“Therefore, holy
brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High
Priest of our confession;” Hebrews 3:1
The next gift mentioned
in Matthew is called frankincense. This is where a good many of us get
lost, since we do not often have much sense regarding scents. It is obtained from balsam trees,
specifically ones that are indigenous to regions of Arabia and the Horn of
Africa. In ancient times, it held a great value because of the localization of
the economy.
Today, though,
frankincense does not seem to be that big of a deal. At this moment, I can
order a pound of frankincense from Amazon.com for under twenty dollars! It does
not have the intrinsic worth that gold has. One reason is this: as long as you
can grow a Boswellia tree, you can make more. It’s like maple syrup: there is a
specific source and varied conditions can cause a shortage, but if you can grow
the tree and learn how to tap it, you can have more next year.
Why, then, is
frankincense valuable? We can see that
it is: if you look at Exodus, frankincense is part of the holy incense
prescribed in the Torah. It can also be found in Song of Solomon as a part of
social and intimate life. It was part of the sacrificial system in Leviticus.
Even non-canonical books mention frankincense. 3 Maccabees mentions that
elephants were given frankincense and wine to drive them mad! The stuff shows
up in various places.
The main use, though, is
not to drug elephants. That story is actually not very reliable anyway, but it
is entertaining. The primary use of frankincense is in religious observances.
It is, as mentioned, part of sacrifices, anointing, and Song of Solomon puts
frankincense into the marriage celebration. Why is a tree product that
valuable?
As I said above, it was
difficult to obtain in a non-globalized economy. It requires effort to obtain.
One can pay enough for it, but one could also find a way to grow it and prepare
it yourself. God is gracious like this: wealth is not the key to worship.
Effort is. Action that reveals the heart of the worshipper is more important than
how big of a check was written. It was valuable because God commanded it.
And frankincense
represents that. It was a necessary part of worship: it was used to anoint the
High Priest and used in the most important sacrifices. It was a part of the
smoke of the fire on the altar that went up before God constantly. Its presence
signified the presence of God.
The Magi bring it to
Jesus. Whether they fully understand how He is the High Priest for all time is
a question that I cannot answer. I know that they could have read of His coming
from one of their predecessors, known to them as Belteshazzar. He was a wise
man of Babylon who went on to be a wise man of the Persian Empire, and it is
from Persia that the Magi have come. Belteshazzar has mentioned the coming of a
glorious one, and based on his experiences with telling dreams, reading
miraculous handwriting, and surviving lions’ dens, his voice would likely be
remembered.
Daniel (that was Belteshazzar’s other name. You
might remember that one better, it was the one his mother gave him!) had spoken of the coming Anointed One in his
writings[1]
and the Magi are standing before that One. They present Him with a gift that
does not acknowledge His kingship, but rather His Priesthood. As High Priest,
He represents God to the people, and the people to God. He is the embodiment of
religious truth and greatness.
Let us take time this
week to examine Jesus as the Great High Priest.
Scripture Passage for
the Day: Hebrews 8:1-2 (NASB95)
“Now the main point of what we are saying is this:
We do have such
a high priest,
who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the
Majesty in heaven,
and who serves
in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord,
not by a mere
human being.”
Hymn for the Day: Come Thou Long Expected Jesus #176
Prayer: Almighty God, I have often sought to bring to
you what I consider valuable. Yet Your priorities are different than mine, and
I must learn to worship You as You command. I ask for help: Jesus came not only
as my King, but as the only priest that I need. Help me to come to You through
Him. Through His work and His word. I have learned to say I pray in His name,
but help me learn what it is to pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment
To deal with SPAM comments, all comments are moderated. I'm typically willing to post contrary views...but I also only check the list once a day, so if you posted within the last 24 hours, I may not be to it yet.