Shaun Groves
I asked a few days ago why we give presents to people at Christmas whose birthday it definitely is not. And the fingers pointed to the wise men. It’s their fault, you said. So, let’s talk about that.
The word translated “wisemen” or “magi” in the book of Matthew (the only book that mentions them) is translated elsewhere in scripture as “sorcerer.” These guys were not Yaweh followers. They weren’t worshippers of the one true God. They were gentiles, which means non-Jews. And they were from the East – most stuff I’ve read thinks probably from Persia, which formerly ruled over the Jews (in that space between Malachi and Matthew). There’s no evidence I’ve seen or heard of that these guys believed Jesus was the Messiah or God in the flesh before arriving at Jesus’ house when he was a toddler. At this time in history the Jews themselves didn’t all agree that there would even be a Messiah and exactly what form he would take (human or spirit), or when, or where or even why. So we don’t know what these guys were thinking exactly as they made the trek to Jesus’ house.
We don’t know much about these guys at all really – how many there were, what their names were…But we know they brought three gifts. Some folks put a lot of symbolism into these gifts nowadays. Gold is theorized to be a gift that acknowledged Jesus as king. Frankincense was used in temple worship so some say it represents Jesus’ priestly role, mediating between God and man. And myrrh was used in embalming and is said to have foreshadowed his death. But I’m not buying it. I certainly don’t know why those gifts in particular were given – the bible doesn’t say – but I don’t think these guys knew about Jesus’ role as priest or about his coming death. His own people the Jews didn’t get this yet and they had the light of scripture to guide them! All these gentiles had was the light of a star – no words from a prophet or God that we’re told of. But let’s look at what we do know from the bible and history – maybe there’s some insight into the meaning of these gifts there.
These guys see a light and believe it will lead them to the King of the Jews. When they get to the land of the Jews they go see Herod and ask him if he knows where the King of the Jews is. Now, this is fascinating to me. Herod had two official titles: Governor of Galilee and King of the Jews. He married the daughter of the high priest and built a fancy new temple in Jerusalem all in an effort to align himself with the Jews. He did the hard work of a politician aiming to win over those he ruled. And suddenly these foreigners show up asking the King of the Jews if he knows where the King of the Jews has been born? That’s just plain funny, humbling for poor old Herod, and meaningful I think.
Also, Matthew is writing to a Jewish audience and his main point, throughout his book, is that Jesus is King. In the beginning of his book, for instance, he lists Jesus’ family tree and the way he does it in Hebrew forms an acrostic that spells DAVID over and over again. David, as in KING David. He’s really driving the point home time after time that Jesus is King of the Jews – the one they’ve waited for.
Putting all this together, is it possible that the reason Matthew – and only Matthew – wrote about the pagan sorcerers from Persia bowing down before Jesus the toddler, isn’t to urge us to buy our kids a Webkin or a Wii but to paint Jesus as King. And not just any king but a King who will be worshipped by all nations, who will bring long-promised respect and honor to the Jews. He’s the King of Jews, of governors and of gentiles everywhere.
But what kind of worship does this King want?
When Matthew says the sorcerers worshipped Jesus the Greek word proskuneo is used. It doesn’t mean to sing. It means to kiss the hand of one in power, symbolically to fully submit to them. It evolved from combining two older words that mean “toward” (pros) and “dog” (kuon). If this word for worship were a picture it would be the image of a Master reaching for his pet and getting a big lick on the hand. These smart guys who lived in one of the most powerful nations of the ancient world, showed up and humbled themselves, they licked the Master’s hand. Could it be that the giving of gifts to Jesus that day, if symbolic of anything, was symbolic of submission – the submission of all nations to Christ the King? And is it possible that if there’s any implied commandment in this story it’s not a command to give stuff to people but to give ourselves to God?
This, according to Jesus, is the kind of worship God wants. He uses the word proskuneo in John 4:23-24: …a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.
That first part could read like this then: …the time has come when true subjects of the king will submit themselves to the Father…
Hey, honestly, I wish Jesus was looking for worshippers willing to give me an iPhone or a new guitar. But I think he’d rather have worshippers willing to give up themselves. Am I wrong? What do you think?
