This message is the third in a three part series called “Three Men and a Baby.” The first part focused on the gift of Gold; of how the Wise Men challenged us to give our best. This second part focused on the gift of Frankincense; of how Jesus is our great High Priest who bridges the wide gap between humanity and God.
Before listening to this week’s sermon, you might want to take a look at the first two parts of this series…
We now come to the final gift gift: Myrrh… What is myrrh? Myrrh is usually associated as an embalming spice and is traditionally seen as symbolizing Jesus’ death. But other than gloom and doom, what message can we take from this gift?
Click the below “Play” button and scroll down to follow along (the recording is from the 9:30 service)…
Our scripture reading was Ruth 1:18-22 and Matthew 2:11-12. Open the drop down box to read along…
Ruth 1 and Matt 2
Ruth 1:18-22
18 When she saw that she was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her.
19 Now the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened, when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was excited because of them; and the women said, “Is this Naomi?”
20 But she said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
21 I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?”
22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. Now they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.
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Matt 2:11-12
11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.
NKJV
As the family was leaving for church, the young boy wanted to take his teddy bear, whom he had always called Frank. His parents protested, but he insisted that he had to take the bear today, and they finally said “OK.”
When the offering plates were passed, the boy put the teddy bear in the plate along with a few coins. Later, his parents asked him why he did this and he simply said, “Well the Bible says the Wise Men brought Jesus gifts of gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. I didn’t have any gold, and I don’t know what myrrh is. So I just gave Him Frank and cents!
Review
This is the final part of our look at the Wise men and their three gifts. Here’s a quick review about the Wise Men and their gifts of Gold and Frankincense…
Wise Men….
Gold…
Frankincense…
What is Myrrh?
We now come to the third and final gift that was given by the Wise Men: Myrrh. In the ancient world, myrrh had many uses. It was a very valuable sweet smelling powder and was used as a perfume and purification.
It’s mentioned in the Bible many times….
Besides the facts and history of myrrh, we can draw a few spiritual lessons…
Aroma…
Psalm 45:8 speaks of the pleasant aroma. It also begs the question, what kind of “spiritual” aroma do we give off? Are we positive and joyful, or are we negative and gloomy? Does our “aroma” inspire worship? Does our outlook inspire others to glorify God? Our “aroma” should draw people to The Bridge; Jesus, our High Priest.
Imported…
Myrrh does not grow in Israel; it must be imported. If we are going to point others to The Bridge (the One who bridges the gap between us and God), we must bring people into the church. We need the fragrance; gifts, skills, and talents that others can bring into our efforts. We need the seasoning that others can inject into our lives to strengthen our faith, so that we can reach out and be “salt and light” to others.
Highly Esteemed…
Myrrh was especially valued in Egypt. This would have come in handy when Mary and Joseph escaped from Herod by fleeing to Egypt. Besides its monetary worth alone, it would have opened doors. Once again, God is in the details!
Myrrh Represents Bitterness and Pain
The presentation of myrrh probably set Mary back a bit. By the time the Wise Men arrived, Mary and Joseph had already presented Jesus in the Temple to consecrate Him and to offer a sacrifice, as required by the Law. Fresh in their minds when the Wise Men presented them with myrrh, were the words of Simeon. As they were leaving the Temple, Simeon warned (Luke 2:34-35):
Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
You have to start where the word myrrh comes from. It has it’s roots in the Hebrew word Mara, which means bitter.
It’s in the story of Ruth. Naomi has lost her husband and two sons, then returns to home and she tells her friends (in Ruth 1:20)- “Don’t call me Naomi…. call me Marah because Almighty God has made my life bitter.”
In ancient Hebrew societies, someone’s name often reflected who they were, so Naomi, bitter at what God had done, asked to change her name to “bitter” or Mara.
This sword of bitterness and pain (literally) pierced Jesus too. In Mark 15:22-23, we’re told…
They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.
