Sunday, December 3, 2017

Matthew 2:11 (Biblical Healing III)

Matthew 2:11
(Part Three in a series of Biblical Healing teachings)



“And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him:

 gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

Before we investigate the Biblical healing properties contained within this verse of Matthew’s, I must vent some and my attention is directed to anyone that professes to hold Biblical truth yet perpetuates the myth that there were three wise men and that they were present at the birth of Jesus.  

 Let’s look at a typical Christmas Nativity scene:

As the question goes, what is wrong with this picture, and as always, we must trust God’s holy word to provide the answer. 

 Matthew 2:1. “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,”

 Key word “after” not “when”; and one must also consider when and from where the wise men started their journey:

 Matthew 2:2.saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

 Important here is that the wise men first saw the star and then traveled afterwards from the East. Considering that travel on ELAL airlines would have been difficult back then, camels could not have made that journey in a few hours, or days, or weeks, or months, but perhaps years taking into consideration travel preparation, shopping lines at Wal-Mart, and finally a courtesy visit to King Herod before completing their trek to Bethlehem.”

 Matthew 2:7-8. “Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared, and he sent them to Bethlehem….”  

 Finally the wise men reach their destination:

 Matthew 2:11. “And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

Another key word being “young”, not infant. Some speculate that Jesus was around two years of age but again, speculation is not necessarily truth.

So, according to God’s Word, the wise men should not be included in a nativity scene nor should there be an assumption of “three” wise men, Yes, Matt 2:11 alludes to three gifts presented but no reference to the number of wise men present. Three is a logical deduction, maybe, but not Biblically supported! 

OK, I am done venting for now!  Thanks for being patient with me; it’s just a “bug-a-boo” of mine! (there is actually a definition for bug-a-boo)

Now let’s look at what we came here for:

“gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

(Because this article is the second of an anticipated series of articles, I recommend that you refer back to “Biblical Healing I” and read the clarifications presented on essential oils, inflammation, Gas Chromatography, and my most important (legal) disclaimer. To further clarify, I am not a medical doctor, nor do I hold any type of licensed nutritionist degree or certification, but I have slept at a Holiday Inn! Else, I am just an ordinary soul seeking truth and capitalizing on the knowledge of those that are most qualified in the fields of nutrition, health, and in God’s Word.)

When I read the accounts in Matthew 2 pertaining to the gifts from the Magi, I questioned the significance of gold, frankincense, and myrrh in relation to their recipient, Jesus, the Messiah. Why these elements and why recorded in scripture for us to know centuries later?

Nothing in the Holy Bible addresses the purpose of the three gifts from the Magi, but historical and traditional accounts offer a few suggestions. For example, according to the Biblical Archaeology Society, these valuable items were standard gifts to honor a king or deity in the ancient world: gold as a precious metal, frankincense as perfume or incense, and myrrh as anointing oil.

On a more symbolic nature, scholars think that these three elements were chosen for their special spiritual symbolism about Jesus himself—gold representing his kingship, frankincense a symbol of his priestly role, and myrrh a prefiguring of his death and embalming. (Ref: Biblical History Daily)

Yet another interpretation suggests that these gifts were of a healing nature whereas frankincense greatly inhibits inflammation (there is that word again); Myrrh used for antiseptic / antibiotic. Gold, you ask? How does gold fit into healing remedies? Well, I have my own (yes, I can think independently) thought on gold pertaining to Matt 2:11! Just be patient.

As an interesting side note, we know that Jesus fulfilled 351 Old Testament Prophecies.  In the Book of Isaiah, when describing Jerusalem’s restoration, Isaiah tells of nations and kings who will come and “bring gold and frankincense and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord” (Isaiah 60:6).

Not in the order presented above let’s start with:

Frankincense:

Mentioned 23 times in the Holy Bible (NIV):


Applications for Frankincense E.O. (ref: my.draxe.com/essential-oils)
 
  • Stress Relieving Bath Soak
  • Natural Household Cleaner
  • Natural Hygiene Product
  • Anti-Aging; Wrinkle Fighter
  • Relieves symptoms of Indigestion
  • Scar, Wound, Stretch Mark, or Acne Remedy
  • Natural Cold or Flu Medicine
  • Anti-Cancer Applications
  • Relieves Inflammation and Pain
(As a reminder from my Biblical Healing I blog post, “Basically everything from a cough to cancer finds its origins from inflammation”.)

