It’s finally the Christmas and holiday season. It’s so easy to get caught up in the commercialism of Christmas and gift shopping. With Black Friday sales, “Christmas lists,” Santa Claus, Christmas lights, decorations, Mariah Carey…Christmas really feels like one giant spectacle of commercialism these days. It’s a little hard for me to deal with sometimes, actually.
But I’m not here to talk about all the different ways Christmas is commercialized. I’m actually going to focus on presents. Let’s be honest: it’s one of the most important parts of our modern Christmas. Most kids (and even adults) are most excited about giving and receiving presents. Our materialistic society loves to buy and get stuff. But as Christians, how should we approach Christmas presents, knowing that Christmas is actually about Jesus coming into the world?
My Family’s Tradition
My family has our own tradition with presents. I don’t claim it as the best way to approach the Christmas present situation, but it’s what my family has done.
Since there are seven kids in my family, getting a lot of presents for each kid was a bit unreasonable for my parents. It just would get too expensive. But my mom also decided that it frankly wasn’t necessary for each child to receive a mountain of gifts. She didn’t want to encourage a greedy, selfish spirit in us by reinforcing the “more, more” mentality Christmas has come to have.
So, my mom started a tradition where each of us would receive three gifts from my parents: one “want,” one “need,” and one “for fun.”
The “want” gift was something that we had expressed desire for. For me, it might’ve been some perfume I wanted, or some bakeware, or a new makeup palette. For the little kids, it would’ve been like a toy they wanted.
The “need” gift was something we, well, needed. Some “need” gifts I received were things like a table lamp for my room, or some gloves or socks. One year I even received a suitcase (as I was moving out in the near future).
Finally, the “for fun” gift was usually some type of game, book, or something to pass the time with. Something that was truly just for “fun.” And it wasn’t necessarily something we asked for. I often got books, while my siblings would get board games, movies, art supplies, or Legos.
So, why did my mom decide on three gifts, specifically? Well, she wanted to connect our gift-giving tradition to the three presents that Jesus received from the wise men when he was born. Since Christmas is the time we celebrate Jesus’ birth and his coming into the world, she wanted all of us to be reminded of Jesus, even with our own presents.
Presents in the Bible
What about presents in the Bible? As I mentioned before, we know that the wise men gave Jesus three gifts when they met him. It’s a well-known scene in nativity sets and Christmas plays. But why did this happen in the first place?
Take a moment to read Matthew 2:1-12, and then think about this first question.
Why did the wise men give Jesus gifts in the first place?
The wise men are interesting characters. They’re said to be scholars and philosophers, highly educated in various fields, including religion, astronomy, and astrology. It’s not clear how many wise men actually visited Jesus, though (sorry, “We Three Kings”). However, the most important information about them is that 1) they had been anticipating the coming of the Messiah, and 2) they were eager to come see the King of Kings. In verse 10 it says they “rejoiced with exceedingly great joy” (ESV).
But what about these gifts? Why would the wise men bring these gifts to baby Jesus? Well, they already had a longing and desire for the long-awaited king, and now that He came, they used these gifts to show their love, worship, and adoration for the new King Jesus.
They were willing to give up these (admittedly) expensive gifts, and give them to this glorious infant King who has no need for the riches of this world. By doing this, they show that Jesus is their treasure, rather than these earthly treasures.
In this passage, Matthew specifically lists out the gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. If Matthew felt the need to specify them, that means they probably hold some importance. So let’s think about this next question.
What might be the significance of these three gifts?
Naturally, all of these gifts are wonderful gifts in and of themselves (mostly). They were luxurious gifts, fitting for the Son of God. But what deeper meaning did each gift have?
Simply put, “the gold points to Jesus’ royalty, the frankincense to his divinity, and the myrrh to his humanity” (Christianity.com).
Gold is associated with kings. It’s a luxurious metal, exuding wealth and majesty. When the wise men presented this gift to Jesus, they were acknowledging and recognizing Jesus as King. It points to Jesus’ royalty as the King of Kings.
Frankincense was often used as a type of incense or perfume in that time, and the Jews would use it in temple worship. Frankincense was mixed with the oil that was used for anointing the priests of Israel. By offering this gift, the wise men were “pointing to Christ as our High Priest” (Crossway.org). While the priesthood was established to stand as representatives of Israel to God, Jesus would be our ultimate representative, and would be perfectly righteous and pleasing to God, the Father. It shows Jesus’ complete divinity apart from us.
Finally, myrrh. Myrrh is actually a rather inappropriate gift in most circumstances. Myrrh is a resin that was often used for medicinal purposes in this time, specifically for embalming a dead body. Not a good gift for an infant nor a king. However, it turns out to be a rather appropriate gift for Jesus.
While it’s unclear how much the wise men knew about Jesus’ future ministry, the prophets in the Old Testament foretold the suffering and death of the Messiah time and again. The wise men’s gift of myrrh points to Jesus’ death, which atoned for the sins of the world. It speaks to his humanity.
The Christmas Story is the Gospel Story
The gifts of the wise men tell the gospel story. In fact, the whole Christmas story is about how God Himself came down from heaven as our King and High Priest, all to eventually die for our sins. When we wait in anticipation for Christ’s coming during the Advent season, we also acknowledge that Jesus has come, died, and risen to new life, granting salvation to those who accept Jesus as their King, High Priest, and Savior.
Since the Christmas story is also the gospel story, it calls for a response from us. The wise men, in their anticipation of the coming Christ, responded by seeking Jesus, offering him these deeply meaningful gifts, and worshipping him as the King of Kings.
But what are we worshipping? The materialism and earthly traditions of our holiday season, or Jesus—the true King? Are we willing to bow down, lay down our precious gifts and offer them to our Lord and King who died for us? Are we willing to say that only Jesus can satisfy our hearts?
Consider this ultimate Christmas gift: the gift of Jesus coming into the world for you—to give you new life in Him. How will you respond to this Christmas gift? What present could possibly compare to God Himself, the King of Kings, coming to the world and dying for your sake?