Today’s passage picks up about six miles north of the most iconic manger in human history; in Judah’s capital city of Jerusalem. This is where Herod, the Jewish king of the southern region, sits on his throne. After getting word that the true king of Israel, from the line of David, was to be born half a day’s walk south in the nothing city of Bethlehem, Herod’s curiosity is peaked. But why? Does he want to worship him as the King of kings, or has he forgotten that he was simply a placeholder on the throne for the coming Christ?

We read in today’s opening verses that Herod sends the wise men to confirm if this baby really is the Messiah; the very wise men who reminded him of Micah’s prophecy, that the ruler and shepherd of Israel will come from the little town of Bethlehem. “Bring me word, that I too may come and worship him” (Matthew 2:8 ESV). And so, with orders from the king, the wise men pointed their faces toward the south and started walking. Fully prepared to play hide and seek for the Savior of the World, they quickly realized that He wanted to be found. The very same star that led them this far brought them close enough to recognize that the place they found Him was simultaneously very ordinary and yet somehow, holy ground. The smell of dirty diapers, the sound of a faint cry, the taste of hay lingering in the air, the sight of a few sleep-deprived wrinkles around Mary’s eyes, and the touch of Jesus’ hand, which would one day be pinned to a wooden cross. Everything about this moment was completely mundane and yet it is clear to all who are present that the entire trajectory of human history has just shifted.

Upon seeing the long-awaited Messiah, the wise men do the only thing fitting for such a moment: they fall to their knees as a sign of humility and submission, and they worship Jesus. Words and gestures still don’t capture the gravity of the moment, and so they present Him with treasures symbolizing who this Child is and what He has come to do: gold, representing His kingship; frankincense, a fragrance symbolizing His divinity and role as priest; and myrrh, which was mainly used in burials and embalming, foreshadowing that the thirty-plus years that lie ahead would climax with His death on behalf of the world.

With full hearts and tear-stained cloaks, they left to go tell Herod that the rumors and prophecies are all true and the King of kings has finally appeared. But before they headed to Jerusalem, they were warned through a dream that the King of Judea never intended to share his throne, so the wise men took the back roads and returned home.

Jesus’ claim to be King of kings presents all humanity with a question: will you worship Him like the wise men did, with humility and submission? Or, if you are being honest, would you much rather be the one sitting on the throne? When what you want contradicts what Jesus has called you to, who wins? Let us deny ourselves today, pick up our cross, and follow King Jesus, who is unlike any other king.