During this time of year, in churches around the globe the story of Christmas–the coming of Christ to earth–is told. We tell of the shepherds, of Mary and Joseph, of the inn keeper, of the wise men or magi from the East, but there is one actor in this divine drama, who, though often mentioned is generally over-looked. It is the King, Herod.
Herod was born around 73 B.C. His father Antipater, a Jew of Idumaean (Id-oo me-an) descent, attained a position of great influence in Judaea after the Roman conquest and was appointed procurator of Judaea by Julius Caesar in 47 BC.
He in turn appointed his son Herod military prefect of Galilee, and Herod showed his qualities by aggressively ridding the area of the bandits and highway robbers that plagued that region; the Roman governor of Syria was so impressed by his energy that he made him military prefect of Coele-Syria. (Pronounced Seely Syria)
After the assassination of Caesar and subsequent civil war, Herod enjoyed the goodwill of Antony. When the Parthians invaded Syria and Palestine and set the Hasmonaean Antigonus on the throne of Judaea (40–37 bc) the Roman senate, advised by Antony and Octavian, gave Herod the title ‘king of the Jews'.
It took him 3 years of fighting to make his title effective, but when he had done so he governed Judaea for 33 years as a loyal ‘friend and ally' of Rome.
He is known in history as Herod the Great. His family had been forcibly converted to Judaism by John Hyrcanus (134-104 B.C.), and thus the family of Herod was, at least technically, Jewish.
But Herod in his rise to power had systematically executed the ruling Hasmonaean family, which included one of his ten wives and her two sons. Herod was a brilliant military strategist, a shrewd politician, and a prolific builder. He rebuilt many cities and the Temple in Jerusalem.
But nothing that Herod could do, not even the expenditure lavished on the Temple, endeared him to his Jewish subjects. His Edomite descent was never forgotten; if he was a Jew by religion and rebuilt the Temple of the God of Israel in Jerusalem, that did not deter him from erecting temples to pagan deities elsewhere. Above all, his wiping out of the Hasmonaean family could not be forgiven.
Herod himself was 25 years old when he rose to prominence, and was appointed King of the Jews in 40 B.C. Herod was a paradox of strength and weakness. Suspicious to the point of paranoia, Herod ruthlessly dealt with anyone he perceived as a threat to his kingdom; including his own sons, which led Caesar Augustus to remark that it was better to be one of Herod’s pigs than it was to be one of his sons.
The reason that we tend to overlook Herod is because from the beginning Matthew identifies him as the antagonist in the Christmas story. But I want us to consider this historical figure because in him we discover some disturbing truths about the human condition in general, and perhaps about our own selves. Whether or not we like to admit it, there might be a little Herod in us all.
Here’s how our text starts: “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.” (Matthew 2:1–3, NIV84)
Now this is kind of strange. Jesus was born less than 5 miles from Jerusalem. The first to visit the baby were the shepherds, and Luke makes it clear that these shepherds spread the news of this baby far and wide. “When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,” (Luke 2:17, NIV84)
Given the proximity of Bethlehem to Jerusalem, and given the likelihood that these shepherds were Temple employees. Many scholars believe that given the proximity of Bethlehem to Jerusalem, these shepherds were raising the sacrificial sheep. How appropriate that God’s announcement of Jesus the Lamb of God would come to shepherds keeping the sacrificial lambs!So it is highly unlikely that news of this birth and this baby had not reached Jerusalem.
Furthermore, the time between the events recorded in Luke 2 and Matthew 2 is 2 years. The wise men were not at the manger. By time they arrive on the scene, our text says plainly that they encountered the Christ child "in a house." (v. 11).
Now, I say all of this to make an important observation about what is happening here. No one in Jerusalem, Herod included, is concerned with what is obviously a supernatural event, a story that has circulated freely through the streets for two years. As long as the message was that of a savior being born–which was the gist of the shepherds’ message—there seems to be no concern
But when the magi arrive and give this baby the title, King of the Jews, the title given by Octavius and Antony to him, alarm sets in. Herod has spent his entire life, like many of us, trying to preserve, protect and control events and outcomes. And the Jewish people had learned that when Herod is unhappy, everyone is unhappy! That’s why suddenly the whole city is concerned!
As long as Jesus is just being reported as the Savior, Herod is not interested and it appears neither are the people. They haven’t even taken notice of the reports as far as we can tell. As far as Herod is concerned, you can be sure that those reports had not gone unnoticed. Herod was always looking for a conspiracy. A Savior apparently Herod could live with, a ruler he could not!
In Herod we see the nature of unbelief. As long as this baby in Bethlehem is non- threatening, no action is taken–either to explore the reports out of curiosity or to search out the Savior for salvation. However, the moment it appears that this baby may be a ruler, Herod reacts.
Many today are like Herod. They want Jesus to be a good moral teacher, a religious leader, but the moment it is suggested He is God in the flesh, the hostility rises.
Why? Because like Herod we do not want to submit to God's authority in our lives. We are content to hear about Jesus as Savior, but the moment we talk about Jesus as Lord, we begin to back off; questions begin to arise, and a feeling of discomfort arises within us.
