Born To Die

Born to Die

They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Matthew 2:11

He brought about seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes. Following Jewish burial custom, they wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth.

John 19:39-40

When babies are born, there is usually a celebration, and everyone is thinking about the long life ahead for that child. But from his birth—even before his birth—there was a cloud of death looming over the baby Jesus. This was a baby who was born to die.

When the wise men came to see Jesus, Matthew records that they brought him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These are unusual gifts for a baby. Gold was a gift suited to a king. And the wise men bowed down to Jesus, recognizing him as King. Frankincense was used in the Temple as part of the ceremony for worshiping God. The wise men recognized that Jesus was no ordinary human. Perhaps they had read Isaiah’s prophecy about the Messiah that “mighty kings will come to see your radiance. . . . [They] will bring gold and frankincense and will come worshiping the LORD” (Isaiah 60:3, 6). But the myrrh they brought to Jesus was an especially unusual gift. Myrrh is a sweet-smelling substance that was used on dead bodies to preserve them and overcome the smell of decay. Why give myrrh to a baby?

Perhaps the wise men also understood Isaiah’s prophecy that “it was the LORD’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants” (53:10). If we’re wise, we’ll see that the reason to celebrate the baby Jesus is because he was born to die so that we can live.

DISCUSSION STARTERS

What kind of gifts do people usually give to newborn babies?

Read Luke 2:34-35. How do Simeon’s words to Mary also reveal that Jesus was born to die?

Why do you think the Gospel writers gave us details that point to the death of Jesus from the very beginning of his life?