A Child Worshiped, Loved, Feared

Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared; and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

Matthew 2:7-12

God placed a star in the heavens to guide the wise men of the world to where Jesus was born.

God sent angels to simple shepherds announcing Jesus’ birth, and to sing praises to God the Father, and God the Son.

This much is certain: the whole universe—the whole of God’s creation—celebrated the arrival of the Messiah. This was no ordinary child. This was the only begotten Son of God. This was God in human form, come down into the world to grow and live as people grow and live, that He might at the appointed time take our sins upon Himself, redeeming us all on the Cross at Calvary.

That first Christmas is truly a moment to be celebrated. That first Christmas is the moment when the prophecy of Isaiah 9:6 was fulfilled. Jesus is the child born unto us, the Son given unto us. The government is placed on His shoulders, that Jesus—Emmanuel—is rightly called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”

The wise men of the east, the Magi, had studied the stars all their lives. So familiar were they with the heavens that when the time of the Messiah drew near, they could see the signs in the heavens announcing Jesus to all perceptive enough to understand.

The shepherds tending their flock outside Bethlehem likely knew little of stars. Yet God did not forget them, sending angels to inform them of the momentous birth the Magi saw in the stars.

Wise man and simple man alike, they came to Bethlehem, came to where the infant Jesus, wrapped in swaddling cloths, lay in a manger. Wise man and simple man alike, they worshiped the infant Jesus, seeing in His tiny form God’s promise to the world—that God was indeed with us, that God had not forsaken us, and that God would not forsake us.

While wise man and simple man alike worshiped Jesus, His human parents, Mary and Joseph, surely welcomed Him with the love only new parents can have for a child. God placed the infant Jesus into their charge, to raise Him up into manhood, not just as the Son of God, but as their son. Mothers and fathers even today can no doubt imagine the power of that moment for Joseph the carpenter, and his young wife Mary.

Yet while Jesus was worshiped and loved, He was also feared. Unlike the Magi, unlike the shepherds, Herod did not receive news of the Messiah with reverence and awe, but with fear. Herod rather liked being a king, ruling over the Jewish people. When Herod heard of Jesus’ birth, he feared Jesus would take his throne from him. Like Saul feared and was jealous of David, Herod feared and was jealous of Jesus.

Looking back at that first Christmas, we can easily understand why Jesus was worshiped. Looking back at that first Christmas, we can easily understand why Jesus was loved.

Looking back at that first Christmas, we can also understand why Jesus was feared.

The infant Jesus was the message of hope. The infant Jesus was the sign that change was happening in the world. The infant Jesus was the light that would beat back the darkness of a cynical, sinful, fallen world.

Herod, like all who aspire to power over men, reveled in that darkness. Shine God’s light into the world and men like Herod are quickly revealed to be powerless, impotent charlatans, ruling through lies crafted to deceive men and lead them away from the Truth.

Herod feared Jesus, and sought to destroy Him. Yet because Jesus was worshiped, because Jesus was loved, Herod was doomed to fail.

Today is Christmas. We are right to rejoice, for this is the day God set a new direction for men, a new path to lead mankind back to God.

Today is Christmas, and while the world celebrates the birth of the Messiah, there are those in the world still who fear the change the Messiah promises. There are those in the world still who revel in the darkness, and seek to lead men down dark paths. Yet because the Messiah is worshiped and loved still, such men are doomed to fail.

This Christmas day I pray men everywhere rejoice in God’s great gift to the world. This Christmas day I pray men everywhere rejoice that, unto us, a child is born—unto us, a Son is given. This Christmas day I pray men everywhere give thanks that the government has been set upon His shoulders, that He should be called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”

This Christmas day I pray men everywhere have the hope and courage to realize that, through the worship of God and the love of Jesus, those who revel in darkness, who seek to lead men down sinful paths, are, at the last, doomed to fail.

To all men everywhere, Merry Christmas!