They bowed down and worshiped him.
—Matthew 2:11
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, his arrival was met with three identifiable reactions: hostility, indifference, and worship.
King Herod was hostile, willing to kill babies to ensure that there would be no rival king (Mt 2:16).
Jewish religious leaders were indifferent. They were aware that Bethlehem was the place of the Messiah’s birth, but they didn’t care (Mt 2:4–6); they wouldn’t even make the six-mile trek to worship the long-awaited King.
The shepherds and the wise men came to worship the newborn King (Mt 2:9–11; Lk 2:15–20).
The divide remains today.
There are those who are hostile: leave me alone; don’t mess with my life. There are those who are indifferent: ho-hum believers. And there are those who are wholehearted worshippers of the King.
It’s your choice.