Dawn~Canada says:
Well said.
Morgan says:
good stuff. I agree and this all makes perfect sense, but how do you pull this off in today’s world without looking like a holier than thou jerk to your family that’s not on board with the no presents idea? I’ve been struggling with this for the past 3 months…I still don’t know how to do it.
gavin says:
the history channel is airing over and over again a really good expose on the path that christmas has taken from early church to victorian era (which is where we seem to get most of our traditions we have now) to today.
worth the view. being that its a historical perspective folks might say its another chink in the faith. possibly, i like to say its how the faith & the church has adapted to make better of the cultural norms of their time.
Shaun Groves says:
Coming soon, Morgan. Thanks for reading.
Laura says:
I have talked to a lot of friends and read a lot of blogs on this topic this year. I am thankful that God is opening our eyes and causing us to THINK and not just blindly follow the culture. My extended family is clearly not ready for the NO gifts concept based on the drama that ensued when I mentioned it last year! We have found a common ground in making donations, but also having something to open – I try to find an ornament that represents the donation.
Last year, I read something that has really stayed with me – assuming that the wise men were bringing gifts to worship Jesus (or recognize his Kingship) – who am I worshiping with my gift-giving? Sadly, I would say a lot of us are worshiping our children??
We are trying to make some gradual changes – we do stockings – then have a birthday party for Jesus – cupcakes for breakfast – why not??? We do a family gift for Jesus – some type of service to others that we do with the children involved – I have made a little album/scrapbook and put in pictures and write about it. We open that during Jesus’ birthday party and talk about Matthew 25! It is our gift to Jesus. Then we open presents for the kids!
Of course, we serve and give throughout the year, so they aren’t just thinking it’s a Christmas thing!
anne jackson says:
we really aren’t doing presents this year. i think we’re giving some grocery gift cards to our parents because they actually need them and that’s about it.
Grovesfan says:
Gift-giving, for our family anyway, is representative of the gift God gave to us; His one and only Son. It is one way that we show our love for others. We also do something as a family for our community. Last year our kids each purchased a gift for someone their age and delivered it to our local homeless shelter so the kids there would have something. Our younger two bought stuffed animals that when unvelcroed, made a pillow. Something for that kid to take wherever they may go that will be theirs. Our teenage daughter put together a nice toiletry/make-up kit. Something another teenage girl would find useful in a world where so much is “ugly.” Our son purchased books for a boy his age. Something to occupy a mind other than current circumstance? The best thing about all of this was that my kids RECEIVED more than they gave because they were able to see just how much an otherwise ordinary gift became so special. Not unlike the King who came as an ordinary baby. Not particularly special to anyone other than his parents as far as many were concerned. We of course; know otherwise.
As for a new guitar and an iPhone? The guitar I could be fairly easily persuaded to fund. The iPhone? No way! First, it’s an iPhone. Second? It’s on ATT and therefor, useless for anything other than an mp3 player; which is just a smaller version of your laptop and far less capable!
Cali Amy says:
Nope, not convinced to stop giving presents.
Pastor Bob says:
I will be preaching on that passage from Matthew this Sunday, and one of our interns sent me a link to this blog. I agree totally. In fact, instead of discussing worship in connection with the Magi, we’ll be discussing service. I don’t think it is a stretch to see the gifts of the Magi compared to the giving of ourselves to Christ, as well as giving him our “time, talent, and treasure” (is the alliteration too much?).
TransitionGirl says:
I stopped giving gifts a few years back and have informed my friends that I don’t expect any gifts either. My family never really did do the whole gift thingy anyway. I think this whole present giving is blocking the real meaning of Christmas, that and a fat man in a red suit.
Courtney says:
I get what you are saying about the wise men and I agree that Matthew’s main intent probably was to symbolically present Jesus as king. But I’m not convinced that it means we should stop giving gifts altogether. I’m sure God isn’t into gift-giving as the main focus of the season (the way it obviously is in most people’s lives), but I think there’s a place for it. We can acknowledge Jesus and give ourselves to Him and still bless our friends and families materially too, even if it’s just because it’s fun.
