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Bow to Jesus - Matthew 2:1-12

Bryan Schneider

December 22, 2018

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Explore the Scriptures in this sermon: Matthew's account of the wise men presents Jesus not merely as a good teacher or sentimental child but as the King who…

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Matthew's account of the wise men presents Jesus not merely as a good teacher or sentimental child but as the King who has arrived and must be worshiped.
The Magi enter Herod's capital asking for the one born King of the Jews, then bow before the child and offer royal gifts despite their own status and wealth.
Jesus fulfills God's covenant promise that David's descendant would possess an everlasting throne and shepherd God's people.
Throughout Matthew, sufferers, rulers, disciples, and the women at the empty tomb bow before Jesus because his authority over disease, demons, nature, death, and resurrection is unique.
Jesus properly receives worship that apostles and angels refuse, while Hebrews portrays the Father commanding the angels to worship the divine Son.
Revelation shows the slain and risen Lamb receiving the worship of heaven and all creation, pressing every hearer to bow to Jesus now.

Matthew 2:1-12 announces a collision between two kings. Herod possesses political power and a title granted by Rome, but the Magi seek the child born King of the Jews. Guided to Bethlehem, they rejoice, bow before Jesus, and present royal gifts. The sermon follows Matthew's repeated use of bowing before Jesus and shows that he accepts worship from sufferers, disciples, and resurrection witnesses. Hebrews declares that angels worship the divine Son, while Revelation depicts every creature honoring the slain Lamb. The Christmas narrative therefore issues a royal summons: the King has come, so bow to him.

Biblical Themes

Jesus as the promised Davidic King
The incarnation of the divine Son
Worship and submission owed to Jesus
Christ's authority over creation, sickness, demons, and death
The humiliation and exaltation of the Messiah
The slain Lamb's universal worthiness
Joyful faith contrasted with threatened rebellion

Scripture Connections

2 Samuel 7:12-16 — God promises David a descendant whose kingdom and throne will be established forever.
Matthew 1:1, 22-23 — Matthew identifies Jesus as the Son of David and Emmanuel, God with us, before the Magi bow to him.
Matthew 8:1-3; 9:18-26; 14:22-33; 15:21-28 — A leper, a ruler, the disciples, and a Gentile woman bow before Jesus as he exercises extraordinary authority.
Matthew 28:8-10, 16-20 — Resurrection witnesses worship Jesus, who declares that all authority in heaven and earth belongs to him.
Acts 10:25-26; Revelation 22:8-9 — Peter and an angel refuse worship and direct it to God, highlighting the significance of Jesus accepting it.
Hebrews 1:4-13 — The Father commands angels to worship the Son, addresses him as God, and describes his eternal throne.
Revelation 5:8-14 — Heaven and all creation bow before the Lamb and proclaim him worthy because he was slain and redeemed a people by his blood.

Practical Applications

Confess Jesus as divine King rather than reducing him to an admirable teacher or seasonal symbol.
Examine which ambitions or loyalties respond to Jesus' authority with Herod-like fear rather than Magi-like joy.
Offer time, wealth, reputation, and obedience to Christ as expressions of worship.
Bring needs to Jesus with confidence in his authority while submitting to his royal will.
Use the biblical scenes of worship to deepen reverence when gathering with the church.
Remember that the Lamb who was slain knows you and opened the way for sinners to approach his throne.
Bow to Christ now in faith rather than waiting for the universal acknowledgment of his kingship.

Historical Context

Herod the Great received the title "King of the Jews" under Roman authority and was notorious for violence against perceived rivals. The Magi were prestigious eastern visitors able to gain a royal audience, which makes their search for another king politically explosive. Their gifts—gold, frankincense, and myrrh—were costly and appropriate to honor. The family is in a house, and Herod's later order concerning boys two years old and under indicates that this visit occurred after the night of Jesus' birth.

