Uplook Fridays:Worshipers in the New Testament

There is no proper ground of worship except that the object of worship
have divine attributes. It is because the Lord Jesus is a divine
person, the Second Person of the Triune God and “God manifest in the
flesh,” that He is given and receives worship. His incarnation is set
forth in Scripture with crystal clearness and preeminence, because if
He is not truly man then His history is a myth; and if He be not God,
to worship Him is idolatry. For Him to receive worship is a robbery of
that glory which alone is due to God. That is why His deity and His
proper manhood are so clearly displayed in the Scriptures, why we find
both men and angels giving Him worship, and we find Him receiving that
worship.

The Wise Men at the Birth of Christ
“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod
the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
saying, Where is He that is born King of the Jews?” ({{Mt. 2:1-2}})
These wise men had doubtless been given divine revelation concerning
the exalted person who had become incarnate. It is quite probable that
they came from the land where Daniel had been president for so many
long years, and that they had received the light of revelation through
his inspired writings. The wise men were Gentiles, and were led over a
trackless wilderness by the Spirit of God, to the very house where the
Lord was to be found.1 They had come to Bethlehem, as Micah had
declared that this little village would be His birthplace ({{Micah
5:2}}). “And when they were come into the house, they…worshiped Him.”
The revelation of Him through the Divine Word ever issues in worship
before Him.

Mariners at the Stilling of the Sea
“Then they that were in the ship came and worshiped Him, saying, Of
a truth Thou art the Son of God” ({{Mt. 14:33}}). The Lord had sent His
disciples on this journey, so they were moving in His will and by His
direction. Nevertheless, they were brought into an extremely difficult
circumstance with high waves tossing the ship and a contrary wind that
made progress impossible. It became dark, and through that darkness
they saw what appeared to them an apparition or phantom.

Anything in that mysterious realm frightens mortal men. It was not a
ghost but, seeing they thought it was, it terrified them. It happened
to be the Lord Himself, mastering all elements in His approach to them,
and perhaps coming to them in this extraordinary way because He could
not get through to them in the ordinary. His assuring word was: “Be of
good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.” Jesus mildly rebuked Peter for his
“little faith.” In attempting to walk on the water, Peter took his eyes
off the Lord and, putting them on surrounding waves, began to sink. As
the storm immediately ceased by our Lord’s direct command, they that
were in the ship, seeing His absolute control over the elements,
“worshiped Him.”

A Woman at the Healing of Her Daughter
“Then came she and worshiped Him, saying, Lord, help me” ({{Mt.
15:25}}). She was a woman of Canaan, a Syrophenician, who first
addressed the Lord as “Thou Son of David.” Had He opened His mouth to
her as the Son of David, this would have spelled out her doom because
of the decree in Zechariah 14:21. After further entreaty, He seemed to
raise barrier after barrier, seemingly impossible for any to overcome.
But this woman’s faith leaped over every hurdle. As one who had no
goodness to plead and no claim to advance, yet acknowledging Him as
Lord of all, “she came and worshiped Him.” That wonderful worshipful
spirit was to take her through every testing until the Lord said, “O
woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt.”

The Women on Resurrection Morn
“And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them,
saying, All hail. And they came and held Him by the feet, and worshiped
Him” ({{Mt. 28:9}}). The two Marys had been to the graveyard looking
for a Christ whom they assumed to be still in the tomb. But they were
met by angels who assured them, “He is not here: for He is risen, as He
said” (v. 6). They were then instructed to “go quickly, and tell His
disciples that He is risen from the dead.” Immediately they ran to do
so. How glad they must have been! With what excitement they must have
run! But now, as they ran, the Lord Jesus met them in the way, and
greeted them in the power of His resurrection life. Knowing Him now as
the risen Lord, “They…held Him by the feet, and worshiped Him.”

The Disciples in View of Bethany
“And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy”
({{Lk. 24:52}}). The last thing the risen Lord did before His ascension
was to lead His disciples until they were opposite Bethany. He brought
Bethany into view and, in this, seemed to be giving them a picture of
what He intended His Church to be. There was no elaborate structure
over there, but a home He loved to visit and with whose members He had
the most tender association. There were, in that house, Mary, who
expressed perfect love; Martha, who expressed faithful service; and
Lazarus, who expressed resurrection life. These were to be the
essential elements in every true believer and the three phases of
testimony which were to be the mark of their new life in Him. When
Bethany therefore came into view, “He lifted up His hands, and blessed
them. And…was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.” With that
completion of their preparation for the future, and the vision of the
Church He was to build, “they worshiped Him.”

The Blind Man on Receiving His Sight
“And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshiped Him” ({{Jn.
9:38}}). This was a man blind from birth, so representative of the
spiritual condition of all men. The Lord did one thing for this man and
that one thing transformed his whole life. It gave him the faculty of
sight which up to this time he did not have, and on being restored, he
no longer needed to beg. The pharisaical rulers of Jewry were envious
and inflamed because their man-made traditions had been breached by our
Lord restoring a man’s sight on the Sabbath day. When they examined the
man, they heard a testimony of simple fact, though the man as yet did
not know who had healed him. “Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not:
one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.”

For presuming to have more spiritual wisdom than they, which now he
did have, “they cast him out” ({{Jn. 9:34}}). The synagogue which had
not been able to restore his sight through many long years, now
excommunicated the man because another had done what they could not do.
The Lord, however, did not leave the restored one in any perplexity.
Jesus found him, and said to him, “Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
He answered and said, Who is He, Lord, that I might believe on Him? And
Jesus said unto Him, Thou hast both seen Him, and it is He that talketh
with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshiped Him.”

The Redeemed in Heaven
“And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshiped Him that
liveth for ever and ever” ({{Rev. 5:14}}). The scene is a heavenly
one—“a door was opened in heaven” (4:1). John wept at man’s inability
to open the book of title deeds that was in the hands of the Lord God
sitting on the throne of haven. But he was commanded to “weep not”
because “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David [David’s
Lord], hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals
thereof” (5:5). When John turned to see the Lion, he saw “a Lamb as it
had been slain.” The Lion had prevailed as a sacrificial Lamb. And the
twenty-four elders (representing the complete company of the redeemed)
sang a new song, saying, “Thou art worthy”—and all the multitude in
heaven gave the Lord Jesus a sevenfold ascription of praise, saying
with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power,
and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and
blessing.” And with that praise, “[they] worshiped Him that liveth for
ever and ever.”

Jesus, our Lord, with what joy we adore Thee,
Chanting our praise to Thyself on the Throne;
Blest in Thy presence, we worship before Thee,
Own Thou art worthy, and worthy alone.

Lord, Thou art worthy:
Lord, Thou art worthy;
Lord, Thou art worthy; and worthy alone!
Blest in Thy presence, we worship before Thee,
Own Thou art worthy, and worthy alone!
—H. D’A. Champney

1. He being now between one and two years of age, the family had moved into a more permanent dwelling.

From “Worship & Remembrance” by Daniel Smith
Published by Gospel Folio Press

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Used by Permission. This material is protected by copyright. © 2005 Uplook Ministries.