In the Shadow of the Cross

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“When they saw the star they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him”
(Matthew 2:10-11 NIV)

We all had heard this story so many times, but this time I was particularly struck by the word picture in these above verses. The Magi were overjoyed, and they worshiped.

Who were these Magi. They are thought to be Persian priests, astrologers, scientists, they would be the equivalent of the Levites in Old Testament times, or the priests, educated, and elite, and wealthy, as evidence of the gifts they brought. They may have been a sect of priests influenced by Daniel, during the Babylonian captivity. To have sought after a “King of Jews”, they most certainly would have to been heavily influenced by Hebrew sources. At least these three wise men had a strong Hebrew influence and education. Scholars theorize that the time they spent preparing and traveling from Babylon to Bethlehem (roughly 1500 miles) would have been roughly a few years. They most likely traveled with a guard or military escort, and a logistical team.

These Magi, were king-makers, skilled in astrology, astronomy, possibly mathematics, and they left the comfort of their homes to travel, what even today, is a large distance. The journey had to be harsh. The constant fear of raiders, need for supplies, the delicate relationship they may have had with Rome, and the anxiety of the unknown would have weighted on their minds. But they pressed on. And when they finally arrived, they rested and ate and took it easy….. NO, that is not what they did! They were overjoyed and they bowed and worshiped! Again, I was struck by that phrase in Matthew. I tried to imagine what these wise men thought. On the road for 1500 miles, following a star, they arrive at their destination and they were overjoyed! Why overjoyed? The Child was, from an earthly perspective, just a small child. The Child had not performed any miracles, did not walk on water, change a kid’s small lunch to feed thousands, had not quieted a storm and calmed a sea, nor healed the blind and lame. This Child hadn’t taught a lesson, chastised a Pharisee or brought a dead friend back to life. Jesus, at this time was a small child, who did not look like a king, didn’t live like a king, and did not have a royal earthly court.
So again, I ask the question. Why were these wise men overjoyed? Because they knew this Child was no ordinary child. This Child was, and is, God, the Creator and Sustainer, our Lord and Savior.
“ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made, without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.
…. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth”
(John 1: 1-4 & 14 NIV)

This Child was God incarnate, they were taught the messianic teachings from Daniel’s time, and they were supernaturally inspired to travel from Persia to Bethlehem to worship this particular child.
This Child is the way, the truth and life, where no one will enter heaven except through Him. The Magi, knew about this Child’s divinity, and they were overjoyed, bowed down and worshiped Him.

Overjoyed…. the dictionary has it defined as; exceedingly in a state of joy, experiencing an abundance of joy, great delight. I would venture to say that even the dictionary cannot fully express or define the extent of the joy these men experienced. Take a minute and think about just how happy these men were when they found the Child Jesus!
“Overjoyed” is the word in the NIV. Maybe overly overjoyed, or maximum joy or joyful beyond comprehension, would be a better description. ….’they bowed and worshiped”, with no hesitation, no second thoughts, no reluctance, just instant worship. We can learn a great lesson from that phrase! These Persians (not Hebrews) were overjoyed and worshiped the Christ Child. That small phrase in the Christmas story , that I had heard a hundred times, struck a nerve when I read it and re-read it. Overjoyed, they bowed and worshiped.

[No doubt, Jesus is to be worshiped. He is the source of our joy. Worship certainly doesn’t mean we exclude His name at the time of year we celebrate His birth! Merry X-Mas, so now we “X” out His name. No longer is it “Merry Christmas”, but rather Happy Holidays, or Seasons Greetings. No longer do we gather around the Christmas tree, but now it’s the family tree. As a society, we have become non-wise men. We have lost our joy, our reverence and heartfelt worship of Jesus. He is to be the central figure of our lives, not only of this season, but the entire year. Most likely you are reading this article after Christmas 2007 and that is okay, because the theme of the article is to be lived year-round].

This Child later died. He died for the sins of humanity. Anyone who believes, submits and surrenders their life can experience eternal life with Him. This Child is our Lord and Savior, our only true King. Christ is His name! God and Savior is His eternal reign. . The wise men understood His nature so much so that they were filled with joy. Upon their arrival, they instantly bowed down before the Child and worshiped Him. The question for all of us is; how wise are we?

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