Why God wanted gold, frankincense and myrrh; the original Christmas wish list was given to Moses by God.
The Three Magi mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew 2:1-12 have become a recognizable part of a contemporary Christmas and the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh have become symbolic of the Nativity of Jesus Christ. However the reason that the Gospel mentions those three items is by no mere chance. Each one of the Magi’s gifts was on a list that God had given to Moses in the Book of Exodus.
The Gifts Of The Magi
The Gifts of the Magi are very symbolic in the context of ancient Judaism and they are designed to show that Jesus the son of Joseph was indeed a chosen one of Yahweh. This was important since the core message of Jesus to the Jews was that he was offering a fulfillment of ancient religious prophecies. During the time when the Gospels were written early Christianity was still an offshoot of Judaism and as such every effort was made to connect Jesus to the ancient Judaic traditions. The most obvious aspect of this outreach is in the use of the title of “Christ” and the story of the Gifts of the Magi reinforces this claim.
The Anointed One
The name Christ is derived from the Greek Khristós which means “anointed one.” In its original Biblical form the Hebrew noun, mashiah, speaks to a literal anointing with sacred oil; which makes the noun Mašîah, normally written as “Messiah” connote one who has been anointed with sacred oil.
Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh
When the word first “anointed” appears in the Biblical Book of Exodus 25:6, it is in regard to the gifts that should be received by Moses, on the behalf of Yahweh, from the Israelites. The first of these gifts is “gold,” farther down the list are “spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense.” The first of those spices required for the anointing oil, as listed beginning in Exodus 30:22, is myrrh. Specific instructions are given for the use of gold in shaping the incense altar in Exodus 30:3-4, and then the incense, ritually prescribed in Exodus, 30:34 is to be based on “pure frankincense,” which was known in Hebrew as levonah. Here we find the gold, incense and myrrh, attributed as gifts to the infant Jesus by the three Magi in Matt 3:11, contained in a list of key components needed in order to properly worship Yahweh and consecrate his priesthood.
The use of the word anointed to refer to priests begins with Lev 2:4. At the same time, the word continues to be used to describe objects that were consecrated for ritual use, usually an altar.
In the Book of Samuel, things change with the entrance of Saul. When Saul is anointed in Samuel 10:1, he has a flask of oil emptied on his head, Samuel then pro-claims, “has not the Lord anointed you leader over his inheritance.” It is not until Saul is presented to the people in Sam. 10:24 as “the man the Lord has chosen,” and he comes forth from hiding amongst the baggage, that “the people shouted long live the king.”
This subtlety should not be lost upon us. Yahweh anoints, people crown. The act of anointing is clearly related to the consecration of people and objects into the service of Yahweh. In this context it is clear that the story of the Gifts of the Magi, gold, frankincense and myrrh, was designed to remind early Christians and potential converts from Judaism that Jesus was God’s anointed one from the moment of his birth.
