“Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.’ After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.”
—Matthew 2:7-11 (ESV)
Following Jesus’ humble entrance into the world, “wise men” came to worship the child who had been “born King of the Jews” (Matthew 2:2). A wicked king named Herod heard the news and thought Jesus would take his place as king. Viewing Jesus as an enemy and secretly planning to kill Him, Herod consulted with court officials concerning the Messiah’s birth and urged the wise men to find Jesus and report back to him—so that he could take His life. (We’ll read more about Herod on another day.)
The wise men, it turned out, did not have to chart their own course. A heaven-sent star, which they had followed from the East, continued to light the way for them, and they “rejoiced.” They knew, from God’s revelation to them, that they were about to enter the presence of their Creator. When they reached Him, “they fell down and worshiped Him.”
The wise men showed us the proper and joyful response to encountering Jesus. They did not merely nod in Jesus’ direction and bow. They brought Jesus “treasures,” “gifts,” and precious possessions. They gave Him their best. The wise men provide a small picture of how every true believer ought to react and respond to Jesus. Jesus is worthy of our worship—the worship of our heart and mind and soul. Jesus deserves our absolute best, our time and attention and concern and devotion and love.
By contrast, Herod displayed the worst way to respond to Jesus: he rejected Him, hated Him, and opposed Him. Herod is a picture of the human heart at its worst. Let us pray not to be like Herod but, rather, like the wise men. They worshiped Jesus. So can we. They gave their best to Jesus. So can we. They followed divine wisdom, not evil plans. So can we.
Prayer: Father, we worship Your Son. We praise Him! We ask that You would help us to worship Jesus not just at church or in devotional times, when our heart is easily lifted to praise. We ask that You would help us to worship Jesus in all seasons, in the good times and also in the hard times. We pray that we would give Jesus our absolute best by the power of Your grace, just like the wise men did. In Jesus’ name, amen.
