We three kings of Orient are

Bearing gifts we traverse afar.

Field and fountain, moor and mountain,

Following yonder star.

Born a king on Bethlehem's plain,

Gold I bring to crown Him again,

King forever, ceasing never

Over us all to reign.

Frankincense to offer have I.

Incense owns a Deity nigh.

Prayer and praising all men raising,

Worship Him, God on high.

Myrrh is mine: Its bitter perfume

Breaths a life of gathering gloom.

Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding dying,

Sealed in the stone-cold tomb.

(“We Three Kings,” by John Henry Hopkins Jr.)

This year, on Palm Sunday morning, I preached a sermon that connected the visit of the Magi, the Triumphal entry, and the crucifixion. (Due to the magic of technology and the nature of church during a pandemic, you can watch it on our church’s website: alvanaz.com.) This wasn’t really a connection I had considered in the past, but in thinking about writing for Good Friday, this connection came back to me in a different way.

On Sunday, I traced and compared Jerusalem’s response to the various events. Looking at it again, I believe that Matthew was very intentional in choosing to tell the story of the Magi and especially their divinely inspired gifts (a story the other three gospel writers didn’t pick up) to foreshadow the events of Good Friday.

Rev. Hopkins’ 19th century Christmas carol beautifully summarizes the significance of each gift. Each of these gifts were appropriate for a different person and a different occasion. The gold is a kingly gift. In the ancient world, kings would receive tribute from foreign emissaries hoping to establish or maintain a good relationship. In the same way, burning incense was a common way to show tribute to God. Incense was used extensively in religious rites in the ancient world and is still used by many today. Finally, the myrrh, an embalming oil, would foreshadow Jesus’ sacrificial death.

In the good Friday narrative, each of these roles is explicitly attributed to Jesus. The sign above his head – however sarcastically it was prepared – proclaimed that he was King of the Jews. The Roman centurion famously recognizes Jesus’ divinity after the earthquake and exclaims, “Surely he was the son of God.” And, of course, the whole story is the story of how Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice on our behalf.

While we sing it as a Christmas carol, I now think the song “We Three Kings” is at least as relevant, and possibly more relevant, as a Good Friday carol. In the fifth verse (which I intentionally left out above), Hopkins jumps ahead over 30 years to Good Friday, the day that Jesus was “lifted up” on a cross as King and God and Sacrifice.

Glorious now behold Him arise,

King and God and Sacrifice.

Alleluia, alleluia!

Sounds through the earth and skies.

These three roles had all been remarkably separate throughout history. The King was regarded as a representative of God’s rule over the people. Under this system, God was the “other” – a transcendent being that was only accessed through prayers and sacrifices. Finally, sacrifices were offered by the people to God to show their devotion and maintain right relationship.

In Jesus, God established direct rule over humanity. Our primary identity would no longer be based on kingdom or tribe. Our primary allegiance would no longer be to a corrupt monarch or political leader. Our identity and allegiance could now be placed exclusively in the eternal Kingdom of God and its King.

On Good Friday, Jesus smashed all the paradigms and assumptions of how things should work and established a new reality. I wish I had the space to fully explore the significance of this self-sacrifice of the God-King. My suspicion, however, is that the world isn’t big enough to hold all the books that could be written on the topic. I’ll just highlight one aspect and leave the rest to you.

If it was any other God but the God of Israel, if it was any other Messiah but Jesus, we could expect this God-King to establish his throne with vengeance and might. Jesus gives as a clear example to follow by offering his own life as a sacrifice.