"All Your garments are scented
with myrrh and aloes and cassia,
out of the ivory palaces."
Psalm 45: 8
Our
Lord had three encounters with bitter myrrh.
In Matthew 2:11, the Wise Men bought it to honor
His birth. On the cross, the soldiers offered Jesus
wine mingled with myrrh (Mark 15:23). At Christ’s
tomb, Nicodemus brought a hundred pounds of
myrrh to wrap in His burial clothes (John
19:39).
The gift of myrrh brought to baby Jesus points to
our Lord’s suffering on the cross and to His death.
For Him, it was a symbol of tragedy; for us, it is
a
reason for thanksgiving.
Our life is so complicated and needy that we’re
prone to be self-focused. What would happen if
we lived Christ-focused lives, remembering the
totality of His
redemption?
Because He was born and died and rose again,
our every need is met in Him. We can shift our
focus from ourselves!
His present blessings to us are based on His
past suffering. His myrrh brought us
mercy!
Take a moment of deepest gratitude for
His
deepest grace!
"Myrrh was the most unique gift the wise
men presented to Christ. Today this gift
would be something akin to bringing a
coffin as a present for a baby shower."