The story of the Three Wise Men, or the Magi, is like a “haggadah” - that is, a story made up from Biblical materials to make a theological point. The Haggadah is a collection of ancient Jewish lore forming the non-legal part of the Talmud. The Talmud is the authoritative body of Jewish tradition comprising the Mishnah and the Gemara. The Mishnah is the collection of Jewish traditions compiled about 200 C.E. These are mostly halakic - that is they are mostly from the body of Jewish law which supplements the Torah, which is the scriptural law. The Gemara is commentary on the Mishnah and forms the second part of the Talmud.

So the Haggadah is that part of the Talmud which is used to make the point. It is the fable or myth that illustrates the central theme but which is, by itself, not meant to be taken literally.
The coming of the Magi is a haggadah used to make a theological point. there are parts of the old testament which contribute to the story of the Magi - Numbers 24:17 reads “a star shall come forth out of Jacob; and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.” Psalm 72, verses 10-11 reads: “May the Kings of Tarshish and of the isles render him tribute, may the Kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts!” And Isaiah 60, verses 1-7 also contributes to the composition of the story of the Magi: “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes round about, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far, and your daughters shall be carried in the arms. Then you shall see and be radiant, your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the lord. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall come up with acceptance on my altar and I will glorify my glorious house.”

Well, I bet the baby’s mother was glad she didn’t have to contend with a multitude of camels covering him, but the gold and frankincense were great.
Actually, the story is considered to have opened up the possibility of a mission to the Gentiles, with non-Jewish Kings coming to pay the child tribute. It would have reassured the Jewish members of Matthew’s community that the recent development of a mission to the Gentiles, which was very suspect to the Jewish Christians, was in fact foreshadowed in Jesus’s birth.

And the similarities between the birth narrative about Jesus and the life story of Moses give rise to an understanding of Jesus as a new Moses. Late ron, Matthew will embellish this idea - where Moses parted the waters so the people could pass, Jesus simply walked on top of the water. Where Moses got God to provide food for the people, Jesus transformed the loaves and fishes into an ample sufficiency for the crowds.

So there is the Bible lesson for the day, the reason for the story of the Three Kings and their visit to the infant Jesus. But what about those gifts? What do we make of the gifts they are said to have brought - the trinity of Gold, frankincense and myrrh which seem such odd things to bring to a baby. Well, maybe not the gold. Babies can always use a bit of gold. Gold connects us to the world in a pretty comfortable way, both practically and symbolically.
Gold - atomic symbol Au from the Latin aurum, related to aurora and aureole, meaning dawn, radiance, light. Gold, a metallic element - atomic number 79 - one of the first known of all metals. Neolithic peoples knew about gold. Possession of this bright yellow metal has been a mark of wealth and prestige for thousands of years. It represents material wealth, wellbeing, a blessed life. Gold is a symbol of other powers - political, social, personal. Kings and queens are crowned in gold, the fiftieth anniversary is the golden anniversary. The gold card means a good credit rating.

Gold is a pretty useful gift. Hammered thin is becomes decoration for the body, or utensils, or altar adornments. Traded, it is money, a good recognized in the marketplace by everyone. I expect that Joseph used at least part of the Child's gift of gold to provide for his family on the flight to Egypt, a flight made necessary by Herod's villainous plan to murder every male child under the age of two.

The gift of gold connects the Child to the world. It recognizes that, while personality and spirit and character are important, all children - even the Christ child - need the protection of adults, those who have worked and earned and have some security.

It has always been murderously difficult to get ahead when you start off from behind. Gold, the first gift of the wise men from the East, reminds us that each child born deserves to be cared for in this world. It is our purpose in life to protect and provide for the next generation, if the race is to survive at all. If theology cannot teach us this lesson, biology will.

We don’t want to base our whole life and sense of worth on a gold standard alone, however. The gift of gold to the new born baby is appropriate. But we know enough of mythological structures to know that when three things are given, the first is not the most important. Necessary, but not sufficient, was the gift of gold It tends to the child in the world, but the Magi knew that the child was not only of the world. Like Blake, they sensed that this child came into the world trailing clouds of glory. So they brought something for his spirit as well: frankincense.

