Unwrapping presents
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Christmas
*Joke Mexicans unwrapping tamales
One of the christmas traditions we look forward to most are gifts.
The Bible teaches us that we are all on the naughty kids list / unlike Santa Claus Jesus brings a gift for naughty kids.
Gifts that come wrapped because they want to be surprised when they open it.
Luke, the evangelist tells us twice that Jesus was wrapped in cloth.
Luke 2:7 (NVI)
Así que dio a luz a su hijo primogénito. Lo envolvió en pañales y lo acostó en un pesebre, porque no había lugar para ellos en la posada.
The wise men from the east brought gold, incense and myrrh:
The symbolism behind it is very deep
In our consumerist culture, it is very easy to think about receiving.
Therefore, during the Christmas season, the story of the Three Wise Men bringing their gifts to the Baby Jesus in Matthew 2 can be a helpful reminder of the types of “gifts” that God also wants from us.
At some point after Jesus' birth in Bethlehem, several wise men traveled to see him by following a single star or light in the sky.
Todos los sabios del reino se presentaron, pero no pudieron descifrar lo escrito ni decirle al rey lo que significaba.
These Magi (also known as “wise men”) were a special class of priests in the Persian Empire that had existed for a long time, at least since King Nebuchadnezzar appointed Daniel to be their leader (Daniel 5:8).
They were religious teachers, philosophers, and scholars who were highly educated in many fields, including religion and astronomy (which is why they were paying attention to the stars in the first place).
»Lo veo, pero no ahora;
lo contemplo, pero no de cerca.
Una estrella saldrá de Jacob;
un rey surgirá en Israel.
Aplastará las sienes de Moab
y el cráneo de todos los hijos de Set.
It is quite possible that while Daniel supervised these wise men, he taught them the prophecies about the coming of the Messiah (as in Numbers 24:17 and Micah 5:2). Quite possibly, they had been awaiting the birth of Jesus for a long time.
If the wise men came from the vicinity of Babylon, they would have traveled approximately 1,500 kilometers.
Al ver la estrella, se llenaron de alegría.
Cuando llegaron a la casa, vieron al niño con María, su madre; y postrándose lo adoraron. Abrieron sus cofres y le presentaron como regalos oro, incienso y mirra.
When the wise men finally found the house where the Baby Jesus was staying, they "rejoiced exceedingly with great joy," fell on their faces before Jesus and Mary, and worshiped him.
Then they opened their treasures and presented the baby Jesus with three types of gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. These were not random gifts they had lying around, each one of them was significant at the time and have important meanings for us today.
But as this author suggests, these gifts were diplomatic representations of each of the cultures of the Magi. Depending on where they came from, they "honored the king... in a way that befitted his nationality."
What was the meaning of each of the wise men's gifts?
The gold points to the kingship of Jesus,
incense to his divinity
and myrrh to humanity from him.
1. Gold is a precious metal that has been used for jewelry, ornaments, currency and idols due to its color and luster.
Gold: royalty - they knelt to submit to his reign
2. Incense is an expensive fragrance or perfume made from trees in India and Arabia. Incense: it is linked to prayer.
3. Myrrh is a specific type of expensive perfume made from rare thorn bushes in Arabia and Ethiopia that is used as an antiseptic anointing oil and embalming fluid.
He descended from Heaven as our King (gold)
to fulfill his priestly duties (incense)
and finally die for our sins (myrrh).
The ancient church understood that the three types of gifts clearly symbolize three key aspects of Christ's identity.
In fact, one could argue that through their gifts, the Three Wise Men “preached” the gospel in a tangible way. Whether they were fully aware of it or not, their gifts told the story of how God Himself, who
*Since the gift of myrrh was the strangest gift, it especially points to the day when Jesus would die for the sins of the world.
Just as the Magi responded to the heavenly light upon them by going and worshiping Jesus, the Christmas season calls us all to respond to Jesus in one way or another.
This truth is not only clear in the story of the wise men, but we also see it in the stories of the angels, the shepherds, the older saints in the temple, and even Herod (who responded to the news of a king by trying to kill him). .
This is because Christmas presents us with the gospel, and the gospel demands a response.
Había un hombre bueno y justo llamado José, miembro del Consejo, que no había estado de acuerdo con la decisión ni con la conducta de ellos. Era natural de un pueblo de Judea llamado Arimatea, y esperaba el reino de Dios. Éste se presentó ante Pilato y le pidió el cuerpo de Jesús. Después de bajarlo, lo envolvió en una sábana de lino y lo puso en un sepulcro cavado en la roca, en el que todavía no se había sepultado a nadie.
Jesus was born for a purpose and it was not an accident or an afterthought.
Jesus was our perfect example with a purpose. We see the relevance of these other two wrapped gifts in that Jesus died for us. John 3:16 tells us that Jesus died so that we could have eternal life. Jesus died physically. His body had to be wrapped and put in a grave. He paid for our sins with his life.
Unwrapping this gift is for us to accept that Jesus is our Lord and Savior and He offers us eternal life.