we give gifts at Christmas?   No!  The emphasis on St. Nicholas and gift-giving actually has hazards for us. 

 

We must be careful that gift giving doesn’t become the focus of Christmas instead of thanking the Lord for the gift of His Son (John 3:16).