Worship Jesus or War Against Him

     Ever chasing the sun, they headed west. Days blending together like raindrops descending from a cloudburst – one indistinguishable from the rest. Forging ahead. Never knowing how much longer.

    But today seems different. 

     As they stop for a much-needed late afternoon rest, gentle breezes caress their faces. Even the swaying palm trees seem to be waving their fronds in expectation of the night ahead. Dusk begins pulling down the shades on the landscape. Trees begin morphing into silhouettes on the horizon. Necks crane, eyes squint looking for the sign that will lead them.

     Silence enshrouds them in the moonlit night.

     “There it is!” one of them shouts, jumping and pointing with the enthusiasm of a child chasing a butterfly. A blinding light bursts forth, calling the weary travelers to follow. Fists punch the air in jubilation. Heads bow in adoration. The men push on, following the star like none they’d ever seen.

     “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.’” (Matthew 2:1-2)

     Searching the skies, these men diligently sought a sign that would lead them to this King. There prevailed throughout the entire East at this time an intense conviction, based upon ancient prophecies, that a powerful monarch would soon arise in Judea and rule the entire world. Could this Jewish King be the One? When the never-before-seen star crested the horizon, the Magi meticulously planned their journey to Judea. 

     But their question stirred up a hornet’s nest of activity throughout the royal city.

     “When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.” (v. 3)

     Herod fumed and fussed when the news reached his ears. His heart thumped in his chest, his head throbbed, and the arteries bulged in his neck. “King of the Jews? Do they not know who I am?” He winced at the Magi’s question. If the stars were signaling the birth of another “King of the Jews,” that led Herod to only one conclusion. The same star signaled his demise!

     Fear spread through the city like a wildfire cutting through the forest. The hushed whispers combined and grew to a roaring flame. Ashen faces recalled Herod’s past reactions to anyone challenging his authority. Hotspots still remained.

     Like a rattlesnake slithering out from its lair, fangs carrying stored winter venom, Herod struck fear into the people. His ascent to the palace was along a bloodstained path. Herod executed anyone who resisted his rule – his own wife, her uncle, his own sons, members of the Sanhedrin, nameless Jews by the hundreds. No one was safe.

     When he [Herod] had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “‘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 be the shepherd of my people Israel.’” (vs. 4-6)

     With a slight stirring of his rattle, Herod called together the religious leaders and teachers to find out where to dispatch his venom. Without their knowledge, he would remain coiled not knowing where to strike. The religious leaders wanted to make sure the venom hit its intended target rather than recoil upon them.

     “Bethlehem, hmm.” With the inquiry complete, Herod summarily dismissed the religious cadre with a wave of his hand.

     Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” (vs. 7-8)

     Tightly coiled, Herod readied his fangs. Naively the Magi provided the usurper with the first chance to strike. “So the child is less than two years old.” Not content with this knowledge, however, Herod desired to know the exact identity of the child. Sinking the fangs deep into the flesh of this little one would save his throne – at the cost of his soul. 

     “After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.”  (vs. 9-10)

     The pagan Magi traveled hundreds of miles and pressed on in a joyous procession to worship the King of the Jews. Meanwhile, the blind chief priests and teachers of the law, who had always had the location at their fingertips, didn’t make the five-mile journey when they heard of the King’s birth!

     “On coming to the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.” (v. 11)

     What questions must have flowed through their minds as they approached the house?  “Why is Herod in the capital city, dressed in fine clothing, and surrounded by excessive wealth – and the King of the Jews is living in this comparative hovel? And why isn’t anyone else here? If Herod really cared, why didn’t he just come with us?”

     Yet their lack of answers did not keep them from acting wisely. They proceeded into the house, fell upon their faces, and worshipped the King, presenting Him with the finest gifts from their homeland.

     Their journey complete, their joy unbridled, the Magi turned to go home. “And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.” (v. 12)…The snake would have to stay coiled awhile longer.

   Prayer

“Lord Jesus, thank you for breaking into history and being born in Bethlehem just as the prophecies foretold. Your unwavering character as the Promise Keeper gives us hope and assurance when we search your Word. You constantly affirm the reliability of the Scriptures by giving us historical references to times, places, and people that can be confirmed by outside sources. Grant us wisdom and discernment to know how to use these to help the world understand that the Bible is not a fairy tale. Heavenly Father, your ways truly are above our ways. First you use shepherds, then a couple of elderly ‘lay’ people, then Gentiles to proclaim the birth of Your Son, the Messiah. Please help us to see how you want us to proclaim that same truth today. Do not allow us to be mired in comfortable traditions when you are seeking to do a new thing to reach the world around us. Use us too! Grant us the courage, the desire, and the passion to proceed like the Magi who traveled far from their homeland to worship you. How much more should we, who have been given the full revelation of Scripture, be willing to go when you call? Help us to hear your voice, see any ‘signs’ you have placed in our pathways, so that we will be walking in tandem with you. Forgive us for times when we are no different than Herod or ‘all Jerusalem.’ We, too, become disturbed because you rock our comfortable worlds and show us how, selfish rather than selfless, we are. Help us to avoid the complacency of the religious leaders who knew where you were, but failed to act upon your revealed knowledge. Grant us eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to follow only you. Holy Spirit, help us to hold fast, believing you will guide us where we are to go, when we are to go, and how we are to go – be it across the living room, across the street, across the town, or across the world. And let our joy overflow like the Magi as we follow you. Lord Jesus, we bow before you in humble adoration. We lay our time, talents, and treasures at your feet. Please accept our offerings and grant us direction on how to travel throughout this day – and throughout our lives. Ω