Myrrh:

Mentioned 18 times in the Holy Bible (NIV):

Applications for Myrrh E.O. (ref: my.draxe.com/essential-oils)
  • Potent anti-oxidant
  • Anti-cancer benefits
  • Anti-bacterial
  • Anti-fungal
  • Anti-parasitic
  • Skin health
  • Relaxation agents

(Note to reader: Different Bible translations may disagree on the number of times an “oil” is mentioned, probably due to the similarities of the plant extracts and/or their duplicity in application. That is my guess and I am sticking with that!)

Now we come to “gold” and this is where the fun starts. As mentioned above, according to the Biblical Archaeology Society, gold was a precious metal and symbolically, gold represented kingship. However, as one would surmise, gold possesses no healing properties. Right?

Well, maybe not right!

(I enjoy studying the Holy Bible using the “Inductive” study methodology through inductive reasoning - the attempt to use information about a specific situation to draw a conclusion. Simply, the Inductive steps are: observation (what does it say?), interpretation (what does it mean as defined?), and application (how does it pertain back then and perhaps today?). In today’s vernacular, it (God’s Word) is what it is and nothing else. If a word or thought cannot be defined then it is left at that, undefined. Inductive keeps guess-work out of interpretation.)

So here is my thought process: Like most people I accepted the assumption that the gold mentioned in Matthew 2:11 was the precious metal that we call gold. However, as my journey led me more into the world of Biblical / Natural healing the fact that gold, being a metal, while Frankincense and Myrrh, being plant-based, did not balance with me, so I did some “inductive” research. I found that the Hebrew word for gold is Mikhreh zahav, and the Greek word for gold is χρυσός/chrysós. Unique with the Hebrew and Greek languages is that that rarely do these languages have words with more than one meaning, unlike the English language. Further investigation revealed that regardless of gold metal or gold color, the Hebrew and Greek words are the same, that is, there are not different words distinguishing gold (metal) from gold (color). This finding was significant to me because it meant that perhaps the gold could be a precious plant-based item which would compliment the other two plant-based items, Frankincense and Myrrh.

Yes, I already had something in mind as I pursued into this discovery and that something was turmeric, or its derivative curcumin. Why Turmeric? Well, there is the correlation that it is golden in color which translates to either Mikhreh zahav or χρυσός/chrysós, but that alone is a weak argument by itself, so let’s look at the health applications for turmeric. You could Google this yourself but I did the work for you and according to “dailynaturalremedies.com”, the major benefits of turmeric (or curcumin) are:

  • It’s an anti-inflammatory (there is that word again)
  • It’s a powerful antioxidant
  • It improves brain function
  • It can help depression
  • Eases arthritis
  • It can be used to treat cancer
  • It reduces the risk of heart disease
  • Slows the process of aging
  • Helps manage insulin levels
  • It’s easy to incorporate into your diet (unlike Frankincense and Myrrh)

So, what is my point?

Well, what my point is not is that I am not trying to convince you that the word “gold” in Matthew 2:11 is actually a plant and not a precious metal. As I described about the inductive study method “If a word or thought cannot be defined then it is left at that, undefined.” Therefore, all we are left with an interesting quandary.

However, what my point, or pursuit of this lengthy dialogue is… if young Jesus was presented with “golden” Turmeric, Frankincense and Myrrh, then He would presumably be gifted with the three elements that could prevent, or cure, any sickness or disease known to mankind. Because of that possibility, for me, turmeric is more the logical gift over gold because good health is priceless!

As with most Bible studies, one is incomplete unless we can try to wean what was learned from scripture and apply it to the here and now. The same holds for this “Bible study” as I offer you this application.

Think of all the illnesses, diseases, or medical conditions that you have endured or are currently suffering through. Now think of all the medications that you have taken of are currently exposed to with their detrimental side effects. What if, now, what if … pure speculation … you could substitute man’s chemicals with God’s creation and experience real healing?



Do you believe?







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