Keys to the Kingdom
By Carolyn Tucker
Roaring ‘20s Christmas
My mom was born in Dade County, Missouri on December 17, 1923, the thirteenth child and only girl. (It wasn’t unusual to have large families back then.) Mom shared many stories about her life and I always enjoyed hearing them. She said, “We were poor, but we didn’t know it because everybody was just like us.” As a little girl, she played with a rock and pretended it was a doll. There was plenty of food to eat, enough clothes, and a roof over her head. There was plenty of love and laughter, family and cousins galore, and that caused her to feel rich on the inside. I asked about her Christmases as a youngster and she said, “I usually got a dime and an orange.”
After Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, and after the proper amount of days, it was time for Mary and Joseph to take Him to the Temple in Jerusalem. “Then it was time for their purification offering, as required by the law of Moses after the birth of a child, so His parents took Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord. So they offered the sacrifice required in the law of the Lord — ‘either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons‘“ (Luke 2:22,24 NLT). The Old Testament further clarifies what animals may be brought for this particular offering: “If a woman cannot afford to bring a lamb, she must bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons“ (Leviticus 12:8 NLT). Here we find evidence that Mary and Joseph were poor. But I suspect they felt rich on the inside.
Based on Matthew 2:16, most scholars believe Jesus was about two years old when the wise men visited Him in Bethlehem. “They [wise men] entered the house and saw the child with His mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11 NLT).
These three gifts are an interesting study. Since these wealthy men were wise and determined to find the Savior of the world, we can be sure their gifts were perfect for the occasion. Gold represented wealth and was a highly-valued treasure by everyone. The Ark of the Covenant was overlaid with pure gold and the mercy seat of the Tabernacle was of gold. John the Revelator tells us, “And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass (Revelation 21:21 NKJV). The gift of gold supplied the family’s financial needs and also represented Jesus’ Kingship as the Prince of Peace.
Frankincense is a fragrant resin from a tree which was quite valuable. Because of its lovely perfume and its association with worship in the temple, it would make sense for the Magi to include it as a gift to the Messiah. The gift of frankincense represented His Deity as the Son of God.
Myrrh has a medicinal quality and the Jews used it to offer pain relief to those who were suffering physically. Myrrh mixed with wine was offered to Jesus as He agonized on the cross, but He refused it. Myrrh was also used in embalming (ref. John 19:39-40). The gift of myrrh was a solemn foreshadowing of Jesus’ death and burial.
The Key: Because Jesus is our Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace, we can joyfully celebrate Christmas because we’re rich on the inside.