The Gift of Myrrh
“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; For out of you shall come forth a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.”
Matthew 2:1-12 NASB1995
Today we are looking at the gift of myrrh, its significance and what this gift represents. All of the gifts carry not only the treasure of the gift, but the gift of myrrh carries with it something that means more than just the materialistic value. Myrrh had many different uses in the Bible. It was used as a perfume represented in the story of Esther in chapter 2. When for six months the girls were covered in the oil of myrrh before being with the king. Also, used in beauty products and used as a pain killer but it carries with it something more valuable as a gift to Jesus. The gift of myrrh is a prophetic telling of the true gift of our Lord and Savior. Myrrh in the time of Jesus was used by the priest as part of a sacrificial death offering. This goes back to Abraham when he takes Isaac up on Mount Moriah. Moriah in Hebrew means myrrh the root word is (mor) and thus the mountain where the sacrifice was going to be made was called (Mor)iah. So, this gift means more than all the rest. It was a prophecy of the sacrifice that this baby would be.
“But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.”
Isaiah 53:5 NASB1995
The incredible aspect of myrrh is it is only used when it was crushed. The gift of myrrh to us is we are not saved by the birth of Jesus or the ministry of Jesus, but we are saved by the death and sacrifice of Jesus. Let’s not view the gift of myrrh as just another gift to Jesus but of the power of this gift and the true meaning behind this wonderful gift.
Pastor Benaiah Snider