When Christians Fall

And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:11

If you thought today’s entry was going to be about disgraced Christians, sorry. We’re heading in the extreme opposite direction. The other day I paused long and hard over a simple, two-word phrase from Matthew 2:11 – fell down. This might seem silly to you, but I was baffled by what the Gospel writer was trying to convey. Why didn’t he merely record that the Wise Men knelt before baby Jesus or humbly bowed before Him?

Well the short answer is obviously because that’s not what happened. They didn’t kneel, squat, or bow, they all fell down — the event was recorded precisely how it occurred. However I felt in my soul that there was a deeper (not hidden) significance. Oh, I fully discern that this was God con carne (with flesh) they stood before, and that it goes without saying this was a holy, awe-plenteous moment, but what’s the lesson for the believer; what does God desire we take away from those two words? Then it came to me — this is a demonstration of absolute submission. While it is true that kneeling and bowing are also submissive postures, they’re partial acts. Falling down on the other hand is a picture of total, uncompromised, I-don’t-care-who’s-looking, take-me-as-I-am, 100% submission. These kings were effectively saying to the King of kings, “We’re all in.”

Are You All In?

I think it’s important to highlight that these guys were not knocked-out or slain in the Spirit, but were in complete control of their faculties. That’s a relevant detail. God has established that faith in Him (and all that’s included), is a freewill choice we make. The Wise Men walked into Mary and Joseph’s house (not a stable by the way, indicating this was not at Christ’s birth in a manger), saw the Christ-child, fell down, and worshipped Him. They were aware of what was happening and were submitted to it; there in lies the difference. When we examine their actions, we see a picture of what it looks like to follow Jesus. They followed the Star! That is to say that they were aware of the prophecies concerning the coming Messiah, and by faith, they took on the yoke of discipleship. They believed before they saw and put themselves under the Master’s teaching before having met the Master.

“Where is he that is born King of the Jews?for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.”

The text also reveals that they were obedient. They found out and believed, they sought out and learned, and they set out to find. And find they did! So it is with our Lord Jesus — those who truly seek Him will always find Him. He is faithful towards discovery. It was the Magi’s discipline and obedience that led them to a place of submission. It’s where we will be led to as well.

Sadly, unconditional surrender is the place that many Christians will kneel and quickly bow away from. It’s our tendency to say to God that we’ll follow Him wherever He goes, and we will do whatever He says, but we will only go so far, or do so much. We will give up a lot, but we won’t yield it all. Essentially, we will kneel, but we won’t fall down. This is not the example the Wise Men gave us! To their credit they did not skimp on the submission, then amp-up the worship and over-emphasize the offering as a cover. They laid it all out. “Jesus,” their deed proclaimed, “we are all yours.”

Fall down.

Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness…But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:16-18, 22-23

These articles may or may not be related

• Nowhere In The Bible Does It Say That Three Wise Men Visited Jesus after His Birth (todayifoundout.com)
• Let us therefore repent before the Lord – Part 1 (mormonapologeticstudies.org)
• Jamie’s Story “Prove it” (Story 5 of 31) (deepandwonderfulthoughts.wordpress.com)
• How to Have Christ-Centered Plans for 2013 (joleneengle.com)
• Shield- day 1 (theforgottenbattle.wordpress.com)
• The Irony of the Epiphany (twtface.com)
• Revival: The Christians Only Resolution (compassiondave.wordpress.com)
• The source of your success…it’s not you, it’s God. (pastormikesays.wordpress.com)
• Test Your Christmas IQ (compassiondave.wordpress.com)
• Faith Child – Gaining victory (ptl2010.com)

I am blessed that you stopped by to read this post. My prayer is that you were somehow blessed as well. If you enjoyed the blog please share it, like it, subscribe to it, or comment on it.

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