I think.
Richard says:
You are right, of course. Giving ourselves to the cause of Christ is true worship and exactly what Christmas should be about. I think every other part of Christmas could be so much more beautiful if it were done in the context of a life fully devoted to Christ. Then we would see the love and thought that went into that orange ipod nano that mom bought you, instead of worrying that it only has 8GB of memory and isn’t our favorite color. Then each gift we gave would be a tangible reminder of our love for whoever we gave the gift to.
Shaun Groves says:
Courtney and Amy, I’ve not suggested (yet) what we should or should not give each other stuff for Christmas (though the title of this series sure gives that ending away huh?). All I’ve done so far is suggest that we can’t easily support our gift giving by using the story of the wise men – that’s not the point of their story. We’re not told in that story or anywhere else in scripture to give gifts to each other to celebrate the coming of Christ. We’re not even told to celebrate the coming of Christ. That’s all I’m sayin’ at this point.
Pace yourself. You’ll have plenty to disagree with before this is over. I promise. And hopefully some stuff we can all agree on too. ; )
Texas in Africa says:
I thought we gave gifts because our Christmas celebration is a relic of pre-Christian German pagan celebrations of the winter solstice. Only we dropped the, um, sexual immorality that was associated with those celebrations, so an overabundance of giftgiving is the alternative way we try to satisfy our deepest longings with something cheap.
Or something like that.
Lara Marriott says:
Thanks Shaun for pointing that out. How in the world could we reverse the culture from gift getting/giving to only celebrating Christ’s birth? It is a vicious cycle every year and all about the kids. I know my kids are going to be spoiled this year. At least I now have a good way to explain the wise men to them. Thank you for the time you put in to research this.
Veretax says:
Excellent post Shaun, Jesus Reigns for sure. I don’t have a problem with exchanging gifts though, but I subscribe to the idea that if it is in my power to give something good to someone now, why hold it in hiding for three months or so.
My parents, particularly my mom have this false idea that they can win our Son’s love by giving him things, but he values their coming to visit him more than any one thing they could every buy him. I wish I knew some way to convince them of this point.
Juli Jarvis says:
We all have enough to give to family, friends, the poor, the church, and to strangers. I don’t think it’s a question of whether we give or not; I think giving is always good. The question is in the way we give—is it from the heart or out of habit? Is it begrudgingly or cheerfully? What is the motive? Why give? If you replace the receiver of your gift-giving, but don’t replace your motive or attitude, what good is that? These are things I want to think about this holiday season.
MamasBoy says:
Shaun,
I’m a bit surprised you would not buy into the symbolism of the gifts. It seems just as valid an interpretation as yours based on word etymologies, and I would find it odd for Scripture to be so specific about the gifts of the magi if they weren’t symbolic and important. The naming of the gifts stands out, especially given the nebulous nature of the rest of the magi account. The symbolic interpretation also fits well with the common uses of those strange gifts and the context and big picture of who Jesus was and the stated puropose of the magi’s visit, namely to offer worship. The interpretation also has very ancient roots, going back to the 100’s at least.
As Irenæus wrote in Against Heresies: Book III
“But Matthew says that the Magi, coming from the east, exclaimed “For we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him;” and that, having been led by the star into the house of Jacob to Emmanuel, they showed, by these gifts which they offered, who it was that was worshipped; myrrh, because it was He who should die and be buried for the mortal human race; gold, because He was a King, “of whose kingdom is no end;” and frankincense, because He was God, who also “was made known in Judea,” and was “declared to those who sought Him not.””
The fact that people interpreted the gift symbolically in the 100’s doesn’t make the interpretation right, but it certainly lends credibility to it. It is not unlikely that such an interpretation was held by the apostles themselves, since they certainly didn’t put down all they could have in the gospels and the vast majority of their teaching was oral (most of them didn’t write a lick of scripture).
