Proskyneō being rendered to the Lord Jesus

[Fred]

Matthew 2:11
And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold, frankincense and myrrh.

1. When the Greek word for falling down (piptō) is used in association with proskyneō in the New Testament it always refers to worship.
Matthew 4:9
And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”
Matthew 18:26
So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’
The worship ('imploring') being described by the Lord Jesus is in reference to the Father.
Matthew 18:35
So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.
Jesus connects what He previously said in v. 26 and uses it in reference to the Father in v. 35 - "My Heavenly Father will also do the same to you..." Sinners owe unto Him such an immense payment for their sins, but they will never be able to fully repay Him. This demonstrates His unfathomable mercy.
Acts 10:25
When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.
1 Corinthians 14:25
the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.
Revelation 4:10
the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
Revelation 5:14
And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Revelation 7:11
And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,
Revelation 11:16
And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God,
Revelation 19:4
And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!”
Revelation 19:10
Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Revelation 22:8-9
(8) I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me,
(9) but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”

2. These men offered (prospherō) the Lord Jesus gifts (dōron).
When these two words are used together in the New Testament, it always refer to worship.
Matthew 5:23-24
(23) So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,
(24) leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
Hebrews 5:1
For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.
Hebrews 8:3-4
(3) For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer.
(4) Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law.
Hebrews 9:9
According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper.

3. The very first mention of gold, frankincense, and myrrh found together in the Bible is in description of the altar where the worship of God had taken place (Exodus 30:3, 23, 34).
Exodus 30:3, 23, 34
(3) You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And you shall make a molding of gold around it.
(23) Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh 500 shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, 250, and 250 of aromatic cane,
(34) The LORD said to Moses, Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (of each shall there be an equal part)


The above demonstrates that:
1. When proskyneō is used in reference to Jesus in the NT it refers to worshiping Him. The belief that Jesus is to be worshiped with a subordinate level of worship in comparison with the Father which is advocated by some is not supported by the Bible.
2. That proskyneō is used in reference to Jesus from the very beginning of His life here on earth demonstrates that every other instance where it is employed in the NT in reference to Him also means the same thing --> worship.
3. The Lord Jesus coupled proskyneō with latreuō in speaking about what is due unto God alone in Luke 4:8. Since the Lord Jesus is the proper recipient of proskyneō demonstrates He is God. This worship is in equality with the Father (cf. Revelation 5:13-14).

 

[civic]

Excellent brother !

There is nothing more glorious in scripture than to see Christ exalted to His right place.

 

[Fred]

proskyneō

Luke 24:51-52
(51) While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven.
(52) And they, after worshiping, returned to Jerusalem with great joy.


Notice when this worship was rendered unto Jesus He was not in their immediate presence (Luke 24:51-52). I know of no other example from the Bible where the above was done to any other besides the Almighty (the true God) or idols (false gods).

1. Robert Reymond: The significant thing about this act of worship is that He was no longer with them, their religious affections in worship being now directed to Him in heaven just as they would have worshiped the God of their fathers (Jesus, Divine Messiah, page 215).
2. William Arndt (one of the contributors to the classic BDAG Lexicon): as Jesus withdrew from the disciples, visibly rising upward, they fell down on their knees, overcome by the conviction of His being the true God and the Savior (Luke, page 501-502).
3. Thomas Schreiner: Luke concludes on a remarkable note. The disciples of Jesus were monotheists well schooled in OT devotion, and yet they worship Jesus (Luke 24:52). Such worship of Jesus, however, does not contradict their devotion to monotheism and the one God of Israel and of the world, for the next verse informs us that they blessed and praised God (Luke 24:53) (New Testament Theology: Magnifying God in Christ, page 189-190).

Since the Lord Jesus is the proper recipient of proskyneō demonstrates He is God. This worship is in equality with the Father (cf. Revelation 5:13-14).

Revelation 5:8-14
(8) When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
(9) And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
(10) “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”
(11) Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands,
(12) saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”
(13) And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”
(14) And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped.


"A new song" (cf. Rev. 5:9) always refers to worship (Psalm 33:3; 40:3; 96:1; 98:1; 144:9; 149:1; Isaiah 42:10; Revelation 5:9; 14:3).

Furthermore, notice how "a new song" (cf. Rev. 5:9) coupled with the use of harps (cf. Rev. 5:8) is also used in association with the worship of YHWH in the Old Testament.
Psalm 33:2-3
(2) Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre;
Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings.
(3) Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully with a shout of joy.

Proskyneō in Revelation 5:14 being properly rendered unto the Lord Jesus.
Notice how just as the elders fell down and worshiped the Lamb in verses 8-9 corresponds to these same elders falling down and worshiping the Lamb in verse 14.


Charles Spurgeon: Depend upon it, my hearer, you never will go to heaven unless you are prepared to worship Jesus Christ as God. They are all doing it there: you will have to come to it, and if you entertain the notion that he is a mere man, or that he is anything less than God, I am afraid you will have to begin at the beginning and learn what true religion means. You have a poor foundation to rest upon.

True God from True God

When John fell down to worship one of the angels he received an earnest protest, “See thou do it not.” Now, if the wors...

www.thedailyspurgeon.com