Christmas is a time when a lot of families have traditions they carry out. Maybe it’s opening presents on Christmas Eve. Maybe it’s making cookies. Maybe it’s watching your favorite Christmas movies, such as “It’s a Wonderful Life” or “A Christmas Story”. My family wasn’t one for traditions, but I always enjoyed going to Christmas Eve Service at church each year. It might have been the Christmas carols or the message of the birth of Jesus, or maybe it was the fact that they trusted little old me with real fire on the candles we held while singing Silent Night. As a 10-year-old, that was exciting, probably because I knew how dangerous it was. But there is a tradition that goes with Christmas every year that people do, whether they’re Christian or not, and I’d like to explore a little bit. It’s the tradition of gift-giving. Maybe you’ve never thought of this, but I think it’s somewhat odd that we celebrate the birth of our savior by giving each other stuff. I still feel kind of weird when I’m announcing our youth Christmas party that we are celebrating by doing a gift exchange. Where did that come from? Does it really make sense? These are 2 questions I think worth pondering, so let’s get into it.
Many may look at the story of the wise men in Matthew 2 as the inspiration for this tradition, and they may have a point. The wise men came from far away. We aren’t told where specifically they traveled from, but many scholars believe they came from modern day southeastern Saudi Arabia, which would make the trip about 1600 miles, give or take. This was not a short journey they undertook. But they were dedicated to showing their appreciation and devotion to the new king of the Jews. So not only did they travel so far, but they took gifts, which most of us, if not all, are familiar with: Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. Each gift had meaning, especially as we look at Jesus’ life in its entirety.
Gold is one of the most valuable materials in the world, even still today. Back then, it was a symbol for God. The Temple in Jerusalem was covered in gold to communicate how amazing and how important God was. Jesus was not just some ordinary baby, but was the son of God, and his value is represented by this first gift. Frankincense was an ingredient used quite often in the temple. It was a priestly tool for offerings. The gift of frankincense tells us of Jesus’ priestly duties as mediator between us and God. The last gift, myrrh, was used in anointing prophets, to prepare them for the work of God. Needless to say, Jesus was a great prophet in that his entire life was telling people about God. But more so, myrrh was also used to anoint the dead for burial. Jesus came to Earth to die for us all. This last gift was a prophecy in and of itself of what Jesus came to do.
The problem with connecting gift giving to the wise men, however, is that this tradition was happening even before Jesus came. It was in connection to a Roman festival called Saturnalia. It was a festival that celebrated the harvest, believed to be supplied by the Roman god Saturn. It was celebrated for a week every December in the Roman Empire. It was celebrated by having a feast, parties, and a doing away with, temporarily, of social standings. Slaves were considered the same as their masters in terms of class. But there was also private gift giving on the day of Sigillaria, December 19th. This was a very popular festival throughout the Roman Empire, and you can perhaps see why. But things got dicey when Christianity was legalized throughout the empire.
Constantine legalized Christianity in 312 AD, and so the end of pagan festivals was at hand because of Constantine’s own conversion, but simply ending Saturnalia was not going to work out well, as it was so popular. So instead of doing away with it, it was decided that they would replace it with Christmas, a celebration of Jesus’ birth, which is historically believed to have actually happened in August or September. Gift giving would continue as a tradition, although now, many Christians would connect it to the wise men’s gifts.
While the world has changed a lot in the millennium and a half since that change happened, we still give presents each Christmas, along with all our other traditions this time of year, all to remember the greatest gift of all. A baby, born in a manger, to a young couple in a small town. Such a humble beginning for the greatest life that would ever be lived, bringing joy, hope, and salvation to a world in need. Whatever traditions your family has this time of year, I truly hope they all help remind you of the amazing gift God granted us 2000 years ago.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. -John 3:16 (NIV)
