Reasons Why the Magi Brought Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh Revealed

Scripture tells us that Jesus received three gifts from a group of Magi that visited Joseph and Mary six months after His birth. By that time, the couple are cited by Matthew as living in Bethlehem in a house. The Greek word used is kataluma meaning the upper room of a private home (Matthew 2:11). Thus, while Jesus was born in a stable and visited that night by shepherds, Joseph quickly moved his family into a rented room (Luke 2:6-7).

Three gifts are noted by Matthew as being given to the family by the Magi. They were gold, frankincense and myrrh. Because Scripture mentions three gifts, it has been assumed that there were only three Magi. But this assumption is not supported by the facts. There are many reasons to believe that more than three Magi offered more than three gifts to Jesus (Isaiah 60:6). In fact Matthew writes that the Magi {plural tense in Greek} came from "up-alm places" or many places (Matthew 2:1). For example, a late first century B.C. Afghani coin shows a king or magi following a star. As it turns out, these three specific gifts were intentionally cited by Matthew because they would play a major role in the survival of the Holy family both literally and prophetically. To understand the full story of the Magi, please see related Paper, “Daniel’s Magi Follow a Star” 

Gold is an extremely rare mineral created during the Big Bang, and thus extraordinarily valuable. Gold has always been prized since very ancient times. Literally, a small purse of gold was powerful enough to purchase a home or anything else of value a person might desire. Figuratively, gold had always been associated with power such as the ruling power of kings. Gold has also been associated with good luck and good health. It can be used to pay for fresh food, clean water and even the assistance of doctors. In the case of Jesus, gold was also prophetic in that it provided food and shelter for the family during their sudden exodus from Judah into Egypt. In a dream, Joseph was informed that King Herod was going to try to murder Jesus. Therefore, he must immediately get up, pack and leave Bethlehem. Since there was no time to sell any belongings to raise cash, the gold instantly helped secure their future once they were safely in Egypt. And, the gold could be easily hidden so that robbers could not take it from the couple as they were traveling south on the back roads unpatrolled by Herod’s guards.

Frankincense is the hardened sap from the Boswellia tree found in Somalia and Ethiopia growing along rocky ocean shorelines. It is also found in the Arabian peninsula. It is rare, very expensive and like gold, a standard gift to give to a king or some official who commands power. Literally, frankincense was valuable for medical purposes and could easily be traded for necessities. Today we know that frankincense can help relieve arthritis by inhibiting inflammation that, over time, breaks down the cartilage tissue and causes joint pain. It has also been shown to help with blood stagnation, Crohn's Disease, colitis, and asthma. Frankincense was also burned to create aromatic smoke during ancient pagan worship ceremonies. Thus, the Magi of the East gave the gift of frankincense to the baby Jesus as part of their worship ceremony of Him (Matthew 2:2). It was a sign to show that they, as wise men, recognized Jesus as the Messiah prophesied by Daniel 550 years earlier. Prophetically, frankincense represented priesthood, and the smoke from its burning symbolized prayers ascending up to Heaven to be heard and considered by God. Thus, the Magi had unknowingly offered Jesus frankincense as He would one day be the mediator between mankind and God the Father. Interestingly, traces of frankincense have recently been found in 3rd and 4^th century Christian graves in London and York England.

Myrrh is the hardened sap from the Commiphora tree found in the Somali desert among rocks and sand. Myrrh is recognized for several literal and symbolic purposes. Literally, myrrh is used in expensive perfume mixtures and also for the relief of pain and swelling, a way to kill bacteria, assists with the healing of sores, acts as a powerful antioxidant, and has shown to slow the growth of cancer. Prophetically, it was commonly used as part of the embalming process for the rich and powerful. Myrrh was listed as one of the spices Nicodemus purchased for use in preparing Jesus' body for burial (John 19:39-40).

We can know the intent of the Magi giving theses three particular gifts because of their connection with the prophet Daniel. Scripture tells us he was appointed the Chief Magi in Babylon during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar. And as such, he had prophesied of the world's Messiah or Saviour being born in Judah (Daniel 2:48). Daniel prophesied that the Messiah would arrive in Jerusalem 490 years after the rebuilding of the defensive wall of Jerusalem. While only 450 years had passed, the Magi reasoned that the birth of the Messiah would take place forty years before He ascended to His throne. Therefore, once they saw the brilliant star over the land of Judah and in the sign of Leo the Lion, they started their three month nine hundred mile journey west. Modern astronomy shows that they arrived in Bethlehem at the home of Joseph and Mary on December 25^th 2 B.C. We can know this for certain because modern astronomy reveals this is the exact date that Jupiter, considered by the ancients as a Wandering Star, stopped its three retrograde motions and was in fact stationary directly over Bethlehem. This is the exact same planetary information given by Matthew (Matthew 2:9).

Scripture tells us that the Magi, as wise men, were the first to celebrate the birth of Jesus by worshipping Him and then presenting Him with precious gifts (Matthew 2:11). Therefore, they obviously considered Him as being the powerful Deity that Daniel had prophesied about. And we continue this tradition of celebrating His birth on this day. Please see related Paper, "The Actual Star of Bethlehem"

So, these three particular gifts presented to Jesus by these wise men at this time, were meant to literally and symbolically recognize Jesus as a great King, High Priest and self sacrificing Messiah. The Gold represented Jesus' Kingship and the Frankincense represented His Priestly role as the mediator between God and mankind. The Myrrh represented an ancient prophecy concerning the Messiah's self sacrifice to atone for the sins of all mankind (Isaiah 53:5; Psalm 22:14-18). Prophetically, the Magi knew that, according to Daniel's prophecy, Jesus would be “cut off” or experience a setback, but not for himself (Daniel 9:26). However, they understood that the Messiah would eventually triumph over adversity and rule Judah and the earth eternally (Luke 1:32-33; Daniel 2:44-45; 7:14-14). Additionally, these three gifts were also prophetic as they were the ones found to be the most useful in generating the cash needed to escape the murderous plans of King Herod. Please see related Paper, "The Actual Birth Date of Jesus Revealed"

On an interesting note, history records that Herod experienced a protracted and agonizing death over the following year. He was literally and slowly eaten alive by internal parasitic worms. He would die on December 29th 1B.C. during an eclipse of the moon as cited by the famous Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (Antiquities 17:6:4). This date was also the one year anniversary of his order to kill all boy infants under the age of two. Is this just a coincidence?

The Jewish rabbis say that 'coincidence' is God winking at you.