“Divine Manifestation: Worship”
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.
Introduction
Matthew 2:11 describes the moment when the wise men, or Magi, from the East finally find the baby Jesus in Bethlehem, reacting with overwhelming joy and worshiping him by presenting gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh; signifying their recognition of Jesus as the King of the Jews, a divine being worthy of praise, and a suffering servant respectively, highlighting the universal message of Christ’s birth reaching beyond the Jewish people to the Gentiles.
I want you to see some things about this worship:
Humility of worship
After a long journey (they probably arrived when Jesus was about 2 years old), they finally arrived. Their action was very simple. They fell to the ground and worshiped. These great men who were full of wisdom and knowledge of every kind prostrated themselves on the ground before a young child.
Their actions showed humility and great faith. Very few people understood what this boy was, and what He would do, but it seems like at least in part the magi understood. Their faith led them on a long journey and once they arrived all they could do was bow in worship. What a great response! Jesus, the God-Man deserved their worship. He deserves ours.
Sacrifice of worship
When the wise men came on their journey it was for the purpose of worship. They brought with them gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These gifts have a lot of symbolism associated with them. Gold represents wealth. It is a gift fit for a king (Jesus was the King of Kings). Frankincense is the sap of a tree that was dried and hardened and used as incense to worship God. Thus, we see a gift for his deity (Jesus was the Son of God). Myrrh is a fragrant perfume that was used to anoint the dead – to embalm and preserve them (Jesus was The Sacrificial Lamb).
For us, we need to learn that worship requires sacrifice, both of our time and expense. In Romans 12:1 we learn that we are to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God. That means that everything we have and even our very being must be devoted to God.
Call to worship
Let end this manifestation of worship with part of the lyrics to the song “Bow Down and Worship Him” by Benjamin Dube:
Bow down and worship Him
Bow down and worship Him
Worship Him
Oh, worship Him
Jesus, the King of kings
Jesus, the King of kings
Worship Him
Oh, worship Him…
Conclusion
We need to have the same humble attitude the wise men displayed when they bowed before the boy, and indeed the same humble attitude of Christ who lowered Himself to become a human baby. During this season and all around the year let us bow our hearts in worship to God every day. Amen!
Pastor John N. Punni, II