Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time, some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw His star as it rose, and we have come to worship Him." Matthew 2:1-2
The appropriate response to knowing Jesus is worship. When I think of the word worship, I often think immediately of visible actions like singing praise songs. I'm learning, however, that worship is much deeper than mere actions. Worship is about the posture of our hearts. It is that posture that ultimately drives our actions.
Our Scripture reading for today comes from Matthew 2. In these verses, we find out that a group of wise men saw a star, which they understood to be a sign that Christ had been born. Upon seeing this star, they searched for Jesus. Their search led them to ask King Herod, the king at the time, where "the newborn king of the Jews" was because they wanted to worship Him (verse 2). Herod had another response when He heard about Jesus' birth. When the wise men asked this question, Herod panicked. To him, Jesus seemed like a threat to his power. You see, if Jesus had become the earthly king, his line would end. Herod wanted his son, grandson, and great-grandson to rule after him. If this was going to happen, Herod believed that he had to stop Jesus. He secretly made a plan to go to the wise men and tell them to find Jesus so that he, too, could worship Jesus. In reality, if Herod found Jesus, he wanted to kill Him. He did not realize that Jesus did not come to be an earthly king; He came to be the King of Kings and rescue humanity from their sins. He also did not know that nothing could stop God's plan.
In our reading today, we see two different responses to the announcement of Jesus: worship and self-preservation. The wise men wanted to worship Jesus. Herod claimed that he wanted to worship Jesus, but he really wanted to preserve his own name.
God has revealed Himself to you through Jesus and through His word. As you read and think about this Christmas story, how will you respond? Like the wise men, will you stop and worship Jesus fully, or is there something keeping you from fully worshiping Jesus? Do you find that you have responded like Herod, and often your primary concern is your name and success? I urge you, choose today to worship Jesus. Sing a praise song to Him loudly, telling Him how much you love Him. Ask Him for forgiveness if you have been trying to make your name great instead of His. Ask Him to help you live a lifestyle of worship, seeking to honor Him and everything He has done for you.
May you meditate on the joy of knowing Jesus, and may this joy lead you to worship Him today.
Worship begins with a deep adoration for Jesus. Spend time reflecting on the Christmas story, reading all of Matthew 1 and 2. Read these verses slowly and deliberately. As you read, thank God for the gift of Jesus Christ and all He has done for you.
Read Matthew 2:1-8 (NLT)
Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”
King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”
“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:
‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah,for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”
Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”
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