Scripture has many meanings on many levels. Personally, I like both your interpretation and the traditional one and certainly don’t view it as an either/or choice.
MB
Shaun Groves says:
Never said it was either/or MB. Just said I don’t buy it and why. Sorry to disappoint.
MamasBoy says:
Shaun,
I’m sorry if it seemed like I thought you said it was an either/or choice. I didn’t mean to attribute that to you, but looking back I can see how somebody might think I did. This is mostly because I did have the impression that you don’t buy the traditional interpretation of the symbolism behind the wise men’s gifts. I got that impression from this statement you made.
“Some folks put a lot of symbolism into these gifts nowadays. Gold is theorized to be a gift that acknowledged Jesus as king. Frankincense was used in temple worship so some say it represents Jesus’ priestly role, mediating between God and man. And myrrh was used in embalming and is said to have foreshadowed his death. But I’m not buying it.”
I’m sorry for not being more clear about what I attributed to you and what I didn’t. I also apologize if I misinterpreted or misrepresented what you wrote. That was not my intent. I was mostly trying to make a case for the traditional understanding of the symbolism behind the wise men’s gifts, since it seems to me to be a very good one.
MB
MamasBoy says:
“Sorry to disappoint.”
I’m not sure why you would think I’m disappointed.
MB
Cali Amy says:
I guess I never thought I had Biblical support for giving gifts, so this part, while interesting, doesn’t apply to why I give gifts at Christmas.
Dave Haupert says:
Question for you- if Christ were here now, would you bring Him a gift? I know I would.
So we speak of Christ being in us and other believers, so in that sense, giving a gift to another person celebrating Christ’s birth is your only way of giving to Christ.
What we do unto others we do unto Him.
That being said, WWJW (What would Jesus want?) should be the focus of the rest of this conversation. I know they call the iPhone the Jesusphone in some parts, and while I love mine and make my living off writing software for it, I can’t say with any certainty that would be the pefect gift for Him
Alison says:
I still don’t know what to think of the whole gift giving thing. Some of our family treats Christmas as an excuse to lavish gifts on those they haven’t paid much attention to all year. Almost like a peace offering. Not our idea of an offering. Some of the family sets a limit on the gift amount so we all have something small and fun to open, while really recognizing that we are spending time together (many days) and expressing our love to one another celebrating the love of Christ in our lives. Part of what I believe God wants in our lives is just having fun and being generous with one another. I also began including everyone in the opportunity to give to another less fortunate family each year. I’m hoping that the gift tradition moves entirely in that direction in the coming years as our kids get older. I serve throughout the year as an offering to God, so that when Christmas rolls around it doesn’t feel like my one big opportunity to celebrate all that Jesus represents in my life. Maybe these thoughts will help someone else?
Christa says:
I am jumping in a little late to this whole discussion. I thank you for taking the time to write it and challenge cultural norms. I took a class called Perspectives on the World Christian Movement this year and have had been awakened to the idea that we view Christianity through the lense of our culture and not neccessarily from a true biblical perspective. Christmas is a great example and we will really have to pray about what our Christmas will look like in the future, this year it will remain as is, because I haven’t been thinking about it for long enough to know what the Lord is leading our family to do.
One thing I wanted to comment on is the comment you made about the Magi bringing the gifts and that you were not buying the symbolism. I don’t know what the Magi thought as they came, but they do seem to come for the purpose of worship and whether they intentionally and symbolically brought the gifts or not, I do believe that we worship a Soveriegn God who is often in the details and so it is very possible the symbolism does have meaning, whether the Magi realized it or not. Sometimes I think we are quick to remove God’s Soveriegnty from circumstances. Just my thoughts…
Shaun Groves says:
Agreed, Christa. If I had this post to wrote over again I would have said instead that the symbolism is possible and even probable but that I don’t believe it’s likely the Magi realized the symbolism or knew Jesus would be king/prophet/sacrifice as they brought these gifts.
I took Perspectives several years ago and it blew my mind and changed my living too and continues to. Hope the same is true for you. Thanks for chiming in…even if you are a little late ; )