I absolutely love Christmas carols for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is because they help tell the story of Christmas with such beautiful and vivid imagery. However, occasionally, they unintentionally distort the story for the sake of poetic license. Such is the case with the famous carol “We Three Kings”. As any good student of the Bible knows, there was never a mention of the number of “kings”, or “magi”, who visited the baby Jesus. Nevertheless, the significance of the magi’s visitation lies not in their number, nor in the timing of their visit, but in the nature of their gifts.

We read in Matthew 2:11, “And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.” As it were, the fact that there were three gifts served as the reasoning behind there supposedly being three kings. And yet, the greater focus is to be placed on what the gifts represented.

Gold symbolically represented divinity, with gold being associated with sacred objects like the Ark of the Covenant, signifying Jesus as God in the flesh. Frankincense, a fragrant resin used in worship, symbolized holiness and righteousness, representing Jesus’ willing to become a sacrifice for sin. And myrrh, a spice used in embalming, symbolized bitterness, suffering and affliction, foreshadowing Jesus’ future suffering and ultimate sacrifice on the cross.

The events surrounding the birth of Jesus and the gifts that were offered to him as an act of worship speak to how the ceremonial aspects of the Law not only pointed to Jesus, but they were fulfilled in his life and eventual death on the cross as a sacrifice for sin.

While the gifts given by the magi point to Jesus as our sacrifice for sin, his gift of eternal life points to him as Lord and Savior over all. So, this Christmas, as we gather with friends and family to exchange gifts, let’s see our gift-giving as an expression of gratitude, an example of generosity, and an exhortation to all of what Christmas is all about!