ummm, excuse me, but who are you and why are you giving my baby embalming fluid?

there are a few pet peeves i have when it comes to CHRISTmas:  martha stewart "themed" CHRISTmas trees, stores that put up their decorations right afer labor day, 80 degree weather in december (you know you hate that one, too!), and nativity scenes with the "wise men" at the stable in bethlehem.  i'll tell you why later.  but the "wise men", or "magi", seem to intrigue us more than any other part of the CHRISTmas story.  songs have been written about them, they are in every CHRISTmas pageant, and their giving of gifts to the CHRIST-child is celebrated every year as we give gifts to each other.  last year, i received a book for CHRISTmas entitled, "the revelation of the magi", which is the translation of an ancient manuscript that lied tucked away in the vatican library for centuries until a doctoral student dug it up and did his thesis on it.  the manuscript was written in the early days of CHRISTianity and claimed to be written by the magi that came to visit the CHRIST-child.  while i do not hold this manuscript on the same level of authority as the Bible, it is a very interesting read.  it states that the magi were actually a sect of silent ascetic worshippers, descended from seth, the son of adam, who were handed down a prophecy from adam through seth partaining to the birth of the CHRIST.  the prophecy contained who the CHRIST was, the star that would announce His coming, and the purpose of His coming.  the magi (according to "the revelation of the magi" from the ancient word magoi, meaning silent) were from the land in the east by the great sea, meaning china.  the star that they saw was actually an angelic being, appearing to them in the cave where they lived, and announced the birth of the CHRIST, and they rejoiced and set out to worship Him following the angelic "star-child" as it went before them.  we all know the rest of the story from Matthew: they followed the star until it led them to the house where He was, and they presented Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

now, as said before, i have a big problem with the magi being in nativity scenes.  not so much with the number, even though nowhere does the Bible say that there were only three, just three types of gifts.  it must have been more than three for a significant portion of jerusalem and even the king to notice their arrival.  but my hang-up comes with them being there when CHRIST was a baby.  if the star appeared when He was born, it would have taken them years to reach Him, not hours.  when herod asked them about when the star appeared, he had every baby 2 years old and under in bethlehem slaughtered.  we also see the magi visiting Him in "the house", meaning that He was no longer at the stable.  it is yet another one of the aspects of the CHRISTmas story that has been romanticized into a falsehood.

however, what is most intriguing about the magi was not when they got there, or where they were from, but the gifts that they brought.  the gifts were (say them with me) gold, frankincense, and myrhh.  gold was a gift given to a king, thus they recognized CHRIST as king (they even asked herod where the king of the jews was born).  frankincense was a gift given to a priest or a deity, thus they recognized CHRIST as not just a priest, but as God.  and the final gift mentioned is myrrh.  this one is prophetic in nature.  myrrh was used as an analgesic, or pain reliever, and also as a spice used in burial for preserving corpses.  so they recognized CHRIST's purpose for being born.  an interesting side note is that out of all the gifts, CHRIST would only be offered one again while He was on earth:  myrrh.  He was offered myrrh mixed with vinegar to dull His pain while on the cross, which He refused.  the women coming to His tomb to prepare His body also would no doubt have had myrrh with them.

whether you call them magi, kings, wise men, or astrologers, one thing is certain:  we can see their parallels in society as well as in our own lives this CHRISTmas.  there are people today who are anxiously watching the signs and waiting for CHRIST to return.  no one knows when that will be, but there are CHRISTians who are like the magi, watching and waiting.  they are faithful, no matter the cost.  there are those that, like the magi, have left their homes and their comfort zones to worship CHRIST in another land as missionaries.  in "the revelation of the magi", we know that many generations lived and died, all the while remaining faithful to the promise and prophecy of CHRIST's coming.  there are those that will die anxiously awaiting His return, and even as year after year passed, they never gave up hope, never stopped watching and preparing themselves. 

another parallel is in how we see CHRIST.  many of us are like ricky bobby, and like the CHRISTmas Jesus.  we pray to the "dear baby Jesus in the golden diaper".  it's far more peaceful to think about that than it is to think about the reason He came.  there was a man in a CHRISTmas parade about 10 or 15 years ago, i forget where, but entered himself as "the reason for the season".  when it came parade day, most figured that he would show up as something relating to the nativity, but he shocked them all when he showed up in very elaborate theatre make-up as CHRIST during His walk up the via de la rosa.  he had a crown of thorns on his head, blood everywhere, and was carrying a large wooden cross.  according to the news article, the people from the town were very upset at the violence portrayed in his entry, and that it was a CHRISTmas parade, and not a haunted house.  they lambasted the man for ruining their parade.  but you know, he got it right!  that's why Jesus came.  He came to die on that cross. 

so this year, let us all keep the spirit of CHRISTmas as displayed in the magi.  let us always be prepared for His coming, after all, the Bible says that no one knows the hour of His return.  and most importantly, let us always remember the real reason for the season.  the apostle paul said, "we preach CHRIST, and Him crucified."  nothing in there that says, "we preach CHRIST, and His being born in a stable."  every day of the year should be focused on remembering His death, burial, and resurrection.  the birth is important, for it fulfilled a plethora of prophecies, adding validity to His claim to be who He said He was.  but it is the milk. the meat is the reason He came!