Obedient unto death

December 18, 2006

Obedient unto death
by John Fischer

Three gifts the wise men brought. The idea that there were three of them comes from the gifts, not the number of kings. They brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Of these gifts, two were fit for royalty, but the third was a bitter omen. In Jesus' day, bodies were wrapped in myrrh for burial. Myrrh's pungent odor neutralized the smell of decomposing flesh. Thus, even the gifts that were brought to the Christ child announced his ultimate purpose. This was not some cruel joke; the wise men understood why this king had come.

Death is usually the furthest thing from anyone's mind upon a baby's birth. Someone who would even bring up the subject would be thought of as unkind, insensitive, and unfit to join in the celebration. And yet these wise men had traveled long and far to see this child and bestow these gifts upon him. These gifts were not randomly chosen. They knew this was to be no ordinary life and no ordinary death.

This life embraced its bleak destiny from the beginning. Christ came to serve, but his death was the ultimate act of service. The Scripture says the he became “obedient unto death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:8) That word “obedient” implies servitude. It is expected that servants will be obedient; otherwise you would never hire them. Jesus was sent by his Father to die for the sins of the world, and he went willingly.

Suddenly, the difficult thing God is asking you to be obedient to is a small thing compared to Christ's assignment. Christ took it all the way to the cross, and sweat drops of blood over it in the garden the night before as he fought with himself over his obedience. He knew this was required of him; he just didn't know how hard it was going to be until he got there and faced it head-on.

With all of this ahead for the little Christ child, it makes you realize how wise these wise men really were. A lot wiser than we give them credit for. They knew enough to strike out on this mysterious journey that most likely took a number of years to complete. They knew enough to know that the child would be a king. But they also knew that it would be in the stone-cold grip of the grave that this child's greatest work would be accomplished.

Thank goodness he stayed obedient to the end. Our lives would have been hopeless otherwise.

God, what are you asking of me, today?