The Three Gifts to Jesus – Gold4 minute read
It is no secret that the nativity is the picture of Christmas. Whenever we se that nativity set up, we know Christmas is coming. A joyous time of year full of singings, cheer, decorations and gifts. But why gifts?
As I am sure you are aware, presents are a huge part of how we celebrate Christmas. You could have all the singing and decorations your heart can handle, but if there isn’t a gift exchange, it just doesn’t feel like Christmas at all. Now I know we have taken the gift aspect of the holiday a bit to far. We spend money and stress on gifts more than we should. But I don’t want to talk about that here. I want to talk about the gift Jesus received as a young child from the Wise men.
What is their significance? Why did they choose these gifts? Would a young child even care about these gifts?
I want to answer these questions in a three part serious. One part for each gift given to our savior. The first gift we will cover is gold.
Matthew 1:11 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.
What is Gold?
Gold seems like a pretty straight forward gift compared to the other two, frankincense and myrrh. We still see its value today. It is a form of currency and even a collectors item worth thousands of dollars for even the smallest amounts. It is beautiful, bright and durable. But there is more to this gift. Gold is a very unique substance that in turn justifies its value.
First, lets look at the properties of gold. Gold is a very dense metal that conducts both heat and electricity very well. This make the electronic industry the top industrial purchaser of gold in the world. It is made to print on circuit boards, plate conductors and terminals. It is even used on satellites to block infrared radiation (whatever that is…).
The durability of gold is unprecedented compared to other metals. It’s the least element metal on the periodic table. Which means gold will never be effected by oxygen, water or alkalis and most acids. pure gold will never rust or corrode!
Gold It is malleable enough to where you can actually beat one ounce of gold into a 187 square foot sheet. This is called gold leaf. You could also roll it into a thread that is one thousandth of an in in diameter and stretch it a mile long. Now that is crazy to think about.
The Significance of the Gift
The importance of gold dates back as far back as history allows. Man has understood its worth and coveted it from the day it was discovered, it seems. So, it is easy to realize why anyone would love to receive it as a gift. But a child? What does a child want or even need gold for? Surely these “Wise” men knew children loved toys, right?
Now I’m being a bit facetious. But here is the reason Jesus received gold. He is the King of the Jews. When a king is presented gifts, gold was always at the top of the list. Gold is a gift fit for a King and it was customary to visit royalty bearing gold.1 Kings 10:25 tells us that vessels of gold were brought to him as a gift year after year.
The Wise Men knew the King of the Jews has arrived and they saw it fitting to present him with a gift that honored him and respected his position.
Conclusion
Throughout the old and new testament, we can find that Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We are told that his kingdom will never pass away. Much like gold. The metal that will not rust or corrode by the elements of this world.
Let me know what you think of gold and it’s importance to Jesus. Did you learn something knew? Did I miss something? Let me know.
Travis Haines
Husband | Father | IT Guy | Blogger | Author and Creator of ChristianIntrovert.com wanting to encourage those who question their abilities in Christ. Don't let your Introversion define who you are and don't use it as an excuse to shut yourself out from the world.