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By Michael D. Roberts |
Oftentimes we hear about the Three Kings who miraculously traveled from the East to be in time for the birth of Jesus the Christ in Bethlehem. It is a cornerstone of the Christmas tradition and one that endures up to this day. But apart from the immortalization of these kings in Christmas Carols and Christmas Lore, their impact and the significance of their visit to the smelly stable where Jesus, according to Christmas, not Biblical lore, was born is not always discussed or analyzed.
This commentary is therefore an attempt, from a layman's perspective, to look at the real meaning of the visit of the three kings, and how their gifts and offerings tell a story of symbolism. I hope that readers will forgive any flaws in my reasoning since I am no expert on religious history or pretend to no such expertise. My analysis is based on a narrow study and research on this one issue alone, since linking it to others is something that a more qualified religious person would be best suited to do. I therefore apologize in advance for any Biblical inaccuracies or fundamental analytical shortcoming in dealing with so deep and important a subject.
First of all the story of the Three Kings, or Three Wise Men coming from the East and following a star is a mix of both Biblical record and Christian Christmas tradition. For one thing, following the stars was a feature of ancient travel, and was certainly not restricted to sailors, many of whom navigated by the stars, especially at night. But according to the Bible this "new star" also signaled the coming into the world of a great new king. Christian beliefs based on Biblical teachings speak of the "promise of the Lord" and the "coming of the Messiah." The prophet Isaiah foretold the arrival of the kings and the bringing of gifts for the King of Kings.
But who exactly were these three kings? And where did they come from?
The Bible does not name the three kings or speak about how many kings visited the newborn Christ. But because of the three gifts mentioned, gold, frankincense and myrrh, it is traditionally assumed that there were only three kings who visited the manger. Moreover, the names of the three kings are not to be found in Biblical records. Practice and religious tradition have been responsible for the kings that have come to be known as Gaspar, Melchior and Balthazar.
One school of thought contends that these men were not kings at all but magi, literally "wise men." A close translation of the word "magi" is magician. And it is a fact that in Christ's time many political and civic leaders of the day employed the services of wise men or magicians. The record in the Bible is that wise men came from the east following a star. Moreover the traditional and customary belief was that the three wise men or three kings, depending on one's interpretation, visited the Baby Jesus in the "manger where he lay." Hence the now popular depiction of three kneeling men before the manger with the cattle and other animals.
But that might not be entirely correct. Jesus' close friend and one who chronicled various aspects of his life on earth, made no mention of the men visiting the manger. What the Apostle Matthew did write about was that they brought their gifts to a house. And if we are to believe his account of the wicked King Herod, he began ordering first-born children two years and under killed around the time that the magi spoke about the appearance of the star. In essence therefore, the three wise men or three kings must have visited Christ when he was over a year old or quite possibly near two years. Of course this is an interpretation based solely on what the record stated and an educated guess at that.
And what about the gifts that they brought? Why bring the gift of myrrh for a baby a substance used in ancient times as embalming fluid, and more closely aligned with death?
Well, the first gift of gold, is symbolic of the rank reserved for kings and people in high office. As the King of Kings this gift by the wise men was a powerful statement about their subjugation to the will of Jesus Christ, and their recognition of him as the manifestation of Biblical prophecy. By bringing gold the wise men exhalted Jesus the Christ as the king of all the people. They placed him, although lowly born to poor earthly parents, literally above the rank and station of all reigning monarchs. Jesus' kingdom was not limited to a fixed, by law, geographical area. He was the King of the World.
The second gift frankincense, was associated with religious worship for many years. In fact it used to be one of the many ways to worship God. It was and is still used in holy anointing oil, found in many Christian and Jewish religious rites the world over. Frankincense is also spoken of as a purifier of holy places, and a form of simple offering to God. There is no doubt that this gift was symbolic of the priestly nature of Christ's earthly ministry and life. He was and is "the people's" high priest.
The flip side of the coin is that by presenting Christ with this gift the wise men or three kings were making the point that He was worthy of mankind's adoration and worship. It was and is an affirmation by mortal men that God was revealed in the flesh. And lastly, it symbolized the fact that Christ will lead people to God, and that he will intercede on their behalf when the time came.
The last gift, myrrh, is a bit of an odd one at first glance. Admittedly, no one had any right giving a small child, possibly no more than two years old, a liquid that was associated with preserving the dead for burial. Was this some kind of a cruel and ironic twist? Where is the logic? And why the departure from tradition?
The only explanation is again found in the realities of symbolism. After all Christ certainly did not have any use for embalming fluid. What I believe is that the three wise men, I'll call them philosophers, because I believe that was what they really were, meant by this morbid gift was to remind all that even though he was King of Kings, he had come to die. He would make the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of his people, as the popular hymn says "Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world."
Further this gift among the two reminded mankind of his mortality and it served to poignantly make the case that even in the midst of great joy and rejoicing, as the birth of Christ, the evil reality of the grave was present. By placing this almost quixotic gift between two others that people more readily embraced, the three wise men were reminding us all that "where there was joy, there is sorrow." In the end this King of Kings would be horribly put to death. He would be crowned with a crown of thorns, and though a symbol of sarcasm and ridicule, it was an earthly crown that symbolized that he wore it in his people's name.
In a way the coming of the three philosophers also was symbolic in its own right, quite apart from the gifts and all. To my mind their coming represented the recognition by non-Jews (Gentiles) of the importance of Jesus the Christ. They were not magicians in the strictest sense of the word, they were men who had contemplated the world and had reached an educated conclusion based on their observations and experience.
To begin with to travel the distance that they did was not only remarkable, but also a lesson in singleness of purpose and unity. One even came from the African continent, from Sheba, so one of these wise men must have been Black. And again this is not extraordinary when one remembers that around the time of Christ's coming, many African nations and Kingdoms had great institutions of learning and religion. One of the three philosophers was obviously a product of this environment.
This act of giving gifts, has been imbedded in the Christmas Tradition ever since, and while the true essence of gift giving has been lost in this modern world, no one can deny its roots.