Day 16:

The Scriptures tell us nothing about the personal details of the wise men, but of course their gifts to the new-born Christ are well-known. The Bible knows gold well.  It is the most precious of metals, accorded value and respect. It is the ornament for royalty, yet Jesus kept no money, and the apostles took pride in not owning any gold.

By the sixth century, the magi had acquired names so that the King of Gold became Melchior. His gift of gold was taken to be symbolic of the kingship that he recognised in Jesus, emphasising again the link between gold and the nature of kingship found in the Bible. Like Melchior, Christians are called to acknowledge Jesus as the Lord of their lives, offering to him ‘the gold of obedience’.