He did not take it. He did not take this myrrh-mixed medicine which would have dulled the pain as they drove the nails into His hands. The gift of myrrh reminds us that Jesus absorbed all of our pain. Just as He absorbed all of the physical pain inflicted on Him, He absorbed all of our sin. At that moment in time and space, all of the Sin and Pain throughout all of eternity was attracted to Jesus like a magnet. Myrrh was not allowed to get in the way.
Jesus took it all on; He became sin for us- 2 Corinthians 5:16-21…
So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Jesus became sin for us. Jesus took on all of our pain and forsakeness. He did not allow Myrrh to interfere with this.
Myrrh Represents Eternity
Myrrh is special for its ability to last for a long time. When placed in an alabaster pot, myrrh can hold its fragrance for several hundred years. Archaeologists have found myrrh in ancient Egyptian tombs that are over 4000 years old. Over 4000 years and the aroma is still there!
Along with the FM converter and 8 track player, one of the staples in a car during the 70s was those green tree fragrance things. Hang it around your rear view mirror (next to the foam dice) and your car smelled great (matter of opinion). It smelled great for a few weeks, but it eventually died out. Eventually the leftover pizza in the back seat re-claimed its ownership of the car’s odor.
Just like an 8-track tape that got eaten by the player, most things we deal with in this life are temporary. They wear out; they loose their usefulness.
Myrrh reminds us that the gifts of Jesus are eternal. They never wear out or loose their significance.
And this gift from these Gentiles announced that Jesus is eternal. Myrrh reminds us that Jesus is the Eternal God.
That Jesus is Divine and that He will remain forever is a bold statement, but it’s repeated over and over in the Bible…
Because Jesus is eternal, He (our Great High Priest) always works on our behalf; empowering us to do God’s will. If we are a child of His, his promises are always true for us. He will always be with us and He will always work in our lives for good…
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28
Eternity isn’t some future event that happens after the “End times” or even after we die. Eternity began with our conception. Eternity is now. Just as God provided for Joseph and Mary’s journey to Egypt using gifts of Gold and Myrrh, God is always in the details of our lives.
Why did Jesus come? Why did God become a baby?
Jesus came at Christmas so you and I and all of humanity may have an opportunity to receive His free gift of salvation and spend eternity with Him. The Wise Men brought gifts of myrrh, but the Eternal Jesus brings us a gift of Eternal Life…
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23
Eternal Life!!! Over and over, the Bible tells us about this gift…
What are You Offering God?
God is offering us Eternal Life. Just as the Wise Men went home by a different route in order to avoid Herod, God is giving us a chance to be saved, to be changed. We have “myrrh” to offer the Lord. The Wise Men sacrificed greatly for Jesus. What about us? Does God get our best of gold, frankincense, and myrrh as we’ve been talking, or is what we give to God come from a position of ease, comfort, and convenience?
Jesus said in Mark 8:34…
“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself
and take up his cross
and follow me. “
Paul adds in Romans 12:1…
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship.
And Hebrews 13:15-16 says…
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise — the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
And here’s another challenge (though not from the Bible)…
“Not giving our myrrh CAUSES bitterness.”
We could stamp out cancer, hunger, malaria. But are we willing to sacrifice? Are we willing to give our best? God is willing to take our best and turn it into HIS best! God turns our gifts into benefits for others.
The Wise Men personify the great hymn by Frances Ridley Havergal, “Take My Life and Let it Be.”
Take my life and let it be, consecrated Lord to Thee.
Take my hands and let them move, at the impulse of thy love.
Take my lips and let them be, filled with messages for Thee.
Take my sliver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold.
Take my love, my God I pour, at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself and I will be, ever only all for thee.
God accepts our gifts, he takes what we can offer… but He doesn’t “let our life be.” A life consecrated to God is eternal, welling up in eternal life and joy.
Have you seen His star? Are you willing to give your very best in time, talents, service, and gifts to Him? If so, your bitterness and fear will fade away.
Quiz Time!
As you reflect on what you’ve just heard/read, give this quiz a try. If you don’t understand an answer (or if you disagree with the “correct” answer, post a comment)…
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