Advent: The Journey to ChristmasSample

King, God, and Savior

In Matthew 2:11, the Magi bring Jesus three famous gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Did you know these gifts have special significance in the Old Testament and reflect the One they came to worship?

Gold represents royalty in Psalm 72:15, and the gift of gold affirmed Jesus as the King of Kings. Frankincense is related to the worship of God in Exodus 30:34, and the gift of frankincense acknowledges that Jesus is God. In Exodus 30:22-25, myrrh was used to anoint people for special purposes. The first time Jesus received myrrh was as a gift at His birth. The last times Jesus would be given myrrh were on the cross and during His burial. This gift points to the special purpose of Jesus’ life: He would die on the cross to save us from our sins and then be raised to life, victorious over death.

The verse in Matthew 2 mentions that when the Magi saw Jesus, “they fell down and worshipped Him.” We worship Jesus as our King because He has “all authority on heaven and earth” (Matthew 28:18-20). We worship Jesus as our God because “through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:3). And we worship Jesus as our Savior because “God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Ask God to use this Advent season to bring you closer to Jesus through worship, just like the star brought the Magi to worship Him.

Prayer: Father, thank You for leading me to You. Just like You brought the Magi close to Jesus, please bring me closer to Jesus than I have been before. Jesus, I worship You as my King, my God, and my Savior! Holy Spirit, help me guide other people who are far from you to draw near and worship Jesus.

Sources: John MacArthur, Matthew 1–7, William Hendriksen, Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew, David Platt, Exalting Jesus in Matthew, Grant R. Osborne, Matthew, (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary Series on the New Testament).