Westminster Standards

Westminster Confession of Faith 8.2
The Son of God, the second Person in the Trinity, being very and eternall God, of one Substance, and equall with the Father; did, when the fullnesse of time was come, take upon Him mans nature, with all the Essentiall properties, and common infirmities thereof, yet, without sin: being conceived by the Power of the Holy Ghost, in the womb of the Virgin Mary, of her substance. So that, two whole, perfect, and distinct Natures, the Godhead and the Manhood, were inseparably joyned together in one Person, without Conversion, Composition, or Confusion. Which person, is very God, and very Man, yet one Christ, the only Mediatour between God and Man.
Connection to the sermon: The confession explains why worship of the child Jesus is proper: the one person before whom the Magi bow is truly God and truly man, the incarnate Son and only Mediator.
Westminster Larger Catechism 45
Christ executeth the Office of a King, in calling out of the world a people to himself, and giving them Officers, Laws, and Censures, by which he visibly governs them, in bestowing saving grace upon his elect, rewarding their obedience, and correcting them for their sins, preserving and supporting them under all their temptations and sufferings, restraining and overcoming all their enemies, and powerfully ordering all things for his own glory and their good; and also in taking vengeance on the rest, who know not God, and obey not the Gospel.
Connection to the sermon: The catechism expands the royal claim announced in Matthew 2: Jesus does not merely hold a title but calls, governs, saves, preserves, conquers, and judges as King.
Westminster Shorter Catechism 26
Christ executeth the Office of a King, in subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies.
Connection to the sermon: The sermon's call to bow means submitting to the King who subdues his people to himself, rules and defends them, and conquers every enemy.

This transcript is provided to make the message easier to revisit. Minor transcription errors may remain.

Welcome to God's Word for You from Ministry of Sharon Arby Church in Southeast Iowa. We want to thank you for listening today and we pray that you'll be blessed by both hearing God's Word as well as having it applied to your life and your heart. Please turn in your Bibles with me to Matthew chapter 2. Matthew chapter 2 and we're going to be looking at verses 1 through 12 this morning. Matthew Chapter 2 begins on page 849 of your Pew Bibles. But I'll give this to you as a little warning. We're going to be doing a lot of walking through the Bible with you, so please don't close up your Bible when we're done, because we're going to be going through quite a bit of the New Testament today. Matthew Chapter 2, beginning at verse 1. This is God's Word from the New Covenant.

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 have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him.

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and the scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for it is written by the prophet, But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judea, are not least among the rulers of Judah. For out of you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people, Israel.' Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, Go and search carefully for the young child. And when you have found him, bring word back to me. that I may come and worship him also.'

When they heard the king, they departed. And behold, the star which they had seen in the east went before them till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, They saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and fell down and worshipped him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to him, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God endures forever.

Well when I was in college I worked in a carpet cleaning company and it was a great opportunity because for me I got stuck in a truck with one guy driving for hours and hours a day and you talk about everything. But the guy I worked with had a phrase that he would often say. He'd say, you know, Jesus was a great teacher. Or he would say, you know, I have no problem with Jesus. He was a good guy and did a lot of good for people. And he would kind of talk about Jesus that way. You know, I don't think he's God and I don't think he's Lord, but he was a pretty good guy. He was pretty swell. I just remember thinking, dude, you have no clue what the Bible teaches about Jesus, do you?

And here in Matthew chapter two, We see that it's not just that Jesus is somehow a good teacher, or somehow He's just all right, or somehow He did a lot of good for the world. But here in Matthew 2, we find out that Jesus is the King of the universe. But so often, in this time of the year, in our culture, you can turn on the claymation movies and stuff like that, and you get cute little pictures of Jesus, and of the nativity story, and how wonderful this was. But often they miss the very heart of what the nativity story is about.

What Jesus coming in the flesh was about. And that the King has arrived. And this morning, I come before you and tell you the King has arrived. Bow down to Him. The King has arrived. Are you bowing down to Him? First, look with me at this story itself. The wise men bowed down to Jesus. This idea of the wise men bowing down, look with me at Matthew 2, verse 2.

Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and have come to..." And the translation here says, "...worship him." And then in verse 8, "...and he sent them to Bethlehem and said, Go and search carefully for the young child, and when you have found him, bring word back to me that I may come and..." worshiped him. And then in verse 11, And when they had come into the house, they saw the young child with his mother Mary, and fell down, and worshipped him. This word that in the New King James Version is translated, worshipped him, is better translated, and they got down on their knees and they bowed to him. they bowed to Him. The wise men in the east bowed down to Him."

There's two words in the Greek for when you talk about worshipping. When you look at the Old Testament, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, there's two words. One is lutreÅ�. This is what the Levites and the priests would do. They would serve in the temple. And then there's a different word for worship.

