Beyond hymns

While pastoring churches, I discovered that although people frequently spoke of worship, they did not have a clear concept of what it actually meant. Many defined worship as singing hymns written 300 years ago while dressed well in church. Six years ago, my ministry shifted from the church to the classroom. Whenever I ask my students, “What is worship?” I often receive a similar response: “Worship is singing, attending church, reading the Bible, and praying.” Although such activities are associated with the act of worship, worship encompasses much more than that. A solid, biblical definition of worship may be derived from one of the stories we often read and hear during the nativity festivities in December.

At the time of Jesus’ birth and in the following months, very few people recognized that in that moment and place, God Himself had manifested in the flesh, thus revealing the most significant expression of His love. Among those few individuals were the wise men from the east. In Matthew 2:1, 2, we read: “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him’ ” (NASB).

Characteristics of the Magi

The passage reveals fundamental characteristics of those wise men. Although all of them are significant, I will emphasize only a handful. First, some biblical versions, such as the New American Standard Bible, refer to the men as “Magi.” The word Magi has a variety of possible interpretations. Some associate the term with those who studied the stars and planets, suggesting they were astrologers, astronomers, or both.¹ Others suggest they were members of a high priestly class.² A third group, based on such texts as Isaiah 60:3 and Revelation 21:24, proposes that they had significant political influence, possibly as kings or princes.³ Ellen White states that, as members of the nobility, they were philosophers of great influence.⁴

A second characteristic is that they came from the east, possibly from Arabia, Persia, or Babylon.⁵ In the eyes of the Jewish community, they were “foreigners” and “pagans.” Biblical scholar Craig Keener suggests that they may have even practiced Zoroastrianism, one of the world’s oldest monotheistic faiths.⁶ It is curious that, although Matthew wrote for the Jews, he not only included Gentiles in his narrative but also highlighted their receptiveness and search for the God of Israel.⁷

Worship is recognizing that God is in control despite adverse circumstances. Worship is acknowledging that no matter what happens, God remains God, and nothing and no one can change that.

According to Matthew 2:2, the third characteristic is that a star guided them. Undoubtedly, they were students of the second book of God’s revelation—nature—and they beheld the glory of the Creator. The New International Version⁸ and the King James Version describe them as “wise men” (v. 1). In the Hebrew mindset, a wise man is one who acquires reverence for God as a result of studying His Word (Prov. 1:7; 2:6; 10:14; Ps. 119:66). Therefore, seeking more precise and profound knowledge of God, the Magi turned to the Hebrew Scriptures (the first book of God’s revelation).⁹ The Old Testament reveals, from beginning to end, the coming, work, and character of the Messiah. Among such texts, the noblemen found Balaam’s prophecy about the Messiah:

“I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near.
A star will come out of Jacob;
A scepter will rise out of Israel” (Num. 24:17).¹⁰

Surely, they also encountered the prophecy of the 70 weeks in Daniel.

Another trait of the Magi was that they were men of action. The typical journey to Jerusalem from the east, traveling day and night, would take at least a month. However, the Magi would have taken twice as long because they had to travel only at night to follow the star.

Lastly, the ultimate purpose of their journey was to find and worship the newborn King (Matt. 2:2). Upon arriving in Jerusalem and then at the temple, they discovered that no one knew anything about the Messiah’s birth. People were preoccupied with their own affairs. The arrival of the Magi caused fear instead of joy, and confusion instead of clarity (v. 3). Ellen White points out a great irony by stating that it was “pagans” who brought light to God’s people regarding the advent of the Messiah. “Through the wise men, God had called the attention of the Jewish nation to the birth of His Son.”¹¹ Despite the political leaders’ confusion and the religious leaders’ disbelief, the Magi reached Bethlehem.

Recognizing the sovereignty of God despite the circumstances

For me, the following scene is one of the best examples of worship I have found in the Bible. Matthew 2:11 tells us that when the Magi entered the house, they saw the child wrapped in swaddling clothes and worshiped Him. Significantly, they did not argue that a king could not have been born under such circumstances. They were not taken aback by the fact that the child had not been born in a palace. Seeing only humble parents, they were not disappointed by the absence of royal guards. Nor did they reason that perhaps the religious leaders of Jerusalem were right. Despite Jesus being a helpless and poor child, despite His mother being a teenager, likely between 14 and 16 years old, they recognized Him as the King of kings.¹²

Worship is recognizing that God is in control despite adverse circumstances. Worship is acknowledging that no matter what happens, God remains God, and nothing and no one can change that.

Total submission

Matthew 2:11 also tells us that the Magi bowed down before the newborn King. If we understand that the men were monarchs or political leaders, what they did has profound significance. In ancient times, society recognized a monarch as such, among other things, when their subjects bowed down in their presence. A king would never bow down before another individual. The only exception was in the case of losing a war. When that happened, the defeated king would bow before the victorious monarch to symbolize total submission. Beyond this, when they arrived at the house where Mary and Joseph stayed, the wise men “recognized the presence of Divinity.”¹³

Therefore, worship is total submission to God. As the archbishop of Canterbury William Temple said, “Worship is the submission of all of our nature to God . . . and submission of will to His purpose.”¹⁴ Unlike the Magi, King Herod could not conceive of bowing before another sovereign. He refused to submit to the newborn monarch, which is why he issued the horrific order to kill all children under two years old (v. 16).

Giving and bringing the best

Upon recognizing the presence of the Majesty of heaven lying in a manger and bowing down in a symbol of submission and total surrender, the Magi offered their treasures (v. 11). What they presented was not what was left over, but the best—gifts of great value.¹⁵ In the East, it was customary to give gold, frankincense, and myrrh to powerful monarchs.

Worship is giving the best to God—the best of our intellect, abilities, time, and resources. Too often, we give the best of our faculties, emotions, time, and money to insignificant things. As the renowned author Oswald Chambers said, “Worship is giving God the best of what He has given you. Be careful what you do with the best you have.”¹⁶

The Magi’s gifts were the first and possibly the only ones ever brought to Jesus during His lifetime.¹⁷ What a paradox! Unknown men gave gifts to the One who Himself was a gift to all humanity. When the moment of crisis came and Herod was killing the children, Joseph received instruction in a dream to flee to Egypt to protect Jesus’ life. Upon waking in the middle of the night, he may have heard the distant cries of mothers. There was no time to lose. However, how could he afford the expenses of such a long journey and support his family in a foreign country? The Magi’s gifts were the means that God provided to cover the costs of the travel and their stay in Egypt.¹⁸ Here, we find another great paradox: by giving, the Magi saved the life of the One who came to give His life to save others.

Conclusion

We often remember the visit of the Magi from the east during Christmas. However, we should be more intentional in remembering the reason they left the comfort of their homes to embark on a long journey. Matthew clearly tells us that their sole purpose in traveling was “to worship Him.” In these few verses, we find that worship goes far beyond going to church and singing. Worship is a posture of the heart that includes recognizing divine sovereignty and placing our trust in God, especially during life’s adverse circumstances. But worship is also total submission of our will to God. Paul would describe it as crucifying the self and having total dependence on God (Gal. 2:20). Lastly, worship is bringing God the best of our time, intellect, affections, and resources.

Let us treasure the lesson of the Magi from the east this Christmas and beyond. As we receive gifts from family and friends, let us not forget to offer the best of ourselves in worship to God. Ultimately, the greatest gift we can give the Lord is our heart (Prov. 23:26).