Following the Magi
I clutched my MapQuest directions as I drove to a speaking engagement. Stress often dribbled into my heart when I needed to find a place I had never been before. I was grateful for this computer-generated guidance to help me get there on time, until…
The directions told me to turn left at the next stop sign and into a cornfield!
Oh, the days before GPS! Now we plug our desired destination into our phones, and satellites in the sky guide us through all the twists and turns of our journey.
During the Christmas season, we remember a group of people in Bible times who were also guided by a satellite in the sky. God led the Magi to the infant Jesus via a very special star.
But unlike our GPS apps that tell us how to get where we are going, the star guiding the Magi also told them why they needed to go. The star announced that a new king had arrived, and these wise men from the East traveled to worship him!
To Worship or Not to Worship
The book of Matthew details the journey of the Magi but also contrasts their sincere desire to worship the new king with the evil intentions of Herod and the seemingly blasé attitude of the religious leaders in Jerusalem.
When the Magi first arrive in Jerusalem, they ask the people in the city, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him” (Matthew 2:2). King Herod hears word of these foreign visitors and panics because although the Romans appointed him as ruler of Judea, he does not have a legitimate claim to the throne. After all, he is not a descendant of King David. So Herod assembles the chief priests and scribes and asks them where the Messiah is to be born. They know the Scriptures, so they say, “In Bethlehem.”
Herod secretly summons the wise men and asks what time the star appeared. He then tells them, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him” (Matthew 2:8). However, we know his true intentions. Herod does not want to worship. He intends to kill this threat to his throne.
Okay, I’m not surprised by Herod’s disdain for worshiping the new King. He wanted to retain power. But I am astounded by the response of the chief priests and scribes. Herod consulted these religious leaders because they knew the Scriptures and the promise of a Savior. They had long awaited the fulfillment of the promise. So at the news of a special star announcing the birth of the Messiah, I would expect them to jump up, pack their suitcases, and join the Magi on the last leg of their journey to worship the King.
But Scripture says nothing of their worship.
Continue reading over at the Redbud Hyphen!
