“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him” (Matthew 2:1-3 ESV).
Look at the crowd gathered in this photo. Are they rioting for Egyptian democracy as part of the Arab Spring? No. Are they representatives of the Occupy Wall Street movement preparing to march on City Hall? Nope. Not even close. Perhaps they are Justin Bieber fans who just heard about free tickets? No, It could be, but it’s not.
No, they are Walmart worshipers, I mean shoppers, waiting for the doors to open for the Black Friday sale the day after Thanksgiving. Many of them camped out for days in front of their favorite places, like Best Buy, Target and Walmart, to begin their celebration of the Christmas season.
I call them worshipers because of the love and sacrifice they exhibit in their devotion to participate in this day called Black Friday. Certainly they wouldn’t skip Thanksgiving dinner and a warm bed at home just to camp out for a sale on waffle irons! There has to be more to this. Right?
Their commitment reminds me of the martyrs who willingly went to their deaths in the coliseum. This year, they endured being robbed, gun shot, pepper-sprayed, trampled, tazed, and arrested, all for the chance at a Xbox or flat screen TV. They seem willing to risk their time, talent, treasure and even their very lives to participate in this awesome spectacle.
But they aren’t the first to waste their worship on the wrong king at Christmas.
At the very first Christmas a usurper named Herod claimed to be king of Israel. He wasn’t born to be king. This half-Jew, half-Idumean, came to power through accommodation to the Romans, ascending to office as a client-ruler of Israel in 37 BC. He was known as Herod the Great because of the great public building works he accomplished. Being a shrewd diplomat with both his Roman overseers and his Jewish underlings, he built public baths, viaducts, and public buildings in the Roman style, while at the same time spending a huge amount on super-sizing the Jewish Temple.
The wise men who traveled from the East didn’t travel that great distance bearing gifts for King Herod. They were looking for the one “born king” of the Jews. These men were Magi, astrologers and students of the wisdom writings accumulated by the Babylonians and the Persians. Among these writings there was most probably a copy of the Hebrew Torah that the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzer had taken when he conquered Judah and carried them captive to Babylon.
When the Magi studied the Torah, they surely discovered the prophesy of a Messiah being born that said: “A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel” (Numbers 24:17).
So, the wise men weren’t tempted to waste their worship on the false king Herod. Sure, he had all the glitter and gold, but they were looking for the One to whom the Scriptures pointed. They were looking for Jesus.
When they found Him, “they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11).
The wise men didn’t fall for King Herod’s Walmart in Jerusalem. They didn’t waste their worship on a false king. They remembered whose birthday they were there to celebrate. They worshiped King Jesus.
As the Rev. Tim Keller has said, “Worship is pulling our affections off our idols and putting them on God.”
Where will you worship this Christmas?