Myrrh – Precious Oil Used for Centuries
Myrrh is a very familiar oil. It is mentioned numerous times in the Bible and in ancient non-biblical historical texts. Almost everyone, even non-Christians, is familiar with the gifts that were brought to the baby Jesus by the Wise Men from the East. In fact, Myrrh is mentioned in some form in the Bible over 150 times.
At the time of Jesus, Myrrh was considered to be very valuable. In the Gospels, ointments containing Myrrh were said to be “precious” and “very costly”. Scholars have calculated that 12 ounces of this oil would have cost about 1 year’s wage for an average worker at the time.
Why Did They Bring Mary Myrrh?
When the wise men brought the gifts of Myrrh to Mary, they did not need to explain to her what it was for. The many uses of the oil would have been common knowledge at the time. She would have known (and we know from historical texts) that people believed at the time that Myrrh had antiseptic properties. The wise men believed that Jesus was the Christ Child and wanted to protect him. Mary, like mothers with the means to do so at that time, would have applied the oil to his navel to prevent infection with the sloughing of the umbilical cord. Mary could also have used it as a support the healing of scar tissue and to remove the stretch marks left by her pregnancy.
As Jesus grew, Mary would have used it like other mothers of her time. She would have believed that Myrrh could help project her child from common illnesses like coughs, sore throats, ringworm and oral infections. These were common uses in her day.
Mary would also have known that the smell of Myrrh also was believed to promote spiritual awareness and is emotionally up-lifting. Mary could have used the oil while breast feeding to communicate to her child a sense of security and well being.
Why Tell this Story?
We love to share this story about Myrrh in the Bible. Not only because it is a beautiful story of how essential oils and aromatic plants were used over the centuries. We also have used it to share with our “oily” friends about our our belief that the Bible is the inspired word of God and that the stories of Jesus’ birth are true.
If you’d like to learn more about essential oil uses, or to talk about using them to share your faith, contact GEO or call Karen at 314-604-8355.
