Three Responses to the King: Where Do You Stand?
The story of Jesus’ birth presents us with far more than a nostalgic nativity scene. Hidden within the familiar narrative of Matthew 2 lies a profound challenge that echoes across the centuries, confronting each of us with a question we cannot avoid: How will I respond to Jesus?
When the Magi arrived in Jerusalem seeking the newborn King of the Jews, their inquiry set off a chain reaction that revealed three distinct responses to Christ—responses that remain remarkably relevant today.
The Response of Fearful Hostility
King Herod’s reaction to news of Jesus’ birth was immediate and visceral: fear. This wasn’t the reverent fear of standing before something holy, but the desperate fear of losing control. Herod had clawed his way to power, and he wasn’t about to let some prophesied king threaten his throne.
His fear drove him to unspeakable evil—the slaughter of innocent children in Bethlehem. It’s a horror that echoes an earlier atrocity when Pharaoh ordered the killing of Hebrew boys in Egypt. Both tyrants shared the same twisted logic: eliminate the threat before it can grow.
We might distance ourselves from such barbarism, yet our own culture participates in the destruction of approximately one million children annually through abortion. The scale of our modern tragedy dwarfs even Herod’s cruelty. We are not as far removed from his fearful violence as we might like to believe.
But Herod’s response reveals something deeper about the human heart. When Jesus’ kingship threatens our own little kingdoms—our plans, our comforts, our control—fear can grip us too. Perhaps we won’t order mass murder, but we’ll go to surprising lengths to maintain control of our lives.
The truth is stark: Jesus and I cannot both be king of my life. One must yield to the other. And to whatever extent I resist His lordship, that resistance will cause pain—both for me and for those around me. Hurt people hurt people, and when we live in fear of surrendering to Christ, we inevitably wound others through our attempts to maintain control.
The Response of Complacent Indifference
Perhaps even more surprising than Herod’s rage was the reaction of Jerusalem’s religious scholars. When asked where the Messiah would be born, they answered immediately: Bethlehem. They knew the prophecies by heart. They had spent their entire lives studying Scripture.
Yet there’s no record they bothered to make the six-mile journey to investigate.
Think about that. The Magi had traveled hundreds, possibly thousands of miles over perhaps two years to find this King. The religious experts had to walk six miles—an afternoon’s journey—and they couldn’t be bothered.
They had all the right answers but no passion to act on them. God Himself had entered their world, and they were too preoccupied with their own agendas to care. They didn’t need God to conduct their worship or continue their studies. He was utterly irrelevant to their religious life.
This response might be the most dangerous of all because it masquerades as neutrality. These scholars weren’t openly hostile—they were simply indifferent. But the human heart cannot remain neutral toward Jesus. The religious leaders who yawned at His birth would later plot His death. Indifference is not a stable position; it’s a slow slide toward hostility.
Jesus addressed this very danger when He spoke to the lukewarm church at Laodicea: “I would rather you be hot or cold than lukewarm.” Indifference makes Him sick. It’s the response that says, “I’ll get to Jesus later. I have other priorities right now.”
How many churches today operate exactly like the temple did—continuing their programs and activities whether God’s Spirit is present or not? How many pastors go through the motions while their hearts grow cold? It doesn’t happen overnight. It starts with small compromises, with a gradual loss of joy, with the slow drift of complacency.
The Response of Joyful Worship
Then there are the Magi—outsiders, Gentiles, astrologers from the East who had no religious pedigree or scriptural training. Yet when they finally found Jesus, they responded with the only rational reaction to encountering the King of kings: they worshiped with joy.
Notice both elements. First, they worshiped with action. They didn’t just feel something warm in their hearts. They physically bowed down before this child. They presented tangible gifts. They gave themselves and their resources in an outward demonstration of submission and honor.
But second, they did so with joy. Their hearts overflowed with gladness at finding Him. This wasn’t duty or obligation—it was delight.
This is the proper response to Jesus, and it’s a response we must renew continually. Just as any relationship grows cold without investment, our relationship with Christ requires constant renewal. We must ask Him daily to stir up our faith, to give us fresh vision of who He is.
Joy is the indicator that our hearts are properly oriented. When we read God’s Word, gather with His people, sing His praises, and come to His table without a sense of joy, that’s a warning sign. It doesn’t mean disaster is imminent, but it means we need to check what’s happening in our hearts.
The beautiful truth is that joy comes from seeing Jesus. Not from trying harder or feeling guilty, but from beholding Him afresh. When we truly see who He is and what He’s done—giving His body and blood to welcome us into the kingdom—joy is the natural response.
Where Do You Stand?
These three responses aren’t just historical curiosities. They’re patterns that repeat throughout history and within our own hearts. We might find traces of Herod’s fear when God puts His finger on something we don’t want to surrender. We might recognize the religious leaders’ complacency when worship becomes routine rather than passionate.
The invitation is to be like the Magi—to journey however far it takes to encounter Jesus, to bow in worship, and to overflow with joy at who He is.
The question remains for each of us: How will I respond to the King?