Gold was a gift for royalty-in this case the chosen King of the Jews and ultimately the "King of Kings and Lord of Lords" who will rule over the entire earth (Revelation:19:16).
Frankincense was an incense intimately connected with the priesthood and temple sacrifices, foreshadowing the fact that Jesus Christ would serve as our High Priest and give Himself as the perfect sacrifice to pay the penalty for the sins of all mankind (Hebrews:4:14-15; 9:11-14; 1 Peter:1:18-19).
Myrrh had a much more sobering symbolism. When a person died, this perfuming agent was wrapped with the body to help cover up the stench of death. Jesus' own body would be wrapped in linen with myrrh and aloes (John:19:39-40).
It is important to note here that the Scripture only mentions 3 kinds of gifts for the infant Jesus. No mention is given to the number of Magi visiting Him. As Jesus was prophecized to come to the House of Israel first and was born in Israel where the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Levi descendants lived, it would not be a stretch to think the number of Magi were from the Lost Tribes of Israel (10 Magi - Joseph consisting of 2 tribes via sons). This would also fit well with safety in numbers while travelling the distance they did.
First it wasn't three shepherds. The Bible says astrologers from the East. It doesn't give a specific number. The gifts listed in the Bible are gold, frankincense, and myrrh. See Matthew 2: 1-11
Answer (Extension/Correction to Previous Answer)The Bible doesn't refer to these gentlemen as "astrologers", in Matthew 2:7, it states, Then Herod, when he had privily called the "wise men", acquired them diligently what time the star appeared."Yes, in todays time we would probably call them astrologers, however, in the New Testament they are referred to as "Wise Men"
actually the King James version translates the word "Magi" as "wise men." The Greek word "magi" is the word from which we get the word "magic." These men were magic practitioners, fortune tellers, or astrologers. To some, including Herod, who was a Pagan, bent on destroying Jesus, they may seem like "wise men," but to Christians, they are anything but that. Interesting to note, too, that since travel was very slow in those days, these men could not have reached Jesus on the night of his birth. Consider that Jesus was born, then the star appeared, led the men many miles away to Herod, then to Jesus, many more miles away. Historians believe these men came from the area now known as Iraq. This would have taken many, many months. That is why the bible refers to Jesus as a "young child" living in a "house" by the time these men got to him. (Matt Ch 2) The subsequent actions of Herod, after consulting the priests, and ordering the murder of all children under 2 years of age, indicates that Jesus could have been as much as 2 years old when the magi got to him. Just a little food for thought on this. This is my first time seeing the above posts. The Bible (at least, as translated into King James English), called them "wise men," however the "wise men" of Jesus' day WERE probably astrologers. Check out the History Channel whenever they have their "Bible weeks" etc. It's really cool stuff! I've seen them potentially trace the "wise men's" path as they headed to Bethlehem, including where they probably picked up the Frankincense & Myrrh. The shepherds visited Jesus as well, but did not bring gifts. The visit of the shepherds was supposed to demonstrate how Jesus came for everybody, not just the rich, and also to amplify the message that Jesus himself was a shepherd and that we were his flock.
The wise men were interested in the geological phenomenon surrounding Christ's birth, the date of which is largely unknown and highly disputed, they brought gifts of gold ( to show Jesus' "kingly" status ) frankincense ( expensive oil to show religious significance ) and myrrh ( to show Jesus was going to die in an important way, as you put myrrh on dead bodies to hide the smell )
The WISE MEN brought Jesus Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. You can find the story of Jesus' birth in the New Testament, Matthew 1:18-25.
Gold was a gift for royalty-in this case the chosen King of the Jews and ultimately the "King of Kings and Lord of Lords" who will rule over the entire earth (Revelation:19:16).
Frankincense was an incense intimately connected with the priesthood and temple sacrifices, foreshadowing the fact that Jesus Christ would serve as our High Priest and give Himself as the perfect sacrifice to pay the penalty for the sins of all mankind (Hebrews:4:14-15; 9:11-14; 1 Peter:1:18-19).
Myrrh had a much more sobering symbolism. When a person died, this perfuming agent was wrapped with the body to help cover up the stench of death. Jesus' own body would be wrapped in linen with myrrh and aloes (John:19:39-40).
Note: The Scripture only mentions 3 kinds of gifts for the infant Jesus. No mention is given to the number of Magi visiting Him. As Jesus was prophesied to come to the House of Israel first and was born in Israel where the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Levi descendants lived, it would not be a stretch to think the number of Magi were from the Lost Tribes of Israel (10 Magi - Joseph consisting of 2 tribes via sons). This would also fit well with safety in numbers while travelling the distance they did.
The shepherds did not give Jesus gifts. The wise men from the east gave Jesus gifts of gold, frankincence, and myrrh. He was about two years old when they came.
The shepherds did not give Jesus gifts; it was the wise men (Three Kings) who presented gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to Jesus. They offered these gifts as symbols of his royalty, divinity, and eventual sacrifice.
you give people gifts because the wise men gave gifts to Jesus
The wise men brought gifts to Jesus after His birth.
Because it's Jesus b-day and instead of giving gifts to him we give them to others and we receive gifts.
Gold, frankincense and myrrh.
respects cuz he was the king and they knew it
After Jesus' birth in Bethlehem, the shepherds were the first to visit him, according to the New Testament. The angels announced the birth to the shepherds, who then went to see Jesus in the manger.
The Lord Jesus gave spiritual gifts to his disciples to enable them be effective withnesses. Acts 1,8
gold, frankincense, and myrhh
yes
Celebrate Jesus' birthday and give gifts