Scripture Reading: Matthew 2:1-12
“And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”—Matthew 2:11
Myrrh resin, the raw product used to yield the final myrrh product, is extracted from the Commiphora myrrha plant species, a group of plants characterized by large thorns. The plant is cut and the leaking resin is allowed to harden and then harvested. Myrrh is a multipurpose commodity, used as an antiseptic, analgesic (painkiller), relief and cure for internal diseases, spice, anointing oil, incense, perfume, and an ancient embalming ingredient.
Myrrh was a highly valued and sought after product in ancient times. It was one of the goods the Ishmaelites were transporting to sell when they took Joseph into Egypt (Genesis 37:25). God directed Moses to use myrrh as an ingredient in creating the holy anointing oil for the tabernacle (Exodus 30:23). Myrrh was used to anoint and perfume the women vying to become queen to King Ahasuerus, to include Esther (Esther 2:12). Myrrh is one of the romantic scents spoken of throughout Song of Songs.
Myrrh continued to be a product of importance in the New Testament, as it traced the life of Jesus. Along with gold and frankincense, it was one of the Magi’s gifts to honor the child who would be King of Kings (Matthew 2:11). Myrrh was the pain reliever mixed with wine offered to and rejected by Jesus on the cross (Mark 15:23). Finally, it was part of the mixture prepared to anoint Jesus’ body in death (John 19:39-40).
The original root of the word myrrh is the Arabic word “murr,” bitter or bitterness. This valued gift presented to Jesus was a foretelling of the bitterness the Son of God would suffer on our behalf. He would be offered a cup of bitterness as He died on the cross. He would be buried in this same bitterness as the final, hasty anointing of His body in death.
As we continue to celebrate this season of giving, let us remember the true essence of Christmas—God came in human form to suffer through the bitterness of rejection by His own creation, the bitterness of betrayal and desertion by those closest to Him, the bitterness of horrific suffering on the cross, and the bitterness of death. Jesus accepted the gift of myrrh or bitterness so we could enjoy the sweet aroma of God’s salvation, grace, mercy and love.
Lesson to Remember: Christmas is a time to remember the gift God has given us, and the gift Jesus accepted for us also.
“Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities.”—Isaiah 53:10-11
