Raleigh
Bible Study Materials
THEY BOWED DOWN AND WORSHIPED HIM
Matthew 2: 1 - 12
24 Dec 2023
Message
THEY BOWED DOWN AND WORSHIPED HIM
(Matthew 2:1-12)
“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” (v. 11)
Merry Christmas! Last year, we studied this passage as we started Matthew’s Gospel in August, amid hot summer. Do you remember it? I hope you don’t remember because I quoted most of today's message from the previous message. While studying this passage, I personally wanted to learn from Magi’s holy pilgrimage to worship the Messiah. Now that we have completed Matthew’s Gospel studies two weeks ago, I want to examine my own pilgrimage and worship compared to the Magi’s, who completed their pilgrimage and worship. Based on today’s lesson, I pray that God may bless each of us to learn from Magi’s worship and rededicate ourselves to our Lord Jesus Christ, who is worthy of our worship.
Look at verse 1. “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem.” It was during the time of King Herod. Whenever we study the Christmas passage, we cannot but mention him. I don’t want to talk about him too long, but it’s necessary for us to understand the time better, so let me briefly explain. King Herod was not a Jew, but an Edomite. Because of his cunning diplomatic skill, however, he won the favor of Augustus, the Roman emperor, and began to reign over the Jews. To please the Romans, he initiated extensive building projects like a port city, Caesarea. At the same time, he sought to reconcile with the Jews and started to expand the Jerusalem Temple. For political purposes, he had ten marriages. To secure his position, he later killed his Jewish wife, and his own two sons born from her, along with another son born from his first wife. Under Herod’s tyranny, his subject suffered from his excessive taxation and cruelty. The time was so dark.
But like a bell heralding daybreak, some Gentiles came to Jerusalem. They were Magi from the east. Magi’s visit was an amazing event, so in the Greek manuscript, verse 1 begins with the word, “Behold.” Nothing is known of their land of origin. While some say that they came from Arabia, others say they came from Chaldea, in the lower Tigris and Euphrates valley. Magi were known as wise men among the highest-ranking officials in ancient Persia or the Babylonians Empire, modern day Iraq or Iran. They were astrologers, philosophers, mathematicians, and king’s counselors in the oriental world. What brought such nobles to Jerusalem? Look at verse 2. “…and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’” They saw a special star that appeared at the time of Jesus’s birth and came to worship him as the “king of the Jews.” They came to worship the king of the Jews. This might have been possible because they had already known a prophecy recorded in Numbers 24:17, which says, “…A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel…”
During the time, there was widespread expectation over the coming of a great king, a great deliverer. The Roman historian, Tacitus, wrote that “there was a firm persuasion that at this very time the east was to grow powerful and rulers coming from Judea were to acquire a universal empire.” Through the Jews who had been scattered because of the exile, the Magi must have heard of the universal kingdom and the king to come. In the Book of Daniel, while interpreting Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, Daniel prophesied that God would set up a kingdom that would crush all other kingdoms, but it would itself endure forever. (Daniel 2:44)
The Magi had a great desire to meet the king, who would rule over the universal and eternal kingdom. As the kings’ counselors, they had witnessed the rising and falling of many kingdoms in the world. They had seen unceasing conflicts, wars, and hatred among the nations. Even the Roman emperor Caesar Augustus claimed that he would bring peace as the king of the world, but the Magi realized that Caesar could not be the true king, nor could Rome be the eternal kingdom. They believed that the king of the Jews and he alone would fix the problems and sufferings of the world and be the eternal king.
Jesus is the king of the Jews. He was born by this name and died by this name. (Matthew 2:2; 27:37) When we look back at the past years, we can see and hear the continual troubles in this world. After the Pandemic, wars and conflicts between people and nations are ever increasing. We hope to find some powerful leaders to fix our troubles in the world. But none of them can solve our problems due to their own sinful nature and limitations. To whom shall we go? In whom can we put our hope?
