The gifts of the magi represented intensifiers of desire FOR CHRIST Himself. Baby Jesus didn’t need gold, frankincense or myrrh! He already owned all of that in Heaven, but the gifts were gifts that gave back.
The magi offered the most expensive and precious possessions they had as a way of honoring and worshipping Jesus Himself! These gifts were meant to say that they knew Jesus was worth more than these expensive or nice things. Jesus didn’t need their gifts, but they needed to give them to Jesus to get the greater treasure in return. In their giving they were receiving in themselves a true knowledge of who they stood before. They were receiving love for Jesus!
“When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him.
Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. —Matthew 2:10–11
God is not served by human hands as though he needed anything (Acts 17:25). Their treasures that they laid down at the feet of Jesus was their worship. Because they found the more valuable treasure before them!
What’s your treasure?
I’ve been reading and writing Romans 12 almost everyday and it always reminds me that the greatest offering of worship I can give to God is my greatest treasure: my body.
I want Jesus more, but to desire Jesus is one thing, to do something in order to get it is another. Here the magi remind us how to move toward getting more of Jesus. It is in the act of worship. To lay down our treasures in this life for the gift of getting back the real treasure: a love for Jesus.
Piper echoes that “This desire I now intensify and demonstrate by giving up things, in the hope of enjoying you more, not things.”
Our hearts love to worship, whether that be at the altar of beauty, fame, power, or comfort. We are worshippers by design, and every time we worship at these altars we grow our desire for more of whatever we worship. So to lay down our treasures at the altar of Christ is to receive a greater enjoyment of Christ! To lay down our treasures at the altar of comfort is to get back an even greater desire for comfort, and the more we desire other things the less room we have in our lives to enjoy Christ.
Comfort, beauty, security, and fame are not bad things, but compared to Jesus they are wretched things! They offer temporary everything. Temporary peace, temporary enjoyment, and temporary existence. They all have an expiration date! These temporary pleasures distract us from an everlasting pleasure! They distract us from worshipping our true love. And we miss it, we miss the main point of enjoying our God-breathed lives!
We find ourselves stuck in a roller coaster cycle of high highs and low lows then long periods of boredom because temporary fixes always need to be repaired or replaced.
We are left disappointed, lost, hopeless and without any enjoyment left in us for the life we’ve been given TO ENJOY!
So back to the magi:
“When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him.
Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. —Matthew 2:10–11
What if this Christmas we celebrated like the magi? That instead of expecting good gifts or thank you comments from the people we bought gifts for we laid our treasures down at the feet of Jesus.
What if we offered our bodies as a living sacrifice, Holy and pleasing to God, as our spiritual worship?
Whatever your body usually fancies (recognition, comfort, individuality, etc) can be offered on the altar of Christ in return for an even greater gift in return: an intensified desire for Christ Himself!
The gift that never runs out of giving. Christ’s love never expires. Therefore our enjoyment of Him will also never stop being satiated. We will enjoy Him now and for all eternity when we worship Him. Worshippers everywhere, let us worship the only One worthy of worship! Jesus Messiah!
Take time to consider what treasures you want to bring to Jesus today as your worship. And I pray you receive that great joy shared on Christmas night with the magi.
Jmegrey
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