WE HAVE COME TO WORSHIP HIM

Matt.2:1,2 – Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

This story is really the story of all people and the way they respond to the news of the Messiah being born in Bethlehem. There are different types of people who respond differently to the birth of Christ, today we will look at three different ways people responded to the news of His birth. Here is what Barclay said was Herod’s response to the announcement of the Savior’s birth.

“There was the reaction of Herod, the reaction of hatred and hostility. Herod was afraid that this little child was going to interfere with his life, his place, his power and his influence, and therefore his first instinct was to destroy him.”

There are people of power in all generations who will take any measure to protect their place of power. Herod was no exception, he was willing to slaughter thousands of innocent children to protect his throne, nothing mattered to Herod but Herod, Jesus was just an inconvenience as far as he was concerned. Next was the response of the religious leaders according to Barclay.

“There was the reaction of the chief priests and scribes, the reaction of complete indifference. It did not make the slightest difference to them. They were so engrossed in their Temple ritual and their legal discussions that they completely disregarded Jesus. He meant nothing to them.”

The religious leaders didn’t seem to have a care in the world. As far as they were concerned the birth of Jesus was meaningless. They were consumed with their own religious endeavors and all this was was a temporary problem.

Finally there was the response of the wise men. They had travelled hundreds of miles for the defining moment of their lives. They had come to worship and nothing would be able to get in their way. Here is what Barclay said about that.

“There was the reaction of the wise men, the reaction of adoring worship, the desire to lay at the feet of Jesus Christ the noblest gifts which they could bring. Surely, when we become aware of the love of God in Jesus Christ, we, too, should be lost in wonder, love and praise.”

So which category of people best describes you? Is the birth of Christ a threat to your power and influence or are you better described as one who doesn’t even notice; His birth really makes no difference in your world. Hopefully your response is more like the wise men, all you can do is bow down and worship this glorious King.