The Magi's Three Gifts: Substance, Prayer, and Sorrow

The Magi brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh to Jesus—each gift a complete offering of the human condition before Elohim.

Gold represents our substance and material wealth. All work and labor possess their worth in gold. This oblation signifies the efficiency of what is external to us, what can be detached and surrendered.

Frankincense, once kindled, sends sweet clouds heavenward. It symbolizes religious thought directing itself lovingly and longingly toward God. This gift typifies the inward life—a life of contemplation alongside action, the ascending prayer of the soul.

Myrrh completes the offering, standing for sorrows and suffering. In myrrh we stand equal before God, for all bear pain. We offer Him our afflictions and repentance, transforming grief into worship.

Their worship itself reveals five marks: devotion, belief, self-sacrifice, intelligence, and obedience. Yet the Magi's example teaches that the gift's value rests not in its costliness but in the giver's sincerity. A Victorian legend tells of a poor boy who placed a rosy apple on the altar, his only possession. When the priest collected the offerings, he discovered pure gold where the apple had lain. In the eyes of God, the simplest gift offered wholeheartedly becomes precious beyond measure. This is why we give at Christmas—not merely to make others happy, but to remember that Jesus accepts our all, however humble.