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 2:10-11 ESV)
Let me state the obvious: Worshipping anyone and anything but God is called idolatry and it is a very serious sin. After most likely traveling 500 miles over the course of several weeks or months, the wise men’s journey was about to climax. After putting their very lives at risk due to weather, topography, animals, and bandits, then the disappointment of arriving not at a celebrating Jerusalem but a sleeping one, these men who had come to seek God’s Messiah were about to meet Him face to face.
It goes without saying that the actions of these magi are instructive. They didn’t let anything or anyone stop them from coming to Jesus, neither should we. As the men departed the presence of Herod in Jerusalem, the star that had originally triggered their journey was again visible to them until it was at “rest over the place where the child was.” Many people have tried to guess what this star was but regardless it was a tool God used to guide these men who had once been far from His Christ right to His front door.
Notice the response of these men: They rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. It wasn’t the star that overwhelmed these men with an emotion that is hard to picture. It was what the star symbolized: Their long journey of searching for the one “born King of the Jews” and the Messiah of God was over. All those years of waiting, preparing, planning, and then the actual journey to meet Him, all of their faith filled work was about to culminate in meeting the One who would be a blessing to the whole world.
As we will see soon from Matthew 2:16-18, Jesus is no longer a newborn at this moment. He is most likely just a bit younger than two years of age! Imagine these powerful, wealthy, weary travelers knocking on the door of this young family. I have to imagine that their coming caused quite a stir in the small little country town of Bethlehem! Not to continue disrupting your manger scene, but it is likely there were far more than just three wise men. As these men entered into the house, we are reminded they were there to do far more than pay homage to the true King of Israel, they were there to worship the eternal Son of God!
Try to envision this: Grown men of dignity, respect, wealth, education, and influence, worshipping a toddler! The word for worship in verse 11 is the Greek proskuneō. According to Strong’s Concordance it means to fawn or crouch to, that is, (literally or figuratively) prostrate oneself in homage. How incredible that among the first people to worship God’s Messiah were these foreigners! I notice from the Scripture that before these men brought their gifts, they brought their worship. If we worship God with our lips but we close off the rest of our lives, it is incredibly likely that we don’t truly worship God (see Matthew 15:8). An important reminder: Jesus is God incarnate so their worship is not idolatry, it is logical and appropriate (see Isaiah 7:6).
At last, the men brought their gifts, truly gifts that were fit not just for a King but also a prophet and a priest, Jesus is all three. Each gift by the magi pointed to a reality of who Jesus is and what He came to accomplish. Be sure to check out some of the resources at the end of today’s devotion related to the wise men and their gifts. This Christmas season, we have so much to learn by the responses of people we read about in the Scripture. If we have to choose between Herod, the chief priest and scribes, or the wise men, today may our hearts by like those of these incredible, unnamed men who sought, rejoiced at, and worshipped the King.
Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us a look at the journey of the wise men. There is so much instruction and insight we should receive as we see their response and heart for Your Messiah. Lord, help us learn to seek You, worship You, and give our gifts to You just like these first century pilgrims. Jesus, thank You for being our King, our High Priest, and the Great Prophet of God. Fill our hearts with awe and wonder this Christmas season. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
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