Jesus the Worshipper
Have you ever thought about Jesus as a worshipper? Probably not. We often think of Him as the one people worship. And that certainly is true, people worshipped Jesus even while He was still in Mary’s womb. They worshipped Him all throughout His life, and people continue to worship Him today. Christians believe that Jesus was God in human flesh.
But in addition to being divine and, therefore, worthy of our worship, we also believe that Jesus was 100% human. He was a Jewish man. And He worshipped like Jewish men in those times worshipped.
There’s this misconception in the modern church that worship equals music. We say “let’s stand and worship” when we are about to sing. We call our musicians worship leaders and worship teams. Subtly, over the years, we have come to believe that we start worshipping when we start singing in church.
The Deeper Meaning of Worship
The truth is that singing and making music is only one expression of worship. It’s an important way to worship but it isn’t worship itself. Worship is far deeper than singing a few songs. When we worship something, we adore, love and value it more than anything. In fact the word “worship” actually means to ascribe worth to something. You can do that with or without music.
In the end, we are all worshippers of something. Every human being is born with a desire to worship, to adore, love and value something above everything else in their lives.
If we want to learn what worship is, let’s look to Jesus. In a conversation with a Samaritan woman in John 4, Jesus says to her: “You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know”. (John 4:20)
Following Jesus' Example in Worship
Did you hear how he spoke about himself as a worshipper, since he was a Jew? We Christians also worship what we do know – we worship God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit: our wonderful triune God.
Will your life be marked by worship today? Will you value God more highly than anything else, and express that love for Him in song, in prayers, and in the way you live your life?
Jesus worshipped. Let’s copy Him and worship the God we know, every day.
