Seek & Worship

READ

They came from the east—these Magi, these wise men, these astrologers who studied the stars and followed their patterns. They weren't Jewish. They weren't religious insiders. They weren't people you'd expect to show up at the Messiah's birth. But they saw a star, and they followed it. They asked questions. They traveled hundreds of miles across dangerous terrain because they believed something significant had happened.

Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, the people who should have been most excited about the Messiah's arrival were unmoved. King Herod heard the news and felt threatened. The chief priests and teachers knew exactly where the Messiah was supposed to be born—they quoted the prophecy from Micah without hesitation—but they didn't go look for themselves. They had the map but no desire to travel.

The outsiders sought. The insiders stayed put.

Let’s take a moment to read Matthew 2:1-12:

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 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. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

REFLECT

When the Magi finally found Jesus, He wasn't a newborn in a manger anymore. This visit happened some time later—maybe as much as two years after His birth. They found Him in a house with Mary. And Matthew tells us they "bowed down and worshiped him." Then they opened their treasures and gave Him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

These weren't baby shower gifts picked up at the local shop. These were costly, symbolic offerings. Gold for a king. Frankincense for a priest. Myrrh for someone who would die—it was used in burial preparations. Without fully understanding what they were doing, these foreigners were acknowledging Jesus' identity as King, Priest, and Savior who would give His life.

Worship always costs something. These men gave expensive gifts, but they'd already given something more—their time, their energy, their willingness to leave home and follow a star to an unknown destination. True worship isn't just showing up on Sunday morning (though that matters). It's the willingness to rearrange your life, spend your resources, and pursue God even when the journey is long and uncertain.

Here's what strikes me about the Magi: they didn't have all the answers. They had a star and a question: "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?" They didn't have Scripture memorized or a Jewish heritage or any inside track. They just had genuine seeking hearts. And God honored that. He led them all the way to Jesus.

Sometimes we think we need to have it all figured out before we come to God. We think we need the right theology, the right background, the right answers. But the Magi teach us that God responds to sincere seeking. He honors the journey of those who are genuinely looking for Him, even if they're starting from outside the religious establishment.

The tragedy is that the religious experts in Jerusalem—who had the Scriptures, who knew the prophecies, who could quote the right verses—didn't bother to make the six-mile journey to Bethlehem to see if it was true. Proximity to religious knowledge doesn't equal pursuit of God. You can know all about Jesus and never actually worship Him.

The Magi left everything behind and returned home "by another route." That's what encountering Jesus does—it changes your direction. You can't worship the King and go back the same way you came. Worship transforms the worshiper.

This Advent, we're invited to approach Jesus with the posture of the Magi: seeking, humble, generous, willing to be redirected. What gifts can we offer Him? Not just money (though that matters), but our time, our talents, our plans, our control, our very selves.

RESPOND

Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read.

• What gifts can you offer to Christ as an expression of your worship and love?

• Are you more like the Magi (seeking from far away) or the religious leaders (knowledgeable but unmoved)? What needs to change?

• What would it look like for you to let your encounter with Jesus redirect your route—to change the way you're going?

REST

Take a moment to rest in God’s presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying:

Lord Jesus, give us hearts like the Magi—seeking, persistent, generous, and humble. Help us to be willing to travel far, to ask questions, to pursue You even when the journey is uncertain. We bring You the gifts of our lives—our time, our resources, our very selves—and we ask that You would receive them as worship. Change our direction as we encounter You. Amen.