According to the gospel, the Wise Men specifically brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh and presented them to the Christ Child (Matt. 2:11). Over the years many biblical scholars have ascribed meaning and/or symbolism to these gifts, yet it should be noted that all three were ordinary offerings typical for a king. St. John Chrysostom, however, preached that these gifts were not only fit for a king, but for God Himself, suggesting that even the Magi were worshiping Jesus not as king, but as God.
The early Christian writer, Origen, links the Magi’s gifts to being prophetic: “gold, as to a king; myrrh, as to one who is mortal; and incense, as to a God.” This interpretation is even alluded to, in the popular Christmas carol, We Three Kings, in which the Magi glorify the Christ Child as “King and God and sacrifice.”
Although many fanciful theories and pious stories have been put forward over the centuries, what actually happened to those gifts must remain a mystery because nothing further is mentioned in scripture. However, one might logically assume that the gold was used by Mary and Joseph to finance their travels as they fled with the Child to Egypt.
