“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.”
Matthew 2:2 (NASB1995)
It could be said that this post has a Christmas feel to it, but it covers a subject that I have never thought of in great depth before – that being Jesus as King. If you are like me, you will have read today’s verse hundreds of times and accepted it without question, when it deserves some study. These were my thoughts when presented with this verse in my daily reading in Matthew chapter 2.
As I read today’s verse, I remembered Matthew 27:11, “Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.” and also verse 37 0f the same chapter, “And above His head they put up the charge against Him which read, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
In returning to the story of the wise men in Matthew 2, in verse 11, we find “After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” If we contrast the verses from Matthew that have been mentioned, it is worth noticing that the Roman Governor accepted and acknowledged Jesus’ claim to be King but he did not worship Him as the wisemen did. The same could be said of men today.
The Kingship of our Lord is a continuous message in God’s Word, from the Old Testament into the New Testament. In our Bibles, the first mention of Jesus’ Kingship comes from His Father God.
The LORD says to my Lord:
“Sit at My right hand
Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”
The LORD will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying,
“Rule in the midst of Your enemies.”
Psalm 110:1-2
The message of a coming Davidic heir and King is carried on by Jeremiah 23:5, “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD,“When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land.” which is repeated in a shortened form in Jeremiah 30:9, emphasising the need for God’s people to serve (worship) Him. This is followed by the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 regarding Jesus’ triumphal entry to Jerusalem.
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
He is just and endowed with salvation,
Humble, and mounted on a donkey,
Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.“
Dear Reader, all these Scripture references from my devotional study lead me to one conclusion: the Kingship of Jesus, my Lord and Saviour, is clearly shown in God’s Word, which demands that I must worship Him. He is my King! What about you, is He your King too?
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Devotional Treasures
