Proskeyneo (worship)
Matthew 2: 1 – 12
Intro: There are 7 principal feast days on the Xian calendar. One of them is Epiphany which is a fixed day on the 12th day after Christmas. It celebrates “revelation” or “manifestation” of Christ. The GK meaning of epiphaneia.
I Perhaps you are intrigued or wandering about what proskeyneo means.
A Hint: Look in verses 2, 8 and 11.
B The Greek word proskeyneo means to prostrate oneself at the feet of a king.
C In the NIV it is translated as “worship him” and in the RSV it is translated as “pay him homage.”
II There are some interesting words here that might change our perception of the entrance of the 3 kings.
A The word translated as “CHILD” is more accurately translated as “TODDLER”.
B VS. 11 – “On coming to the HOUSE . . .” They did not come to the stable as the shepherds had done.
C These words help us understand that this event happened much later than the actual birth.
III VS. 11 - “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.”
A We don’t know how many had come. We assume 3 because there were 3 gifts. Their number is unimportant.
B What was important was their purpose for following the star. It was FIRST to declare their loyalty and reverence and then to offer gifts.
C The motivation of the wise men was totally different from that of Herod. Herod was jealous and afraid that someone was after his position and wanted to get rid of him.
Concl: It seems to me that some people in our world are more like Herod than the wise men. For them, Christmas has become more about BLACK FRIDAY and CYBER MONDAY and a holiday for buying just the right gift. My prayer is that you have come this Christmas season to PROSKEYNEO: To worship Christ as the Lord and King of your life and living.