We can handle a baby Savior. We rebel against a ruling King. Jesus the Lamb gives us warm feelings; Jesus the Lion of Judah alarms us. Like Herod, many in our day are willing to put up with stories of angels and babies, and a Savior who will give us what we think we deserve, but when we start talking about this Saviors claims on our lives, well, that's a different story.
Herod is fine with the rumors as long as they come from simple shepherds talking about a Savior, but when these distinguished scholars arrive in town and start talking about this Savior being a King, Herod takes note.
Herod is troubled with the news that has now reached his ears: influential, educated men are searching for a recognized ruler; a prophesied King. He doesn't go to the source of the message; he seeks out people who will have a head knowledge of the events but people who will have no heart’s desire to submit to that message.
“When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’”” (Matthew 2:4–6, NIV84)
Think about it for a minute. For millennia the Jewish people looked for and longed for their Messiah. Shepherds come proclaiming His birth, but the religious leaders don’t even bother to investigate!
The promised Messiah, the One for Whom and to Whom all Israel looked, was clearly in their midst–angels had proclaimed it, shepherds had reported it, the Bible had predicted it, the stars had heralded it, and astute scholars from foreign lands were searching for this Christ child, but the Jewish religious scholars couldn’t be bothered to walk five miles to investigate the reports of the shepherds.
Then, when asked by Herod the location of where the Christ was to be born, clearly, coldly, and dispassionately the religious leaders report the facts, never once showing interest in exploring, confirming or denouncing those facts.
Had Herod been astute enough to send one of those religious skeptics, the story might have been entirely different. These men had absolutely no compulsion to personally look into the truth of the Old Testament prophecies they were now proclaiming. They were more interested in their positions than in salvation. So, coldly and with no personal interest whatsoever, they recite the truth of Scripture without it ever dawning upon them the real magnitude of their own report.
Many are like that today. They can quote chapter and verse, tell you what it means, but never allow that truth to move them to action.
What about you? Over and over again you have heard the Christmas story. You have professed an interest in the promises of God, but when the invitation is given, do you respond or dispassionately sit back and analyze those who do, wondering what the pull is?
You know the truth intellectually, but you refuse to respond emotionally because you are unwilling to submit your will to Him. How long will you be content to mouth the truth of God without giving yourself in obedience to that truth?
Herod is not about to be dethroned. Some of you are like Herod, and even as I speak you are making up your minds not to yield to Christ. Herod cooks up a plan. He feigns interest to conceal his hostility.
“Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.” (Matthew 2:7, NIV84)
There are people in churches all around the world like Herod. Jesus called them thorns among the wheat. They give a show of interest in spiritual things, but their real interest is to divide and destroy.
Herod claimed he, too, wanted to worship, but he only wanted to kill the Christ- child. These true worshipers were not fooled. They were warned by God to stay away from Herod and they worshiped, and returned to their own country by a different route–a circuitous one to avoid detection.
Meanwhile, Joseph and Mary are warned by an Angel of God to flee to Egypt, because Herod is a ruthless unbeliever, and like unbelievers, he will not be content to ignore the truth, he will seek to destroy the truth.
Unbelief is never neutral. Like Herod, unbelief turns to hostility when it can't get its way.
Herod is furious when he learns he's been duped by these foreigners, and to make sure that he doesn't miss his chance, he decides that every male child, 2 years of age and younger, in the entire Bethlehem region must die. “When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”” (Matthew 2:16–18, NIV84)
Then Herod lives out the rest of his life in bitterness and fear. Unbelief does that to a person.
Now, let me ask you, are you like the wise men who sought the ruler of the world, the ruler of men's hearts, and when you come to Him, do you honor Him and respond in obedience, or are you like Herod who tolerates a savior but opposes the Lord; who wants Christ, but wants Him on your own terms–no ruler here, thank you, the throne of my heart is already occupied, thank you, and there is no room for another!
I'm going to ask you to decide. Will you come to Him seeking Him as rightful ruler, or will you oppose Him as did Herod? For all of his talents and skills and accomplishments, Herod is remembered only as a footnote in another’s story—the ruthless villain who slaughtered infants.
Will you respond as did the magi, who came looking for the Truth though they did not have all the facts, all the answers to all the questions–that's why they stopped in Jerusalem wasn't it? Or will you be like the religious leaders of Jerusalem, whose familiarity with the facts resulted in a cold hearted disinterest?
The shepherds worshipped and then proclaimed Him, the magi sought and then worshipped Him, the religious leaders ignored Him, and Herod wanted to destroy Him. These are the possible responses to Christ. What is yours? Where do you fit in among these people?
Week after week, the Spirit has called you, yet week after week you've resisted; you've explained the call away as being an emotional appeal; you've dismissed the call because you needed to consider it longer. Slowly, your belief is turning to unbelief and your receptiveness to hostility.
I'm going to ask you to remedy that right now. If God is speaking to you, as the invitation is offered, you come. Come like the magi–you don't need all the facts, you only need to realize that what you have seen and heard thus far of this one born King of the Jews, is convincing enough to draw you. I will tell you. There are some things you will never understand until you yield the Throne of your heart to the rightful King–Jesus Christ. You come. You come. Come quickly. If there is someone sitting beside you, ask them if they want to come, then come together.
