“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:11)
“…they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified Him.” (Mark 15:23-24)
“Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about thirty-five kilograms.” (John 19:38-39)
Three times in the gospels, Jesus is given myrrh. The first time at his birth. The second time on the cross. The third time at his death. Myrrh was an incredibly expensive perfume, the preserve of the wealthy and the royal in its purest forms. It also had analgesic properties as a pain-killer and was used in the anointing of the dead.
The Magi presented myrrh to Jesus as a worship-gift suitable for coronation, given below a star in the heavens announcing Him as a King. The soldiers offered myrrh to Jesus as a medicinal-gift suitable for crucifixion, given under a sign nailed above Him declaring Him to be a King. Joseph and Nicodemus brought it to Jesus as a love-gift suitable for committal. The mixture of myrrh and aloes they offer is in accord with Jewish burial customs, but the sheer volume of their gift is noteworthy. Their willingness to publicly identify as those who request the body of Jesus, their attention to the appropriate rituals, their donations of a rock-hewn tomb, their copious provision of burial perfumes, all make a clear statement of their personal beliefs and commitment. They are honouring Him as their King.
In their worship-gift of myrrh, the Magi gave wisdom and worship. In their medicinal-gift of myrrh, the Soldiers gave mercy and humanity. In their love-gift of myrrh, Joseph and Nicodemus gave themselves. Irrevocably, unconditionally, unreservedly. What shall we give Him this Christmas?