Through the Bible - 2 Kings 7-9, John 5:1-29
Good morning,
For today's verse we'll continue looking at the reactions of some of the people in Old and New Testaments when encountering the majesty, glory, and holiness of God.
The wise men, the magi, in Matthew 2 may not be some of the first people that you would think of.
They had been looking for the coming "King of the Jews", following the star. They ended up in front of Herod who called in the priests and scribes and asked them where the Messiah was to be born. They knew the answer which was conveyed to the wise men.
Matt 2:6 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.'" NKJV
Curiously, perhaps astonishingly, nobody seemed to check into this except for Herod who wanted to eliminate the possibility that it could come to be.
The wise men followed the star which led them to the home of Mary and Joseph
Matt 2:10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 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. NKJV
We don't know how much else they had heard about this Christ Child but after following the star, hearing of the prophecies, and seeing them being fulfilled before there eyes they "fell down and worshipped Him". The word used for worship here is the same one from John chapter 4 which Jesus used when talking with the woman at the well.
Read this explanation from singer/songwriter Shaun Groves:
One of the Greek words translated as “worship” in today’s English bible is proskuneo. It means “to kiss the hand as a statement of submission.” It’s what happens when a commoner comes face to face with the king - he lowers himself to finger level, puckers up and kisses the royal ring. That kiss says You are my king and I am your loyal subject. Do what you want with me.
But this word has an even more severely humbling meaning buried in it. Proskuneo is made up of two parts: Pros means toward. And kuneo evolved from the more ancient root word kuon, which means dog. Toward plus dog. Huh?
Now, go with me here, this is about to get a little weird for some of us. You, are a dog. So am I. When our Master comes near us we’re supposed to roll over and kiss/lick appreciatively, submissively. It’s the way we dogs say You are my Master. I am your dog. Do what you want with me.
Proskuneo is surrendering all illusions of competency, all rights and all demands. Its foundation is the realization that back to back with God, freshly showered and shaved, with all my memory verses from vacation bible schools tucked away in my gray matter, with my Sunday clothes on, with my diplomas on the wall, with my list of good deeds stacked up under my feet for extra height, on my best day and on my best behavior, I don’t measure up. I’m short - far short. I have nothing and God is everything. So I roll over.
The wise men had brought the best they had to offer, the gold, frankincense, and myrrh but more importantly, the were humbled and submitted themselves before this Child, the long awaited Messiah.
How many people today have a lot of "head knowledge" about Jesus, but don't do anything with it, let alone worship Him in this way?
How many strangers, modern "wise men" are coming and submitting while those who should know are following other things?
For more on "proskuneo" you can go to this link to Shaun Groves article on this. http://www.shaungroves.com/shlog/comments/shut_up_and_worship_pt6/
In Christ,
Mike
mikevw@bellsouth.net
Matt 2:1-13
Wise Men from the East
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, 2 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."
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5 So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
6 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.'"
7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also."
9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 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.
12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.
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