The Gift of Myrrh

We have a lot to be thankful for this Christmas season, let’s be thankful for the children and the wonderful job they did singing today. Let’s show our appreciation to the choir and their hard work today as well. We cannot go on without thanking Brian for his leadership and dedication, as well as Gwen and Frieda for making us all sound good! Thank you to Teagan for blessing us with her talent and violin solo!

So much to be thankful for. Let me begin by saying I do not intend to keep you here for long today. I know you have been sitting for a long time and I have only a few words to say this morning as we look at the last gift brought by the Magi, but not the last gift we will look at in this series. We, like Joseph and Mary should be very thankful for the gift of myrrh… Matthew 2:11

Matthew 2:11 KJV 1900

11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

Again we will look at the significance of this gift both practically and prophetically:

Practically

There were two primary purposes for myrrh as outlined in Scripture, and both were used in anointing

It was used to anoint priests and prophets

Exodus 30:23-25 “23 Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels, 24 And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin: 25 And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.”

This anointing symbolized the setting apart of the priest and prophet for God’s service

It also represented the ministry of the Holy Spirit

In the OT the Spirit of God did not dwell within a person but would come on them at particular times

The anointing symbolized that God was with the person anointed

Another, more common usage of myrrh however...

It was used in medicine to ease suffering

Even today myrrh is used in some homeopathic remedies as it has antiseptic uses

A first century doctor suggested it had narcotic principles which would explain why it was have been offered to those about to be crucified to help dull their pain

Further, and more common still,

It was used to anoint the dead

Myrrh, being a chief ingredient in perfume, gave off a particularly strong oder that would conceal the smell of decay

It would be often mixed with various other spices as a sort of potpourri in a primitive embalming

Yes, myrrh was a very useful gift, and expensive. Once again the family could have sold this item and lived very well for a long time in Egypt and home in Nazareth. But even more important that the practical uses of myrrh are its meaning...

Prophetically

Prophetically it speaks to Jesus as:

Prophet

Moses - Deut. 18:15 “15 The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;”

Moses in this passage was not predicting just another prophet, bu the coming Messiah

Moses brought the people out of bondage from Egypt; Jesus would bring them out of the bondage of their sin

Moses gave the people the law; Jesus fulfilled the law

John the Baptist - John 1:21 “21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.”

John knew his place, that he was not the promised prophet

John knew that the real prophet was there, Jesus!

Also it speaks to His..

Suffering and Death

On the cross - Mk. 15:23 “23 And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not.”

Here the use of myrrh would be to dull the pain of the cross

Jesus refused this as His purpose was to fully endure the pain caused to God by the sins of mankind

At the tomb - Jn. 19:39 “39 And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.”

Here myrrh was included in the anointing mixture brought to embalm Jesus’ body

I want you to imagine the suffering, not only of Jesus on the cross, but of His followers that tenderly laid His body in the tomb

The way they would have lovingly removed Him from the cross

The way they would have carefully washed his bloody body

The tears they must have shed as they would anoint his body, wrap a layer, anoint another layer, and continue the process until it was time to seal Him in.

Time and time again myrrh keeps popping up at every major point in Jesus’ life. At His birth it was given by the magi, at His death it was offered by the Romans, at His burial it was used by those who loved Him. Myrrh was a reminder to Mary that her Son, God’s Son, was born to suffer for a lost world.

Conclusion:

That lost world included you. God had you in mind when He put it on the heart of the wisemen to visit Jesus. These three gifts represented the three-fold ministry of Jesus as prophet, priest, and king. These three gifts represented the deity of Jesus as the Son of God and the Savior of man. These three gifts are a reminder to us that God provides for those He loves, and He loves everyone!

His greatest provision was in giving Jesus to die in our place, to pay for our sin. This Christmas, the greatest gift is not at home waiting for you wrapped under a tree, but was given openly and freely to everyone on Calvary: Jesus.

You say, “How can I know Jesus today as my Savior?” Simple: Admit your sin, believe what He said is true, and call on Him to forgive you.