Jesus, who has been born king of the Jews, is the solution. Isaiah 9:6 says, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulder. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Jesus is the King, who is in very nature God. He created all things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities. All things have been created through him and for him. (Colossians 1:16) Jesus is the King, who can perfectly understand and counsel us with his wonderful insight and wisdom. He is the King, who can save and protect us from the power of Satan and evil forces with his mighty power. Jesus is the eternal King, who can care for us with his fatherly love and compassion. He is the King, who can give us true peace and rest by calming any winds and storms in our lives. Jesus will reign over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness forever. (Isaiah 9:7)
Furthermore, Jesus is our Shepherd King. Look at verse 6. “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” This prophecy was from Micha 5. According to the prophecy, Jesus would be the Shepherd, and his people would be his flock. In the Bible, we human beings are depicted as sheep, who need a good shepherd. God promised that he would send the Shepherd King, and Jesus came. Out of his compassion for his sheep, he left all his heavenly glory and came to this world. He is the King, but his kingship is different from worldly kings like Herod or Caesar. Jesus says in Matthew 20:28, “…the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Jesus would be with sinners, serve us and even lay down his life for his sheep. On the Cross, he would shed all his blood without reservation for sinful, rebellious, and weak sheep like us to save us from the power of sin, death, and Satan and give us eternal life in his kingdom. So, Jesus says in John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
The Magi earnestly sought God’s guidance to meet the King by looking up at the stars in the sky. When they observed the stars with a yearning desire to meet the King, God showed them Jesus’ star. They found an extraordinary and brilliant star and began to follow its guidance. What was their ultimate purpose in following the star and meeting the King? They said, “…We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Amazingly, they had a very pure motive, to worship the king of the Jews. They wanted to meet the King not to gain some selfish benefit, fame, or wealth but to worship him. They were true worshipers.
Here “worship” literally means “falling down, prostrating oneself, and kissing the feet of the one honored.” Worship is the act of honoring God with humility, reverence, and devotion. In a broader sense, worship is to render our utmost honor, glory, and love to God.” (Psalm 96:7-9) We are created to worship God. Isaiah 43:7 says, “…everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” The fundamental purpose in our life is to glorify God and fully enjoy him forever. God wants us to worship him with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our strength because it is impossible for us to worship God and anything else at the same time. (Luke 4:8) Jesus says in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (4:8)
God seeks true worshipers. (John 4:24) Jesus teaches that genuine worship is possible when we worship in the Spirit and in truth. (John 4:24) When we invite the Holy Spirit to speak to us, convict us, and comfort us, we can worship God. God sees the heart, and he desires and deserves sincere, heartfelt praise and worship. God promises to show himself to those who love him and earnestly seek him. (Proverb 8:17; Jeremiah 29:13)
The Magi were truly wisemen because they knew what to seek in their lives. To worship Jesus, they traveled possibly hundreds of miles over several months’ time. They left behind their comfort, family, and social life. They had to cross the desert, rivers, and mountains, enduring all the dangers of wild animals, robbers, scorching heat in the day and bitter cold at night. However, they knew that the king of the Jews was worthy of their devotion and sacrifice. As the star guided them along, their hearts were filled with hope and joy as they felt God’s presence. Finally, they arrived in Jerusalem with much expectation that the king would be there.
The Magi must have questioned whoever they met, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?” They apparently assumed that anyone in Judea, and certainly Jerusalem, would know of this special baby’s birth and would be very excited. But what was the response of the people in Jerusalem? Look at verse 3. “When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.” Jesus’ kingship was not political but spiritual. (John 18:36) In his spiritual ignorance, however, Herod felt great fear of losing his throne and plotted to kill baby Jesus. (7-8) He worshiped his throne. Not only Herod, but also the people in Jerusalem were bothered by the news of the King’s birth. They resented Herod’s rule, but feared the instability involved in possible political turmoil.
When Herod summoned all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law to ask the place of the King’s birth, the religious leaders answered, “In Bethlehem in Judea.” Even though they knew the exact location, none of them went to worship the baby Jesus, though Bethlehem was only 6 miles away. The people in Jerusalem worshiped self, their establishment, and their security in this world. It seemed that they had waited for the King, but there was no room in their hearts to welcome and worship him. The Magi must have been shocked by the attitude of the people. But through the religious leaders, they came to know the exact place the King would be born not in a grand palace but in Bethlehem, King David’s hometown, a small and insignificant town in Judea. They also further learned about what kind of king he would be.
