I have not come to you for your things, but for yourself.

When you give a gift to Christ like this, it’s a way of saying, “The joy that I pursue… is not the hope of getting rich with things from you. The gifts are intensifiers of desire for Christ himself in much the same way that fasting is.

John Piper eloquently expressed it like this: The Magi were not purchasing anything with their gifts, they were praising. This was not a gesture of altruism, it was adulation. In a similar way, because these gifts were expensive, they demonstrated the level of sacrificial love and worship they had for this newborn King. Based on where they were each from, they “honored the King… in a way that fit their nationality.” As one writer put it, “Embalming liquid never appears to top the lists of baby shower gifts in society today.”īut as this author suggests, these gifts were diplomatic representations of each of the Magi ’s cultures. However, while gold and perfume might make nice “Christmas gifts,” myrrh is an odd (or even inappropriate) gift choice for the family with a newborn baby. While these gifts would have been rare and very costly for the Magi to give to Jesus’ family, they were not unheard of in first-century Palestine. Quite possibly, they had been waiting on Jesus’ birth for a long time. It is very possible that while Daniel was overseeing these Magi, he taught them the prophecies about the coming Messiah (such as in Numbers 24:17 and Micah 5:2). They were religious professors, philosophers, and scholars who were highly educated in many fields, including religion, astronomy, and even astrology (which is why they were paying attention to the stars in the first place). These Magi (otherwise known as “Wise Men”) were a special class of priests in the Persian Empire that had been around for a long time, at least since Daniel was appointed to be their leader by King Nebuchadnezzar ( Daniel 5). So, during the Christmas season, the story of the Magi bringing their gifts to the Christ Child in Matthew 2 can be a helpful reminder of the kinds of “gifts” that God wants from us as well.Īt some point, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem, several Magi traveled to see him by following a unique star or light in the sky. While there is nothing wrong with good coffee, kids ministries, music, and all the rest, if we are not careful we will end up thinking as consumers in our spiritual life instead of coming to God with our offering of worship and “sacrifice of praise” ( Hebrews 13:15). In our American, consumeristic culture, it is very easy to see a church service as just another place to “get” something.Īnd this mindset is not too surprising because church facilities and worship services are certainly well-known as places and events where we are given refreshments, free childcare, good music, positive messages, and much more in a climate-controlled, safe, aesthetically pleasing environment.

John piper advent