Does the Bible describe Jesus being worshiped?

That there were those who worshipped the Lord Jesus when He was here on earth there can be no doubt. In Matthew 2 the wise men did so: they "fell down, and worshipped Him" (verse 11), and there were many other similar incidents (See Matt. 8: 2; Matt. 9: 18; Matt. 14: 33; Matt. 15: 25; John 9: 38). It might be argued, however, that this was before the cross. Then we see in Matthew 28: 9, 17 and Luke 24: 52 instances when there were those who worshipped the Lord Jesus after His resurrection. Indeed, in John 20 we have one of the clearest addresses to the Lord Jesus:

That there were those who worshipped the Lord Jesus when He was here on earth there can be no doubt. In Matthew 2 the wise men did so: they “fell down, and worshipped Him” (verse 11), and there were many other similar incidents (See Matt. 8:2; Matt. 9:18; Matt. 14:33; Matt. 15:25; John 9:38). It might be argued, however, that this was before the cross. Then we see in Matthew 28:9, 17 and Luke 24:52 instances when there were those who worshipped the Lord Jesus after His resurrection. Indeed, in John 20 we have one of the clearest addresses to the Lord Jesus: “Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord and my God” (verse 28).

Yet some may still not be convinced that it is right and proper to worship the Lord Jesus. What about now that He is ascended into heaven? Let the book of Revelation answer. In Revelation 5 we read, “The … four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, … And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth” (verses 8-10). Further, for those who insist that priesthood is for God alone, in Revelation 20:6 we read: “They shall be priests of God and of Christ … ” If this be the proper order of service in heaven, why should it be considered inappropriate in the assembly now on earth? Are there any accounts of address to the Lord Jesus by His saints on earth after He ascended into heaven? Indeed there are.

When the Lord Jesus was here on earth, He was constantly the object of worship, and never once did He refuse to accept such homage. If He were not God, it were blasphemous on His part to be a party to such demonstrations, but on the other hand if He was God, He could not refuse such homage. Note the contrast in the case of the apostle John. As John fell down to worship, the angel said, “See thou do it not: for I am thy fellow-servant … worship God” (Rev. 22:9).

We could multiply cases where the Lord Jesus was worshipped, but space forbids. Suffice it to say that there is that about the Lord that irresistibly carries conviction that He was rightly worshipped.

We also worship the Son. Although He became man, He ever was and is God. He is worthy to be worshipped. Even when on earth He accepted worship from men (Matt. 14:33; John 9:38). When He ascended to heaven the disciples still worshipped Him (Luke 24:52). Now that the Son has come, it is impossible truly to honour the Father unless due honour is given to the Son (John 5:23).

We may observe that, of the reputed parents, Joseph is ever made the prominent person here, as in chapter 1. The vision, of verse 13, was to Joseph. Nevertheless, the Magi, "when they were come into the house, saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshipped Him," not her. Their homage was to Him. "And when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh." They acknowledged Him, as poor strangers whose greatest honour was to be owned of Him. Jerusalem is outside all this. A usurper was there; an Edomite was ruling. And, as when Christ returns again to the earth there will be a false king in Jerusalem under the influence of the western powers, and in conjunction with the religious heads of Israel, so it was at His first coming. All was entirely opposed to the recognition of Jesus.

Then they worship. It is but a humble house, we may be sure, and there are in it but a young mother and her babe. But they worship, ― worship, not the mother but the Babe. Divinely taught, they pour out their gifts at His feet, "gold and frankincense and myrrh." The Church of old seems almost unitedly to have interpreted them as, in the gold, the recognition of His royalty; in the frankincense, the acknowledgement of His Deity; while the myrrh, used afterwards at His burial, was taken thus to be the anticipation of His death. We might be disposed, from the use of these things in Scripture, to take the gold as the recognition of His divine glory; the frankincense as the fragrance of a life lived, as none other ever was, for God. But to some of these things as we, know, His disciples were long after strangers, nor could we argue that the magi knew the real significance of what they did. But the worship was real, and the great joy with which they had greeted the star on its reappearance, was we may be sure, more than justified in the result.

The Lord came over the waves seeking a spirit of fidelity and confidence in the hearts of the disciples, but He found instead deadly dulness and spiritual insensibility. There was hardness or blindness of heart in them as well as in the Pharisees (Mark 3:5), in Israel (Rom. 11:7, 25; 2 Cor. 3:14), and in the Gentiles (Eph. 4:18). Thus Jesus discovered no response in the apostles to the labours of His love, and when He delivered them from the fury of the storm, against which they were vainly battling, they were excessively astonished. If they expected deliverance at all, they did not expect it in that manner. However, their hard hearts were melted, and "they that were in the boat worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God" (Matt. 14:33).

Now see the immediate effect on these very women. We read that “they came and held him by the feet and worshipped Him” (Matt. 28:9). Their perplexity gave place to worship, and their desolate hearts were filled with gladness.

John 9:35-38. To be cast out of corrupt religious Judaism for the confession of Christ was to be thrown into the company of the Son of God. The Lord had found him in his blindness to give him sight; now He finds him in his loneliness to give him the glorious company of the Son of God. The Lord draws out the man's confidence, and then reveals Himself, not only as a Prophet, but as the Son of God. If only a Man or a Prophet, He would not be an Object of worship. As the Son of God, He is a divine Person, the just Object of faith and worship. So we read of the man with the opened eyes, "He worshipped Him".