Proskuneo. Bowing down. Getting down on your knees and recognizing that someone is greater than you are. Getting down on your face and realizing that there is someone who is far more important than you are. And that's what the Magi, that's what the wise men do here. They get on their faces and they bow down to Jesus.

And this is not something that's It's not like this is something new in the ancient Near East. If you went to a king in the ancient Near East, all of us know when you go before a king, what would you do? You would bow down before the king. Well, in Jesus' time, in the ancient Near East, kings were seen as either divine or semi-divine. They were seen as, these are people who are gods, the gods have blessed them, or they themselves are somehow gods, and you would bow down to them, but here, It's Jesus who they bow down to.

This is not too uncommon, especially when we look even in Europe's history. I want to read to you just a second of what one of the commentators at Queen Elizabeth, the reigning monarch now, what one of the commentators at her coronation said about her. This is a tradition so ancient, history can barely contain it. the hallowing, the sacred, the spirit cleansed, the queen anointed, blessed, and consecrated. See, the commentator was speaking about the queen and the waters get a little bit blurry. Where the line is between she's divinely appointed, but she's not divine, but yet she's consecrated, but yet she's not herself God herself.

How does this work? It's like she's God's representative here. But if you go back in history, that line becomes blurrier and blurrier and blurrier. But here, Matthew has already said in chapter 1 that one of Jesus' names is Emmanuel, God with us. This is God the wise men come to bow down to. This is the King they come to show service to. And this is no surprise. Again, like I said, you're going to want to have your Bibles and be flipping back and forth. We're going to be covering a lot of ground.

But in 2 Samuel 7, God gives a promise to David. 2 Samuel 7, verses 12 and 16. God promises to David the king, when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. And then in verse 16, And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.

And here we find Jesus, who Matthew has, in the first chapter, gone through great lengths to show that Jesus is the Son of David. Matthew is getting straight to the point here at the beginning of this Gospel, saying it's Jesus who is the inheritor of the promised covenant to David. It is Jesus who is the King.

These Magi know it. The Magi are important men. The wise men from the East come, and they bear expensive gifts meant for royalty. They come from the East, and they head towards Jerusalem, And when they come into the Jerusalem, they do something that's absolutely crazy.

Maybe you've missed this point in the story before. The Magi come into the throne room of the king of Israel, Herod, and they say, where is he who has been born king of the Jews? Let that marinate for a second. The Magi come into the reigning king's throne room, and they say, you're not the king, where's the real king? We've come to bow to him. We've come to worship him. Where's that guy?

Now, I don't know if you know much about Herod, but Herod was a despicable person. I mean, Herod was given the title King of the Jews by Caesar himself by killing thousands and thousands of Jews who were fighting against the Caesar. The Caesar once said of Herod, it would be better to be Herod's pig than his son. Because see, Herod was a paranoid ruler. When Herod was worried that one of his wives and his sons were trying to usurp his power, He just threw them off the wall in Jerusalem and killed them. Herod would stop at nothing to make sure that he stayed the king.

And yet the wise men come into Jerusalem, walk into the king's own chambers and say, where is he who has been born king of the Jews? Herod was a paranoid man. And we know what his real intention was when we read what happens in verses 16 through 18 when he kills all the children trying to destroy this Messiah, destroy this Christ, destroy this King who might usurp him as the King of the Jews.

But the wise men go. They go to Bethlehem. And when they go to Bethlehem, the star reappears. And they come to that house where Jesus is with His mother Mary. And these grown men, grown men, You have to imagine, again, these are rich ambassadors coming with wealth.

These are men who somehow have the clout that they're able to get entrance into the king's chambers. They are able to go into the court of the king and leave unscathed. And they come before a little child, a child no more than two years old. There are some of those children in the room today and grown men physically kneel down on their knees and bow to someone who's greater than they are.

The wise men get it. that somehow this Child, the stars in heaven bear witness that this Child is the King of the universe. And their response to Him is to bow down and to give Him gifts that you would give to royalty. gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They bow down to Him and they treat Him as the King.

Second Point

And this isn't the only time Jesus is bowed down to. We're going to do some flipping here throughout Matthew because I want you to see that constantly, this is your second point, people are constantly bowing to Jesus. People are constantly bowing to Jesus. Look with me at Matthew 8, verses 1-4. Matthew 8, verses 1-4.

