June 8, 2023
Worship is the Result of Salvation
“And he said, ‘Lord, I believe.’ And he worshiped Him.” John 9:38b (NASB)
As a parent there is no greater joy than to see your children succeed. It can’t be measured in words, or actions. It is an inner expression of joy that comes from somewhere deep. But sometimes it doesn’t touch us at that level. We are grateful for it, but not something we think about for the rest of our lives. For instance, when my children graduated high school, I was proud. It was an outward feeling of pride and joy for their achievement. It was celebratory, but it only affected me in a sense of being a proud father. I was happy for the days and months after, but then life went back to normal. When my children got married, it was different. When my daughter married, I remember the dance with her. I’m not a dancer, so I wouldn’t normally make a fool of myself. With her I was willing to be the fool. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. As we danced, I remember telling her how proud I was of her and how she had made me a proud dad. Really proud. She hugged me, kissed me, cradled the back of my head, and started crying. This time it was tears of joy for both of us that couldn’t be described. It came from deep within. She didn’t just “make it” but she joined her heart to the love of her life. That event in my life is one I will always remember down to the fine detail as so special.
“And he worshiped Him.” Joy and gratitude was in the man’s heart. He was so grateful for Jesus revealing Himself personally to an outcast of society. “The blind man, convinced that Jesus was the Son of God, nearly lost the command of himself, and, in rapturous admiration, bowed down before him.”[1] The miracle in his life touched in the deepest sense of his life. The healing of the man (although it helped) wasn’t what impacted the man eternally. He was grateful, but the face to face with the Messiah changed his life forever. And Jesus sought the man not once, but twice. It moved him where he fell down to worship. The Jews prostrated themselves in an act of thanksgiving to the One who showed an act of mercy, like they would before God. Worship used in this verse is proskuneō which means to kiss or to do reverence to.”[2] Proskuneō comes from the root word, kuneō, meaning “the usage was transferred from the outward gesture to the inward attitude.”[3] The man fell before Jesus on his face in worship. This was a sign of eternal gratefulness. This inward attitude existed in the man long after that day. It was a life eternal/ life-changing experience for him.
Worship is not solely in a church service. It comes from the believers thanksgiving to the Father for His Son. It is from deep within the heart of the believer, not inside a building. When I think back to my daughter’s wedding day. I don’t remember every detail, but I remember that time when I had that dance. When she hugged me, kissed me, and cradled my head I will remember it forever. It was her act of loving me (maybe not worshipping me) but showing her affection for her father who helped her become the person she would be in the future. I pray today you worship your Heavenly Father for what He has allowed you to be now and forever!
[1] Calvin, J., & Pringle, W. (2010). Commentary on the Gospel according to John (Vol. 1, p. 389). Logos Bible Software.
[2] Thomas, R. L. (1998). In New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek dictionaries : updated edition. Foundation Publications, Inc.
[3] Greeven, H. (1964–). προσκυνέω, προσκυνητής. In G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley, & G. Friedrich (Eds.), Theological dictionary of the New Testament(electronic ed., Vol. 6, p. 759). Eerdmans.