Frankincense
10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Matthew 2:10-11 NLT
Frankincense symbolised priestly nature of Jesus as high priest. Setting him apart from a typical king. When the wise men gave the infant Jesus a gift of frankincense, it also symbolized the gift of our devotion to spiritual truth and to the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Priests:
- Made sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins
- Prayed prayers on behalf of the people to God
If we don’t understand the holiness of God. We will always have a casual approach to sin. Two things that every human being absolutely must come to understand are the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man. These topics are difficult for people to face. And they go together: if we understand who God is, and catch a glimpse of His majesty, purity, and holiness, then we are instantly aware of the extent of our own corruption. When that happens, we fly to grace—because we recognize that there’s no way that we could ever stand before God apart from grace. The sacrifice satisfies God’s justice and at the same time extends mercy.
10 For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time. 11 Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. 12 But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand.
Hebrews 10:10-12 NLT |
We are made holy by the sacrifice of Jesus. He is not just a distant saviour, Jesus feels sorry for us
14 So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. 15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.
Hebrews 4:14-15 NLT
Jesus is a high priest that understands and cares. In His role as high priest, Jesus delights in understanding us. He considers it a joy to carry our cares and understand our wounds. This isn’t a job to Him; it is His nature. It pleases Him to serve us in feeling our feelings and knowing our cares.2
Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].
Hebrews 4:16 AMPC