Worship the King

Matthew 2:1–12 NKJV

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: 6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ” 7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.” 9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

This scene was not the same one as we find in Luke 2. Based on the information here and Matthew 2:16, we know that this event took place sometime between Jesus’ birth and his 2nd birthday (Herod killed all male children 2 and younger based on the wise men’s description of the timeline).

We have these wise men, called magi, probably from Persia, who come looking for the King of the Jews. (This is one of the reasons why we think that they are not Jewish, they would have said “King of Israel.”).

One of the interesting things is that God chose to lead them in a way that they could understand. He sent them a star, which was something the Eastern mystics were known to venerate the stars as the host of heaven (cf. Amos 5:26). Also, this may be a reference to a prophetic promise they were aware of (some believe the magi were taught something of the prophetic promises by Daniel).

Numbers 24:17 NKJV

“I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult.

So these wise men, after seeing the star, begin the journey to Israel. Supposing they came from somewhere in the east near where Balaam is from (who gave the prophecy) they came between 400-700 miles. That distance by camel, at night so they could follow the star, could take somewhere between two to three weeks or even a month.

And when they came, they came loaded for bare. They brought a treasury with them.

All of this to meet the King of the Jews, the Savior sent by God.

Wise Men Seek

Jeremiah 29:13 NKJV

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

One of the most notable details about this story is the diligent search made by the wise men. God spoke to them in a way they could understand and they responded by leaving their homes and seeking Him.

They knew the King of the Jews was going to be the Savior of the world and so they went searching for Him.

They rode hundreds of miles. They left their homes. They left their families. They slept in the wilderness. They diligently sought for God.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you (James 4:8). This is His promise. And those who are wise are those who seek God.

These men could have stayed back and waited until Jesus revealed Himself to the world. But instead they came looking for Him.

This is the time for us to draw near to God. It is the time for us to seek His face and pursue Him with the same intention and same determination that the wise men sought for Jesus. And if we search for God with all of our hearts, we will find Him.

Wise Men Worship

And when the wise men met Jesus, they did one thing: they worshipped.

Matthew 2:11 NKJV

And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Think of this scene if you are Mary. You are sitting there with the Boy Jesus and a caravan full of people and camels come up to your home. These are strangers and foreigners who come looking for someone special. And when they see the Child, they come quickly and bow down before Him. They bow before a Child who is barely a two-year old.

Have these men lost their mind? Do they appear to be wise? They don’t, unless they know something that others do not know.

They Bowed Down

And what do they do, these wise men? They fall down at the feet of Jesus and worship.

The word, worship, is proskynéō, and is used in the Scripture for words translated as, “to bow”, “to kiss”, “to serve”, and “to worship.” In the New Testament it is only used in relation to a divine object. In other words, these men fully believed that this Child, Jesus, was God.

They sought Him, and when they found Him, they bowed down before Him in worship and offered Him precious gifts.

They Gave Gifts

The types of gifts that the wise men brought are not insignificant.

First, they brought gold. Gold was what you brought to a king as a tribute. It was gold that was given as an offering at temples to honor deity. In other words, they brought gold recognizing that Jesus was both King and God in the flesh. The prophet Isaiah declared the the nations (gentiles) would come bearing gold to honor the Lord (cf. Isaiah 60:6).

Second, they brought frankincense. Frankincense was a spice that was very expensive. It was used for incense, and in Revelation 8:3-5, it was also associated with the prayers of the saints. Incense was offered before the Holy of Holies by the High Priest. In fact, the altar of incense was declared to be “most holy to the LORD” (Exodus 30:7-10). This gift was brought to honor God as well as to acknowledge Jesus as the High Priest who would be “merciful and faithful...in all things pertaining to God and who would make propitiation for the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:17).

The last gift, myrrh also was a special gift brought by the wise men. Myrrh was a key element in anointing oil (cf. Exodus 30:23). Especially in the NT, it was used as a crucial ingredient in embalming the bodies of the dead. This gift recognized Jesus’ humanity and pointed to the death that He would die as a sacrificial Lamb so that our sins could be forgiven.

The wise men were thoughtful and intentional in their worship. They gave Jesus gifts of great value and significance. They carried these things hundreds of miles so that they could honor God and worship Him.

Worship Changes You

After the wise men worshiped, they left changed.

Matthew 2:12 NKJV

12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

After the wise men met Jesus they went another way. There is a symbolic and prophetic message in this. They couldn’t go back to their country the way that they left. They had to go back another way.

When they met Jesus, they were changed. They met the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords and they went home different than how they came.

When you seek God and worship Him, you will be changed. When you bow down and worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, you will be changed. God is worthy of all of our praise and honor and glory. And when you get into His presence, you will be transformed.

Conclusion

Soon after Jesus was born, God spoke to some wise men. These men traveled from the East to search out the new born King of the Jews. When they found Him they were full of joy and reverence and worshipped Him. When they returned home, they returned different than they came.

Their example continues to speak to us today.

If we search for God with all of our hearts, we will find Him.

If you find God, truly meet Jesus, you will know why they worshipped. When you encounter God’s love and mercy and grace and forgiveness, you will bow down and worship.

And when you spend time in God’s presence, worshipping Him, you will be changed.

Prompt: Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you. Choose to draw near to God. Worship the King.