A “white elephant” is a possession that is useless, troublesome, hard to maintain, or difficult to dispose of. The wise men didn’t approach the Messiah with white elephants; they laid gold, frankincense, and myrrh at the foot of the manger. However, the gifts weren’t the only things they left: with the gold they left their allegiance, with the frankincense they left their sacrifice, with the myrrh they left their lives, and with the bowing of the knee they left their worship.