As the Magi went on their way to Bethlehem, the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the baby Jesus was. (9) Look at verse 10. “When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.” KJV says more literally, “they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.” This kind of joy is an extreme joy that we can taste only when we, lowly human beings, meet the holy God. Our utmost joy and happiness come from meeting the true object of our worship and rightly worshiping him.
How then did the Magi worship the baby Jesus? Look at verse 11. “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” The Magi bowed down to the ground and worshipped the baby Jesus. Imagine the old and noble wise men honoring the baby with great humility and submission. They devoted themselves to Jesus with the best gifts that they prepared: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. We can know that true worship involves such humility, submission, and devotion. The Magi’s gifts to Jesus best fit to Jesus for gold represents Jesus’ kingship and deity. Incense represents Jesus’ priesthood. Myrrh represents Jesus’ prophetic office as well as his sacrifice, suffering and death.
Jesus is worthy of our worship not only because of his very nature as our God and King, but also because of what he has done for us as our good shepherd. He is worthy of our best honor, love, and devotion because he already gave his best for us, his very life. Revelation 5:12 says, “In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” Jesus’ love for us motivates us to love him and worship him all the more.
Having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, the Magi returned to their country by another route. (12) The joy that the Magi experienced through their worship was so touching and so unforgettable in their lives. They must have been moved to tears and returned to their country with heartfelt thanks. They must have shared the joy of worshiping the King with their people. The Magi’s worship gives us an example of true worship. Their worship has been remembered and will be remembered forever. Jesus accepts and honors our worship. He delights in it and draws near to us and gives us true happiness. Our worship is never a waste but is remembered by our King Jesus forever.
Just as God had guided the Magi to Jesus through the star, God is leading us to Jesus through his word today. When we earnestly seek Jesus and study the Bible by asking the help of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit guides us into all the truth. The Holy Spirit reveals Jesus to us and enables us to worship him and glorify him in our lives. (John 16:13-14)
I was an idol worshiper. I worshiped my honor, lust, and worldly pleasure. However, when I worshiped idols, I became slaves of the idols and so miserable in darkness. By his mercy and grace, God rescued me from idolatry through Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross. I became a new creation to worship God only. I started my pilgrimage to worship him. Throughout our Matthew’s Gospel studies for the past years, God has helped me to accept Jesus as my King, whom I love and worship with an undivided heart. As I tried to worship my King Jesus, however, I found that my heart was divided. I have petty desires to enjoy the world. I wanted to spend some of my free time watching news and sports. I was especially interested in a Korean soccer player, who is in England. When I watch him playing and scoring goals, I feel that I’m relieved from stress. However, I learned that my zeal to enjoy the petty desires was higher than worshiping Jesus. Consequently, I lost my joy from worshiping Jesus and having a fellowship with him. The Holy Spirit has gently but continually convicted me that my heart is divided, and I must repent of my idolatry.
Despite all my weaknesses, God still loves me. Recently God helped me to read a book, entitled “Conformed to His image” written by Oswald Chambers. I learned that I should not tolerate anything that hinders my relationship with Jesus and must humbly and wholeheartedly submit myself to him. God gave me a repentant heart and new desire to worship Jesus only. As the Magi started their pilgrimage and completed their wholehearted devotion and worship, I must give my wholehearted love, glory, and devotion to my Lord Jesus to the end, who gave his life to me. Thank God for giving me a holy desire to worship my King, Jesus, through Matthew’s Gospel studies. Thank God for teaching the Magi’s worship as an example of worship! I pray that God may bless me to bear the fruit of my repentance in the new year, 2024. Praise be to God, who called me out of the darkness of cursed idolatry and is leading me to grow as a true worshiper.
Jesus is the King of our lives. He is the Shepherd King, who laid down his life for us. He reigns us with justice, righteousness, peace, and love. He is worthy of our worship. May God bless us to continually worship Jesus wholeheartedly and have the joy of worship in 2024!
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