This is about a leopard. And when he had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. And behold, a leopard came and bowed down to him, saying, Lord, if you are willing, make me clean. Then Jesus put out his hand and touched him, saying, I am willing, be cleansed. Immediately, the leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, See that you tell no one, but go your way. Show yourself to the priests and offer the gifts that Moses has commanded as a testimony to them.

The leopard comes to Jesus, and he knows that somehow Jesus isn't like the rest of the prophets. He knows that somehow Jesus isn't like the rest of the priests. He knows that Jesus isn't like any other human he's ever met his entire life. And what does he do? He comes to Jesus, this leopard, and he bows down.

And he asks Jesus to heal him, and the king does it. Flip over a page to Matthew 9, verse 18, where we find another woman, Matthew 9, verse 18, a woman from Tyre in Sidon says, While he spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshipped him. While he spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and bowed down to him. saying, my daughter has just died, but come and laid your hands on her and she will live. This ruler of the synagogue comes to Jesus and what does he do? What does it say there in verse 18?

And he bowed down to him. This man comes to Jesus and he asks him to do something that no other human being could possibly ever do. His daughter is dead. Dead as a doornail, D-E-D, not breathing, dead. He comes to Jesus and he bows down to him because he knows that somehow this one can raise his daughter from the dead and Jesus does it.

Jesus is the king who can do it. Turn over a few pages with me to Matthew chapter 14. Matthew chapter 14, verse 33, and we find it again. Jesus is in the boat with His disciples. Sorry, Jesus has just walked over the water. Matthew 14, verse 33. After they realized who Jesus was, that He's able to walk on waters, He's able to suspend the rules of the universe, then those who were in the boat, those people are the disciples, then those who were in the boat came and bowed down to Him, saying, truly, you are the Son of God. Jesus has just shown them something that no other human being in the history of their lives has ever done.

He walks through the water. He walks on the surface of the water. And He gets in the boat, and what do they realize? This person's not like us. And what's the natural response? They get down on their faces, and they bow down to Him. They worship Him. Matthew chapter 15, verse 24 and 25. It happens again. The woman from Tyre and Sidon says, But have mercy on me, O Lord, son of David.

My daughter is severely demon-possessed. But he answered her, not a word. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, Send her away, for she cries out after us. But he answered and said, I was not sent, except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then she came and bowed down to him, saying, Lord, help me. Her daughter is demon-possessed, and no one can get this daughter well, and what does she do?

She comes to Jesus Christ, she gets down on her knees, and she cries out to him. She bows to Jesus, because He somehow is greater than anyone else she's ever approached. And Jesus does it. And Jesus does it. Once again, turn over in Matthew chapter 27, and it happens again.

Matthew chapter 27 verse 54, So when the centurion and those with him regarding Jesus saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. These men, these centurions who just watched Jesus die, before had mocked Him. Before at Jesus' crucifixion, do you remember the story of what happened to our Lord?

These same centurions scourged Him, put on a purple robe around His shoulders. A purple robe is a robe of royalty. And then what did they do? They took a crown, a crown to mock Him. made out of thorns, and they pushed it into his head, piercing his flesh.

And they got down on one knee, and they bowed to him. And they mocked our Lord, and they said, Hail, King of the Jews. And then Herod, once again, mocking Jesus. Sorry, Pilate, mocking Jesus. What does he do? He puts above his name, his actual title, that the Magi came to find out. And on top of Jesus' head was a sign that said, King of the Jews. Do you see it? The people come, the Magi come, they're bowing to Jesus. The woman from Tyre and Sidon comes and she bows to Jesus. The ruler comes, he bows to Jesus. The centurion comes, he bows to Jesus. The disciples come and they bow to Jesus.

But this was not something that only happened during his normal life. After his death in Matthew chapter 28 verse 9, when he is resurrected, Matthew 28 verse 9, And when they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, Rejoice! So they came and held him by the feet and worshipped him. It should be read, So they came and held him by the feet and bowed down to him. The women, when they see Jesus, are overwhelmed with joy. The Marys fall on their faces and they clasp our risen Lord's feet. And they bowed down to Him. This is not something that good Jews were allowed to do to anyone. They were not allowed to do this.

Acts chapter 10. Turn over there with me. Acts chapter 10. This is where Peter is before Cornelius. Acts chapter 10. And this is what we find out there. Acts 10 verse 25. And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet and bowed to him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, Stand up, I myself am also a man.

