Day 9. Worshipping the king

Today’s scripture: Matt. 2:1-12 (NIV) 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.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people, 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.’ 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. After they had heard they 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. 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 myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Contrary to many nativity scenes, the Magi did not visit Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem on the night of Jesus’ birth. It was probably between Jesus’ first and second birthday. Jesus’ family had settled in Bethlehem and apparently stayed for a while. The Magi (Eugene Peterson calls them scholars) were astronomers who studied the maps in the sky. They instantly knew something was amiss when a large star shone in the sky above Jerusalem. Perhaps they saw the star – modern-day scholars believe it was probably the illumination of the planet Jupiter – from a distance and set out for it. Some scholars believe they came from far off lands or from the east. Some believe the Magi came separately from different parts of the world, such as Africa, Asia and Macedonia.

Judea was one of the four provinces ruled by King Herod the Great for Rome. He was a brutal leader and quite paranoid, even killing several members of his family to protect his thrown. Herod was shrewd and knew of the prophecies from the Old Testament. When the Magi rode through town, he inquired of them. He wanted to know every detail possible. While he was chatting with the Magi, he was plotting to overthrow the potential uprising caused by the birth of a tiny child. Bethlehem was only six miles south of Jerusalem.

The Magi were up to the challenge and didn’t share their secrets. They may have been Jews in a far-off land who traveled many months to arrive at the spot the brightly shining star designated. The star may have been a natural occurrence caused by the conjunction of Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars in 6 B.C. But it’s also possible God created the star to announce the birth of his son. If he could conceive a virgin birth, could he not create a bright star in the sky?

When Herod said he wanted to worship the new king, too, the Magi kept silent to protect the baby Jesus. They went on their way and traveled another day until they found the new king. The Magi worshipped Jesus with gold, incense (frankincense) and myrrh. Perhaps this story is why we give gifts at Christmas. The gold would have allowed Mary and Joseph to live comfortably and to make their next journey. Mary and Joseph most likely would have been in Bethlehem at least several months so that Mary could recover from the birth, which may have been difficult, given her age and the fact it was her first child. And when the Magi were done, they took another route out of town so they could avoid Herod’s scheming ways and give Mary and Joseph more time.

These scholars did a quickie worship session with Jesus because of a fear of what King Herod would do to them – as well as Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. This act of worship by the Magi corresponds to Simeon’s blessing that this child Jesus would be "a light for revelation to the Gentiles" (Luke 2:32). But we can spend the rest of our lives at the feet of Jesus. We can worship him every day. Starting today.

Did you know: The song says, "On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 9 Ladies Dancing ..." which signifies the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit.

To view a link to “We Three Kings of Orient Are,” go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ0pCzZExlw