Was Jesus worshiped during His earthly ministry?

TL;DR:

As a child, Jesus was worshiped by the Magi, and during His earthly ministry, He was worshiped by both His disciples as well as the man born blind in John 9:38. Additionally, After His resurrection, Jesus’ followers—both the women and His disciples—worshiped Him.

what does the bible say?

Before Jesus even started His earthly ministry, He was being worshiped. The Magi visited Him as a child and “going into the house… they fell down and worshiped him…” (Matthew 2:11). One night during His earthly ministry, Jesus walked on water in the presence of His disciples (Matthew 14:25), and seeing that, His disciples worshiped him (Matthew 14:33).John 9 relates that Jesus heals a man born blind, and not too long afterward, the man worships Jesus (John 9:35-38). Jesus also received worship from His followers after His resurrection. The first instance is when He appears to the women who had just come from visiting the empty tomb and being sent on a mission by an angel to tell the disciples that Jesus had risen. When the women are approached by Jesus along the road, they clung to His feet and worship Him (Matthew 28:9). Later, when Thomas saw the risen Jesus, he exclaimed, “My Lord and My God!” (John 20:28). Jesus' disciples also worship Him (Matthew 28:17).

from the old testament

The Old Testament consistently affirms that only God alone is to be worshiped. In the Ten Commandments, God declares, “You shall have no other gods before me” and forbids bowing to idols or serving them (Exodus 20:3–5).
This command is echoed throughout Scripture: “You shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God” (Exodus 34:14).
Moses instructed Israel, “It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve… You shall not go after other gods” (Deuteronomy 6:13–14).
God alone is worthy of praise and devotion (Deuteronomy 10:20–21).
The prophets reaffirmed this covenant truth: “You shall not fear other gods… but you shall fear the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt with great power” (2 Kings 17:35–36). God Himself declared through Isaiah, “I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols” (Isaiah 42:8), and again, “Turn to me and be saved… For I am God, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:22–23).
The psalmist warned, “There shall be no strange god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god” (Psalm 81:9), and Moses cautioned that turning to other gods would lead to destruction (Deuteronomy 8:19). The Lord alone is to be feared, served, and worshiped, for He alone is God.

from the new testament

In Matthew 2:11, the Magi visited Jesus when He was a child and immediately worshiped Him.
In Matthew 14:33, after the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, they worshiped Him.
The next instance of Jesus being worshiped by His disciples is post-resurrection. After an angel tells the women who had followed Jesus that He is now alive, Jesus greets the women as they are running back to inform the disciples. The women then immediately hold onto Jesus' feet and worship Him (Matthew 28:9).
In Matthew 28:17, when the disciples saw the resurrected Jesus, "they worshiped him."
John 9 relates the miracle of Jesus healing a man who had been born blind. When Jesus approaches the man later, he believes in Jesus and worships Him.
Though not described directly as worship, Thomas acknowledged Jesus as His Lord and God in John 20:28, which is an expression of worship.

implications for today

God alone is to be worshiped. Because Jesus accepted worship of Himself, this affirmed His equality with God. Jesus’ divinity was further confirmed by His divine miracles, knowledge, resurrection, ascension, and above all, the ability to forgive sins. The Bible records many instances of people kneeling before Jesus, but since kneeling can indicate submission, honor, or worship depending on the situation, we have to carefully look at the context of each passage.

For instance, the demon possessed man kneeling before Jesus in Mark 5:6 likely recognized Jesus’ authority rather than directly worshiping Him, since at the time the man was still demon-possessed and the passage does not mention him explicitly worshiping Jesus. However, the Magi falling down before Jesus preceded their worship of Him (Matthew 2:11). So while Scripture points to people honoring Jesus through kneeling before Him or demonstrating their faith in Him, their actions are not specifically mentioned as worship (Matthew 8:2; Matthew 9:18; Matthew 15:25; Matthew 20:20). On some occasions, the names attributed to Jesus indicate that others believed He was divine, but again, these are not explicitly described as worship (John 1:1, 20:28, Philippians 2:5-8, Colossians 2:9, Hebrews 1:3). But those who argue Jesus was not worshiped at all as divine until later times (such as at the Council of Nicea), disregard clear instances in Scripture that indicate otherwise, such as the blind man worshiping Jesus after He was healed or the disciples worshiping Jesus after He walked on water.

We, too, are called to kneel in awe, surrender our hearts, and worship Jesus—not as a distant teacher, but as the risen, reigning Son of God who is worthy of all praise and devotion.

understand

God alone is worthy of worship.
The Magi worshiped Jesus when he was a child and Jesus accepted worship after some miracles, such as when He walked on water and healed a man born blind.
The disciples and the women who discovered the empty tomb worshiped the resurrected Jesus.

reflect

Do you ever pray to Jesus directly, and how does that shape your relationship with Him?
How do your actions and choices demonstrate that Jesus is Lord of your life?
How do the gospel accounts of Jesus being worshiped influence how you worship Him?

engage

What are some ways that believers can best engage with those who deny Jesus’ divinity?
How can the Bible’s accounts of Jesus being worshiped help to dispel notions of Jesus as merely “a good teacher” or a “good man”?
Why is recognition of who Jesus is so important to understanding the gospel?