The Visit of the Wise Men
Matthew 2:11“And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.”
into the house... By the time the wise men arrived, Mary and Joseph were situated in a house, not a stable (Luke 2:7). Not in the stable at Bethlehem where He was born, but in "the house" at Nazareth where He had lived since being presented to the Lord 41 days after His birth (Luke 2:7, 2:21-39). He was about 2 years old by now.
and worshipped him... Since only God is to be worshiped, the deity of Christ is emphasized here (Rev. 19:10; 22:8-9; Luke 2:13).
the young child... Whenever Matthew mentions Mary in connection with her Child, Christ is always given first place (verses 13-14, 20-21).
and when they... I guess, because there were three types of gifts mentioned, people erroneously believe in three wise men.
they presented unto... The three gifts brought were spiritual meanings of who Jesus is, was, and always will be. The “gold” recognized Jesus as God. The “frankincense” recognized Jesus as the perfect Lamb sacrifice.
The “myrrh” recognized Jesus as the groom of the bride of Christ. “Gold” spiritually means purity of God. “Frankincense” accompanied the lamb offering in the temple sacrifice, and “myrrh” was the sweet aloe for the wedding bed. Do you see the spiritual meaning?
The “gold” was not just a piece of gold, but enough for Jesus, Mary, and Joseph to live on while they were in exile.
We might learn a lesson from the wise men. When they were in the presence of Jesus, they “fell down, and worshipped him”.
These
gifts were obviously the means by which Joseph took his family to
Egypt and sustained them there until Herod died.
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