Day 6
When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.
Matthew 2:10-11a
After leaving Herod, the star appeared to the Magi for the second time and led them to the place where the child was. They had finally arrived, but the scene was nothing like they expected.
They were at a small house with Mary, Joseph, and Jesus - not at the stable as we often picture or a palace as they had probably imagined. According to Matthew, the star guided them to a house with a young child, likely around the age of two.
Though the setting was not what they anticipated, they did what they had come to do, bending low with reverence to worship the Messiah.
Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Matthew 2:11b
Their gifts were purposeful, with each gift speaking to who Jesus was and why He came to earth. Gold was the gift for kings, symbolizing divinity. Frankincense, a white resin or gum, is a gift for a priest and symbolizes holiness and righteousness. Myrrh, a spice used for anointing high priests and kings and for preparing a body for burial, symbolizes a purified life, suffering, and affliction.
Consider
- Frankincense and myrrh come from trees grown in a region over 1,000 miles from Bethlehem, providing another indicator of how far the Magi traveled. Time and distance didn’t deter the Magi from worshiping the King of the Jews. If you are a Christ-follower, what does worshipping Jesus look like to you?