After the magi saw the star again, the star led them to the place where Christ was (vv. 9-10). The star led them not only to the city of Bethlehem, but to the exact spot where Jesus was.
Christians often say that to know the Lord it is sufficient to have only the Bible. In a sense, I agree with this. However, in another sense—I say this carefully—I do not agree fully. Although we have the Bible, we still need a living vision. The Bible does say that Christ will be born in Bethlehem, but it does not say where, on what street, or in which house. The living star led the wise men to the city of Bethlehem and also to the exact street and the house where the child was. At that place, the star stopped (v. 9). The magi did not need to knock on any doors; they knew where Jesus was. This proves that we all need a clear, up-to-date vision that leads us directly to the place where Jesus is.
The magi not only found Christ; they also worshipped Him (v. 11). Among the Israelites, no one was allowed to receive worship from others. That was considered an insult to God, a blasphemy against Him. According to them, only God was worthy of people’s worship. But the wise men worshipped a child, and that child was God. Isaiah 9:6 says, “Unto us a child is born...and his name shall be called...The mighty God.” The child found by the magi was called the mighty God. The wise men worshipped Him and they offered to Him gold, frankincense, and myrrh (v. 11).
We need to know the meaning of the gold, the frankincense, and the myrrh. In the typology of the Bible, gold signifies the divine nature. This indicates that the child Jesus had the divine nature. He was divine. Frankincense signifies the fragrance of resurrection. According to our naturally religious mentality, the resurrection of Jesus came only after His death. However, before He died, Jesus told Mary and Martha that He was the resurrection and the life (John 11:25). Thus, even before He died, He was the resurrection. The life Christ lived on this earth was a life of resurrection. Luke 2:52 tells us that even in His childhood He found favor with God and man. That was not something natural; it was the life of resurrection. The record in Luke 2 reveals that the child was an extraordinary child. He was a unique child because He was a child in resurrection. In His entire human life and living there was the fragrance, the sweetness of resurrection. Death could not hold Him or even touch Him. Not only was He the life—He was resurrection.
Myrrh signifies death and also the fragrance of death. Among the human race, death has no fragrance; however, with Jesus there was the fragrance of death.
When the wise men presented the gold, the frankincense, and the myrrh, I do not believe they knew the meaning of the gifts they offered. They surely offered their gifts under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. They presented gold, frankincense, and myrrh, signifying that the child Jesus had the divine nature; that His life would be a life of resurrection, full of the fragrance of frankincense; and that His life would be full of the fragrance of death.
When Jesus was twelve years old, He went to Jerusalem with His parents (Luke 2:42). Because He was burdened to see what people were doing in His Father’s house, the temple, He stayed in Jerusalem after the feast (Luke 2:43). Mary and Joseph did not understand Him. They looked for Him and eventually found Him in the temple (vv. 44-48). In a sense, Mary rebuked Him. If I had been Jesus, I would have rebuked her. I would have fought back and said, “Don’t you know what I’m doing here? Why do you come to bother Me?” If we read Luke’s account, we shall see that Jesus did say something to them. He said, “Did you not know that I must be in the things of My Father?” (v. 49). After He said this, He went along with them and returned with them to Nazareth. That was a real killing to Him. His intention was killed, and in that killing we can smell myrrh. That was not the fragrance of frankincense; it was the sweet aroma of myrrh.
If we read the four Gospels, the biographies of Jesus, we shall see that in the life of Jesus the gold, the frankincense, and the myrrh were very prevalent. He was always living the resurrection life, and He was constantly under the killing of the cross. He did not wait until thirty-three and a half years had passed before He went to the cross to be crucified. Throughout His whole life He was continually being crucified on the cross. Thus, He had not only the fragrance of resurrection, but also the sweet myrrh of the cross.
The wise men found the kingly child Jesus in Bethlehem, which Micah 5:2 tells us is “little among the thousands of Judah.” He was born in such a humble town in such lowly circumstances. However, due to the vision that came through the star, the wise men paid their full respect to the kingly child, not caring about the place. Therefore, they offered to Him the three precious items. Each of these items signifies some precious element of the Lord Jesus’ nature and life. In nearly every page of the four Gospels, we see the preciousness of the Lord’s humanity, the fragrance of His resurrection life, and the sweet aroma of His sacrificial death. Even in the early days, soon after the Lord’s birth, the wise men did such an appropriate thing. It exactly suited the Lord’s nature and life. Their offering was certainly presented under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
It may be that these precious treasures offered by the magi provided for the Lord’s trip from Judea to Egypt and from Egypt to Nazareth. The worship and offering of the wise men truly accomplished something.