Come Worship the King

“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.” (Matthew 2:1, NKJV)

Of all those mentioned in the nativity story, we know the least about the wise men who came from the East. Matthew is the only Gospel that mentions them. We are not told how many came, where their journey began, or how long they traveled. Based on what they told King Herod, it seems likely they arrived a year or more after Jesus’ birth. They found the young child in a house, not a stable.

While tradition says there were three wise men (or Magi), Scripture is silent. We do know three gifts were presented to Jesus. They brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh—gifts worthy of a king. Gold was a precious metal, and frankincense was used as perfume or incense. Myrrh, however, was a somewhat different gift. It was used as an anointing oil but was also used in embalming the dead. Each of these gifts was symbolic. Gold spoke of Jesus’ royalty, frankincense His divinity, and myrrh His suffering and death.

Who were these wise men? Some suggest that they were most likely astronomers from Persia, the area of modern-day Iran. If so, they may have traveled 800 miles or more to find the Christ child. It is possible these men were familiar with the prophecies of Daniel which foretold the coming of a Messiah. In Daniel 9:24-27 we find a timeline for the appearance of the Messiah. From this, they could have determined the time for the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy.

Although we have few details about the Magi, we know that God revealed to them that the long-awaited Messiah was born. They traveled hundreds of miles for many months for one reason: to honor and worship Him. Upon their arrived in Jerusalem, they immediately questioned, “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” (Matthew 2:2, NKJV).

Isn’t it strange that men from a distant country were more interested in worshiping this long-awaited king than the people of His own nation. Sadly, many could hardly remember the prophecy of Micah 5:2 that foretold Bethlehem as His place of birth. The only one interested in further investigating this royal birth was King Herod, but not for the right reasons. His hidden purpose was to kill this possible contender for the throne, not to worship Him.

The wise men finally reached the end of their long journey at a humble home in the small town of Bethlehem. What a curious sight these visitors must have been to the townspeople. They found no palace, no garments of silk, no ministering servants. That did not matter to them. Their search was over. Entering the small home, they bowed down and worshiped— just as anyone would do when entering the presence of a king.

“And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11, NKJV).

Today, not everyone is interested in worshiping the King of kings. Not everyone recognizes who He is or even cares. But those who truly search for Him, regardless of the length and difficulty of their journey, will find Him. They will fall down and worship the King.

And one day, perhaps in our lifetime, everyone will bow their knee and recognize that Jesus is Lord.

“But made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men . . . Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:7-11, NKJV)