March 4
“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.
By inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the evangelist Matthew continues the story of the Wise Men from the East. Having been guided by the special star, they arrived at the house where Mary and the young Child were living.
No mention is made of Joseph during the visit of the Wise Men. Perhaps he was working in a carpenter shop. After all, he had to provide for his family.
Having entered the house, with their own eyes the Wise Men beheld the new-born King. They had come from a long journey to Jerusalem to worship the promised Messiah and the Savior of the world. They fell down and worshiped Him. In Oriental fashion they fell on their knees and their forehead touched the ground. It symbolized complete respect and submission to the new-born King and the Lord of their lives!
There is no record in Scripture of any formal introduction or any conversation between the Wise Men and Mary. Certainly, they reported who they were, and why they had come was obvious; they worshiped Him. Since there are people who worship, praise, and pray to Mary, it is important for us to note that the Wise Men did the wise thing; they worshiped the Christ Child, not His mother! Thereby they recognized Jesus as the Son of God, of whom the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews writes, “Let all the angels of God worship Him,” Hebrews 1:6. The Wise Men worshiped Him of whom the heavenly Father spoke at Jesus’ Baptism and Transfiguration, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,” Matthew 3:17 and Matthew 17:5.
Having worshiped the Baby Jesus, the Wise Men presented gifts to Him – gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These were costly and precious gifts. The Wise Men were fulfilling the words of the prophet Isaiah, “They shall bring gold and incense, and they shall proclaim the praises of the Lord,” Isaiah 60:6.
Following in the footsteps of the Wise Men, we, too, worship Jesus as the promised Messiah, as the Son of God, true God with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and as the promised Savior of whom all the Old Testament prophets had spoken and written, as the apostle Peter said, “To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins,” Acts 10:43.
Every Christian, and only Christians, believe and confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the only Savior, who redeemed us on Calvary’s cross with His holy precious blood, His innocent suffering, and death. From that cross comes God’s promise: “The price has been paid; all your sins are forgiven!” That ought to move us to fall to our knees to thank Him from the bottom of our hearts! That ought to move us to rise up and shout from the housetops for everyone to hear: “God loves you! He has forgiven you for Jesus’ sake! Believe in Him, trust in Him, and be saved!”
If you cannot speak like angels, if you cannot preach like Paul,
You can tell the love of Jesus, you can say He died for all.
If you cannot rouse the wicked, with the judgment’s dread alarms,
You can lead the little children, to the Savior’s waiting arms. Amen.