“Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
(Matthew 2:2 NIV)
We often associate the magi, or wise men, with the gifts they brought to the Christ child, while overlooking the best gift they gave Him before they presented Him with their gifts – worship. Take a listen to what Matthew wrote:
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 and of incense and of myrrh. (2:11)
These men knew who Jesus was. Right from the beginning they came looking for the “one who has been born king of the Jews” so they could “worship him” (Matthew 2:2). We can’t worship what we don’t know. But these truly wise men knew that this wasn’t an ordinary child and embarked on a rather dangerous journey to find Him so they can give Him the gift He was worthy of – worship.
“True worship…is defined by the priority we place on who God is in our lives and where God is on our list of priorities. True worship is a matter of the heart expressed through a lifestyle of holiness.” The magi are a good example of what it means to worship and we can learn from their example by putting God first and living a lifestyle that honours Him, giving Him the best gift ever.
Rising with the Son 