Frankincense is a fragrant gum-resin obtained from certain trees in East Africa and Southern Arabia. It has a pleasant scent when burned and has been used widely for religious rites. Its name means "pure incense." In the days of the Child's birth, frankincense was used for embalming and fumigating, but mostly it was used for making incense.
Maybe you've had the pleasure of visiting a church where censors are used, where ancient rituals remain a part of the weekly, even the daily, order of things. In Thorpe St. Mary's, Surrey, England, the little church with the Norman origins where I attended services every Sunday smelled powerfully, and not objectionably, of frankincense. Each week the Anglican priest moved slowly down the center aisle, with one acolyte in front of him and one behind, each swinging a censer in which nuggets of frankincense smoldered. It was murder for people with allergies, but I breathed in that scent as if it were something I had known it all my life, and wept to come back to. I’m certain it is an ancient genetic memory. The acolytes held the censors by long chains and swung them to and fro, side to side, to spread the holy vapors and to sanctify the space for our collective efforts to call up the Great Spirit.

Incense is used to mark out sacred space, to consecrate a room or other area for that which is deepest and highest in human aspiration, devotion, and longing. Jewish families in Diaspora might use a bit of frankincense on a Shabbat to make holy the profane, and it would be a good thing to have, along with phylacteries, prayer shawls, and the Torah, to keep the Sabbath holy however far from the gathered community one might find oneself.
Separation and terror were never far from the thoughts of the Jewish families of the Child's time. To engage in the sacrifice and discipline of their worship, to make everyday acts holy and to consecrate one's life to God was one way of remaining sane in a world that even then seemed to have gone utterly mad. Wherever they found themselves, the Jews could burn the incense and say the prayers that gave them memory and permanence.

I think about our lives today, rushed and frenetic, overwhelmed with choices, and I realize that it is just as important - oh, even more important, today to set aside a sacred space and a sacred time to be with the people we love, to develop a spiritual practice, to be quiet and listen for the still small voice within.

There is a poverty of holiness in our lives these days. The gift of frankincense is a reminder of spiritual discipline and sacrifice, old-fashioned words needed in our hearts more than ever before. It puts us in mind of the spirit of living a consecrated life. The day should be divided so that there is time for meditation or prayer, meals and relationships, labor and learning, and rest. Frankincense symbolized the consecration we need for our lives to be more than stop-gap measures between birth and death. It reminds us to make of our lives something that reflects our gratitude to be alive.

And now we come to myrrh. Certain trees, especially the Commiphora abyssinica of Eastern Africa and Arabia give off a yellowish-brown to reddish-brown, fragrant, gumlike substance which has a bitter, slightly pungent taste. In ancient times this substance, myrrh, was used, as was frankincense, for fumigation and embalming, but not in worship, although the oil is used in incense, perfume, medicines, gargles and mouthwashes. A mixture of myrrh and labdanum is also called simply myrrh. Labdanum is a soft, dark, fragrant bitter oleoresin derived from various rockroses, (genus Cistus) and it is used in making perfumes. The Scots use this name - myrrh - for sweet chervil, of the parsley family - parsley is used at the Seder for the required bitter herb

Myrrh was used widely in ointments such as those used for bathing and massaging feet after a long barefoot or sandalled journey. Any substance as versatile as myrrh would be useful to a family in transit, but I prefer to think that the gift was given in the form of anointing oils, so that together with the gold to crown the King and the frankincense to sanctify the space in which this holy Child was born, and to make holy the humble creatures who witnessed the Birth, myrrh was given to anoint the Newborn King, the Rose sprung from Jesse's stem, the Wonderful Counselor, the Prince of Peace.

Every baby deserves it. Every baby might turn out to be the One who Saves the World. That oil represents the bitterness she will have to face in the world, but it also stands for the tender affection and caregiving she needs and deserves, by virtue of being born of man and woman. It says she is holy.

Myrrh, the anointing oil, reminds us that our bodies are temples, they are holy, and the gift of myrrh to the Child tells us that we need to be good to our bodies and the bodies of others; health is created and maintained not only by exercising, eating right and keeping clean, but by touch and affection, and by being certain that all the bodies are safe. Myrrh suggests maintaining peace. You can’t stay mad at a person who anoints you with fragrant oils, rubbing your feet or hands. This gift of myrrh reminds me to remind you to get a massage!
So the gifts of the Magi have meaning for us today that transcends the particular story in which they were first embedded. Gold for the world, and the living in it; frankincense for making the very act an act of high and holy order, and myrrh to remind us of the precious nature of these temporary shelters, our bodies. Talk about gifts that really do keep on giving.
 

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