You are not allowed to bow to a man. And in Revelation, when the Apostle John sees the angel, he bows down and the angel says, you shall not do that. Don't do that. Worship God only. Bow down to Him only. It's only God who's allowed to be bowed down to. But all of His life, we find Jesus being bowed down to. Jesus is bowed down to again, and again, and again. And He accepts that worship. He accepts that reverence. But it's not just men. It is not just men who bow down to Jesus. Hebrews chapter 1 is clear about this. Hebrews chapter 1. Turn there with me. Page 1062. Hebrews chapter 1. verses 4 through 13, having become so much greater than the angels, as he has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

For to which of the angels did he ever say, you are my son, today I have begotten you. And again, I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. But when he again brings the firstborn into the world, he says, let all the angels of God, bow down to him. And the angels, he says, who makes his angel spirits and his ministers a flame of fire, but to the sun, he says, Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.

A scepter of righteousness is a scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness. Therefore, God, your God has anointed you with the oil of gladness more than your companions. And you, O Lord, in the beginning laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.

They will perish, but you will remain forever. And they will all grow old like a garment, like a cloak. You will fold them up and they will be changed, but you are the same and your years will not end. But to which of the angels has he ever said, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool?

God the Father has established the throne of the Son, and the angels in heaven bow down to Jesus. It is not just men who bow to Jesus, but all the angels in heaven bow down to Him. And His throne is established, and He has a name that will endure forever. Jesus Christ has earned this name. We've been studying week by week through Philippians, and in Philippians chapter 2, verses 6 through 11, we find Jesus Christ, who though being in the very form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied himself and took on the likeness of man. And he lived a perfect life, and he died a perfect death.

And because of His deeds, God has given Him a name above every name, that at His name every knee shall bow." Do you see it? Why did Jesus have to come? Because He came as the King. We often think of Jesus Christ as like His first name and last name. But Christ is a translation of that Old Testament word, Messiah. Anointed One. Jesus Christ is the anointed King.

Jesus Christ is the one in the order of David to whom the angels bow. Are you? Are you bowing to Jesus Christ? But even now, turn over in Revelation chapter 5, Revelation, chapter 5. Our last point, Jesus is the worthy King. Revelation, chapter 5, beginning at verse 8.

Now when He, that's Jesus, now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb. each having a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, you are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain. and you have redeemed us to God by your blood, out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God, and we shall reign on the earth.' Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures and the elders, and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands. saying with a loud voice, worthy is the lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be to him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb forever and ever. Then the four living creatures said, Amen, and the 24 elders fell down and bowed to Him who lives forever and ever.

In heaven, Jesus Christ, right now, is bowed down to. He is the worthy King. He is the one whom the myriads and myriads of angels bow down to. The wise men bow down to Jesus. Mary, his mother, and Mary bow down to Jesus. The leper bow down to Jesus. to Jesus. The woman of Tyre and Sidon bowed down to Jesus. The disciples bowed down to Jesus. The synagogue leader bowed down to Jesus. The centurion bowed down to Jesus. The angels are bowing down to Jesus.

Are you? Are you? Is this your heart? Is Jesus Christ magnified? In your eyes, is he so grand, is he so royal, is he so majestic that you would get down on your knees and confess him as king? It's amazing that the king of the universe, the one who set the stars in their place, the one who lives forever and ever, who dwells in resplendent glory, knows you. The one who dwells in unapproachable light knows your name and desires to have you bow down to him. He's poured out his blood that you can do so. He's paid every price that you can do so.

Will you bow down to Jesus? Will you do as the Magi, as the wise men did, as Christians for thousands and thousands of years have joyfully done, and that we will do in heaven forever with the angels, bowing down to the Lamb who was slain, who sits upon the throne. Bow down to Him. Bow down to Jesus Christ.

Oh God, we thank you. Lord, we thank you for what grace you have shown us. We thank you, Lord, that you have sent Your own Son into the world that You might save many. Lord, we thank You for inviting us and calling us to bow down at Your feet. Father, we pray that Your Spirit would allow us to do this. Lord, draw us near to You.

Thank You for the good news that the King has come. Thank You for our joy, Jesus Himself. It's in His name we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening to God's Word for You, a ministry of Sharon R.P. Church in Morning Sun, Iowa. We pray that you would be blessed as you grow in your love for God, your love for His Word, as well as your love for His people. Until next week, God bless you.