The True Gifts of the Magi Conclusion_ " O How Precious!"

The Wisemen that came seeking the "King of the Jews" were truly WISEMEN,because they knew and believed TRUE WISDOM:GOD'S WORD! Just as God's Word is pure,holy,and PRECIOUS, so were the gifts that accompanied them, over their two year long "holy road trip". Gold was listed first for purity of the KING. Frankincense was second for holiness of our Great High Priest. Finally Myrrh, All of these presents were riches and had a PURPOSE,BUT Myrrh indicated that of HIGHEST PRICE, in more than one way! Myrrh was needed for HIS GIFT; the most PRECIOUS of all,that would be given to the whole world-HIMSELF! When the Wisemen came with their gifts, the Lord was approximately 2yrs old( Matthew 2). He was presented with all three gifts when they entered the Holy Family's house that night, and were provision by God to fund the flight to Eqypt in 2:14. But, He would AGAIN in the future, recieve only one of those gifts again. It as the one of most monetary value, that a person could give in those days,especially for a Hebrew, and made of PRECIOUS material.As the Jesus grew in stature and strength in the Lord (Luke 2:19), He began his public ministry preaching at the age of 30.During those 3 years, He healed, cleansed, and saved multitudes of people. But individual souls, people he grew close to after healing and saving them, were His joy and homes opened to Him for fellowship. Is this not the sole reason He created man?

         One family that ended up very close to Jesus was Mary, Martha, and Lazarus of Bethany. We don't know about their lives before Jesus entered in, except that He was family to them, and their home was His when He was near. This Mary sat at His feet when He taught the Word and spoke parables, hungry and soaking up all that He said. No doubt, due to her future actions, she understood and believed all He preached.It was so important to her, that she placed sitting at the feet of Jesus, in fellowship and learning FIRST, before working, or "barren busines", according to Martha. Jesus quickly corrected Martha's rebuke to her sister, saying that"Mary hath chosen that GOOD PART, which shall not be taken away from her." Luke 10:42. Sometime later after the death of her brother Lazarus, is when Mary understood all she had learned of the Lord, meditated on, and grown in her heart spiritually! This is when this PRECIOUS event took place. The Lord came and raised Lazarus and worked miracles in many hearts that day, including hers I beleive, according to her actions. Two days before Passover, when the Lord woud be, beaten, mocked, walking under the weight of the cross, and then nailed to it to die, she did it! After watching her own brother die (without the severity of the Lord's death) and placed in the grave, laying there four days,she understood "that you better do what you can WHILE you can"! Although she didn't know all that the events that would take place and the timeline, she KNEW Jesus said that in two days He would die. She loved Him sooo much for what He had done for her (Luke 7:36-50), that she PURPOSED in her heart to give HIM her most PRECIOUS thing she could! She had an alabaster box, which could have been white or ivory colored and carved out of a stone ( another picture of Christ the Chief Cornerstone), and it was filled with the MYRRH!!! This oinment/oil was very costly and used in perfumes of the rich, or those of occupations of ill repute that could afford it, and also most commonly for annointing and perserving loved ones' bodies for burial. She understood Jesus was the Passover Lamb, ONCE for all, and wanted to show Him her love, devotion, and thankfulness of heart, for what He was going to do FOR HER; taking her sin debt away, and the WHOLE WORLD!! She quietly walked up behind HIM, BROKE THE BOX, and the ointment flowed out, down His Head and down to His feet! (Again, a type of Jesus broken body and His PRECIOUS, SINLESS BLOOD (1Peter1:19) flowing down to sancticy us!)She also lovingly, took the only other PRECIOUS thing she had left to give as a woman, her hair! I Corth 11:15 says a woman's hair is HER GLORY. She counted her loss as Gain for Christ, and used it to wipe His PRECIOUS FEET that would walk up Calvary's Hill in HER PLACE, and then be NAILED through to the cross! She then kissed His feet, crying the whole time! Wiping and kissing! Wiping and kissing them!! Those in the house were appalled at her actions and declared it was a great waste, as the Myrrh in the box would have equaled 12 YEARS WORTH of payment for a job then! 1 penny a day was paid to the average worker. These unbelieving Pharisees & murmururs didn't care for the amount of money they claimed would have been more useful for the the poor! They were lost, desirous of that kind of praise from men, and wanted Jesus dead! The Lord gave the parable explaining that unto whom much is forgiven, the same loves much! He then honored Mary by saying "..Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand (ready for the future) to anoint my body to the burying. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her." She KNEW the Saviour deserved the most PRECIOUS gift she had! "Unto you therefore which believe He is PRECIOUS ...". 1 Peter 2:7.

    The Myrrh was physically the most COSTLY item given, BUT the most PRECIOUS was HERSELF! He honored her for HER sacrifice! Jesus Christ, King of the Jews, Great High Priest, and Sinless Lamb of God, was born that first Christmas over 2,000 yrs ago! Although that many years have passed, since the Wisemen Saw Him-The STAR of BETHLEHEM, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever and cannot and will not change! He blessed the Gentile Wisemen, Hebrew earthly parents, and even PRECIOUS Mary for their gifts given to HIM. This Christmas maybe we need to ask ourselves what the most PRECIOUS thing to us is? What can WE give to Jesus out of a heart of love that He resides in now, if we have accepted Him as Saviour? If you haven't, TODAY IS THE DAY!!! You are NOT PROMISED TOMORROW! Jesus already paid the price for you with HIS PRECIOUS BLOOD Let Him come into your "house", your heart, TODAY!Then your spiritual birthday will be the same time of year as the Saviour! O, What a Saviour is Mine!