In Matthew 2, an event is reported in regard to the birth of Jesus. Very special men come from the East, because they had seen an unusual sign in the heavens. They noticed a star that had not been observed before. They believed that this star designates the birth of a very special king.
These men are very unusual. Being noted that they are from the East, it is very likely that they are Gentiles. The notation that they are "wise men" or magoi, means that they could fit into any or all of the following descriptions: teachers, priests, physicians, astrologers (astronomers), scientists, seers, interpreters of dreams. The implication is that they are spiritually gifted in a certain manner. These men come from "the East". This means in the natural, Chaldea, Media, Persia, etc. The root meaning of the word "East" used here means "a rising (of the sun, moon and stars), direction of the sun's rising, to cause to arise as of the earth to bring forth plants". The root can also mean "into the midst of the end". So these men were very mysterious, and their appearance should draw our attention. These men were important enough for King Herod to invite them before him, even though for his own purposes.
As the wise men discover that the scriptures prophesy that the Messiah, the king, whom they seek, would be born in Bethlehem, they head in that direction. They immediately notice the star moving before them and guiding them in a specific direction. They are amazed as the star rests over the place where the Christ child was. They were rejoicing with great joy, the scripture says, having been supernaturally guided to whom they so desired to find.
As the wise men entered the house marked by the star, they found Mary and her son. These men of honor and reputation, these men of science and spiritual gifting, bowed down in worship before the child. They had found the King. They worshiped Him with their bodies, and they worshiped Him with their substance. They had not come looking for this King empty-handed, but came prepared to give Him gifts. They broke open their treasuries to bring forth these gifts. The gifts were gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Gold symbolizes God's might and power in creating, preserving His creation, judging His creation, and controlling the destinies of men.
Frankincense is a white resin burned as incense. It comes from a tree. The white ash that remains after burning symbolizes something that has been purified by fire.
Myrrh is a costly perfume made from a bitter gum gathered from incisions made into the bark of a tree. It is an antiseptic, and was often used in treating the dead body before burial. The root meaning of the word "myrrh" is to be spread or stretched out, to break in pieces.
There is a prophecy in Isa. 60:6 that could very well apply to this special visit of the Magoi:
"The multitude of camels shall cover your land,
The dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;
All those from Sheba shall come;
They shall bring gold and incense."
What do the gifts of the Magoi teach us about our own worship of the King of Kings this Christmas and always? The gifts that the wise men brought reflected the nature of the child they came to see. The gifts honored His position in the God-head, the purification of men by the blood of Christ, and His being an antiseptic against the condition of death, the corruption of the body of man.
As we worship and honor the birth of Christ, we break open our treasuries and bring forth gifts that are reflective of Christ's purpose in the earth, in us. Let us seek Him diligently, as the wise men did, and having found Him, let us show Him honor and glory with gifts worthy of His title of King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. And with these gifts let us proclaim:
"How beautiful upon the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who proclaims peace,
Who brings glad tidings of good things,
Who proclaims salvation,
Who says to Zion,
Your God reigns!" Isa. 52:7
To the heavens and the earth we proclaim this good news. To every person we proclaim this good news.
Our God reigns.
"We Three Kings of Orient Are"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8mjRxkMBkE
"What Can I bring"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzPBZzKEPog
Genuine or counterfeit? That is a question we have to ask many times today as we buy and sell. The market is flooded with questionable goods. The government uses every measure possible to try to ensure that our currency is not easily counterfeited, yet counterfeiters try every day to introduce fake money into the economy.
The currency that we use is no longer "authentic" in value. Our coins used to be silver, gold and copper. Now there is very little of the genuine metals in our coins. Our paper dollars used to be supported by a corresponding value in gold, but that is no longer the case. The money we use today in America has almost no value of itself whatsoever. The coins have been mixed with other cheaper metals until they are worthless.
What does this have to do with our faith?
The Apostle Paul tells us to examine ourselves before we partake of communion in 1 Cor. 11:28-29:
"But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner, eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body."
There are two words that I have underlined in the above verse. One of the words is "examine". The meaning of this word deals with currency, and coins. In Paul's era, coins used to be struck, or pressed, out of precious and semi-precious metals. After the striking, the coins would have rough edges of excess that would be filed off. The coin would bear the image of the king to attest to its authenticity. Those coins would have to weigh an exact amount. If they did not weigh the true amount, it meant that the coin had been mixed with another metal, and not genuine. Moneychangers would sometimes cheat people by filing even more off the coin and keeping the filings, so that you were not getting the true value of the coin. Jesus overturned the tables of moneychangers in the Temple saying that they had made God's house of prayer into a den of thieves, so widespread was the cheating on currency (Mt. 21:13).
The word "examine" is used again in 2 Cor 13:5:
Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? - except ye be reprobates (not standing the test used used to examine metals and coins)"
So using this imagery, Paul is instructing us to examine whether our faith is genuine. Have we mixed the gold and silver of our faith with the more base metals of this world? Have we "filed off" value from our faith, not giving our Father the service, trust, love, honor, and glory that He deserves from our lives?
The word "unworthy" in 1 Cor 11:29, means "unfit for a thing, not worth as much, not having the weight of another thing of like value". Again, the imagery used is of the weight of a coin, showing its authenticity. The Jesus Christ in us is purified gold. Do our lives show this gold, or a more base metal, a lesser metal, a mixed metal?
1 Cor 11 tells us that there is a serious cost for not recognizing and showing an authentic, genuine faith of purified gold of the Christ in us. When we have chosen not to be "genuine" in the faith, when we have allowed the unauthentic to be mixed into the purity of Christ, it causes sickness and even death. We have mixed Jesus with other things, and the coin of our faith is lacking. It doesn't test out to be authentic. It doesn't weigh out enough in worth on the scales, when compared to the genuine. When we have examined ourselves, on the other hand, and determined that we wish to walk in the authentic and pure faith of the Son of God, it brings glory and honor to the Father and to us:
"...you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1:6-7
Trials come to each of us, as we are purified and strengthened in our faith. When we truly examine ourselves for the genuine, the false has no opportunity:
"But He knows the way that I take;
When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.
My foot has held fast to His steps;
I have kept His way and not turned aside.
I have not departed from the commandment of His lips;
I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food."
Job 23:10-12
"Examine me, O LORD, and prove me;
Try my mind and my heart." Psalm 26:2
Our Father tests, or assays, our faith to purify it, to strengthen it, to discover what it is, or is not, genuine. If we do not examine ourselves, He will continue to test it.
"For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined." Psalm 66:10
"Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts:
Behold, I will refine them and test them;
For how shall I deal with the daughter of My people?
Their tongue is an arrow shot out;
It speaks deceit;
One speaks peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth,
but in his heart he lies in wait." Jer. 9:7-8
"I will bring the one-third through the fire,
Will refine them as silver is refined,
And test them as gold is tested.
They will call on My name,
And I will answer them.
I will say, "This is My people";
And each one will say, "The LORD is my God." Zech. 13:9
When we partake of the communion elements, being obedient to examine ourselves, we remember Christ's death in the earth until He returns. As we examine ourselves, we partake of His death: death to self, death to sin, death to idolatry in all of its forms, death to worldly ideas and doctrines. In order to discern The Body, we start first by discerning ourselves, our soul, our spirit. And the end result of this?
"Beloved, now we are the sons of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." 1 Jn. 3:2-3
Genuine or counterfeit? Let a man examine himself.
Our Father is genuine.
"Communion"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x6khRQFlOc
"I Shall Come Forth as Gold"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOmdL81jHeI
