The King Worthy of Our Worship – January 9, 2020

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, frankincense and myrrh.
Matthew 2:11

The King Worthy of Our Worship

When was the last time you looked at a baby registry, either for yourself or for someone else? What kinds of things did you see listed there? Most likely, you saw a lot of very practical things that the new parents could use in taking care of their new baby. Perhaps there were diapers, bottles, blankets, washcloths, onesies, books, and even a few toys.

But have you ever seen a baby registry that listed gold, frankincense, and myrrh? Probably not. For us, those three things don’t seem all that practical for taking care of a young child, unless you sold them and used the proceeds to buy other things that you might need.

However, those were the gifts that the Magi gave to Jesus when they finally found him. And they were extremely appropriate gifts, given what the Magi knew about who Jesus was. The Magi understood that this child, whom they had traveled a very long distance to see, was more than just a child. He was God’s promised Messiah. He was their Savior. As their Savior, he was worthy of all their worship, which they gave him as they bowed down before him. And he was worthy of their best, which they gave him as they opened their treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

We who have seen much more of what Jesus did as God’s chosen Messiah have even more reason to give him our worship. We, after all, know exactly how Jesus fulfilled his mission as our Savior. We have seen the perfect life he lived on our behalf. We have seen the death he died to pay for all our sins. We have seen his glorious resurrection, through which God declared that Jesus’ saving work was complete. For all that and more, we cannot help but join the Magi in worshiping Jesus and giving him our best. He most certainly is worthy of every bit of worship we can give him.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, to you I give myself in worship, for you are worthy of all honor and praise. Amen.