My Lord and My God!
From the moment of Your birth, people varied wildly in their response to You! Herod hated You with a despising hostility, pursuing You with one thing on his mind–slaughter! The chief priests and scribes were completely indifferent, and the wise men demonstrated devoted adoration and worship.
Herod’s insane suspicion knew no bounds. Someone called him a “murderous old man,” and surely he was. When the Roman Emperor Augustus learned of Herod’s assassination of three of his own sons, Augustus said that it was safer to be Herod’s pig than to be Herod’s son. Yes, he built the temple of Jerusalem. Surely he had moments of generosity, but those moments never seemed entirely selfless. And then he placed You, the Son of God, in His sinful sights.
The chief priest and scribes did not even seem to care about You. They were completely enamored with prophecy as an academic study, absent of any wonder or worship. These spiritual leaders of the Jews should have been the first ones interested in verifying Your arrival. Their disinterest is astonishing. As often is true with academics, the chief priests and scribes’ interest never transcended the technical and the theoretical. You were of no interest to them. Like the priest and Levite in Your parable of the Good Samaritan, they “passed by on the other side.”
I don’t know all of the details concerning the wise men from the East who attended You in Your infancy. Apparently, they were experts in philosophy, medicine, and the science of their day. Apparently, they had some measure of wealth, power, and prestige, but many questions remain. What sense of expectation motivated the wise men to even look for a sign in the heavens? What was the ancient star which they saw? How did the wise men know to connect the celestial show to the birth of a king? Was there some Messianic hope that transcended national boundaries and cultures? How many wise men were there? How old were You when they arrived?
What about me? Am I worshiping You in a way that is worthy? Is my worship despising, indifferent, or devoted? Lord Jesus, may my worship of You never be conniving, scheming, positioning myself for some advantage. Help me to worship You with a pure heart of devotion, not from some contemptuous scheme based in intrigue, but from a genuine and transparent heart of perfect love. I choose to offer You obedient devotion.
In the Name of Messiah, my Lord Jesus Christ,
Amen.
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