“Three Reactions to a Ruler” (Ready to Worship S12E2)

August 14, 2020

Ready to Worship Season 12, Episode 2 for Friday, August 14, 2020

This season on Ready to Worship, we are looking at the Gospel of Matthew. The message of the book is simple: the King is here and the kingdom is near. In the book, Matthew presents many proofs to his Jewish countrymen that Jesus is King. He has the pedigree, the predecessor, the power, the prophecies, and the praise to be King. Each of these things is worthy of study. However, our focus in this series is going to be on the fact that Jesus has the praise to be King. We will examine the many times in Matthew when Jesus is worshipped. In this installment of our study, we are going to examine the second chapter of Matthew. In this chapter, we see three reactions to the King (Mt 2:1-12). The first reaction that we see in the chapter is AGITATION. It is the reaction of Herod. Since there are several Herods recorded in Scripture, it is important to identify the Herod mentioned here. The Herod under consideration here is Herod the Great; or, as I call him, Herod the not so Great. Although he did a few great things, he did many not so great things. In our text, He tried to kill the Christ-child. The text records that he was troubled to hear that one had been born King of the Jews (Mt. 2:3). Although he pretended that he wanted to worship the King, he didn’t (Mt. 2:8; cf. Psa. 55:21). He wanted to kill Jesus and attempted to do so (Mt. 2:13, 16). The second reaction that we see in the chapter is APATHY. This was the reaction of the chief priests and scribes. They knew where the Messiah was to be born and told Herod (Mt. 2:5-6; Mic. 5:2; John 7:42). Yet, they showed no interest in finding Him themselves. Although Bethlehem was only six miles away, and downhill at that, there is no evidence that they went to investigate. The long-awaited King had entered the world and those who should have been most interested in His coming were indifferent. The third reaction that we see in the chapter is ADORATION. This was the reaction of the wise men. Unlike Herod, they really did want to worship Him (Mt. 2:2). Unlike the chief priests and scribes, they were willing to travel many miles to find Him (Mt. 2:1-2). They were neither apathetic or agitated. They were overjoyed (Mt. 2:11). These dignitaries of the desert, entered the humble abode of Mary and Joseph to present their precious gifts to the King. In their fancy robes, they dropped to their knees and worshipped Him (Mt. 2:11). Which of these three reactions best represents us – agitation, apathy, or adoration? As we get ready to worship this week, let’s remember that the King has come! Let’s worship Him in anticipation of His return.