The man who hated Christmas. Who am I talking about? Is it Ebenezer Scrooge, the miser whose motto for Christmas was "bah-humbug"? Or is it The Grinch, the creature who tries to steal Christmas because he can't stand to see people happy? Well, neither. Today we are going to talk about a real person, an individual who plays an important part in the Bible's account of Jesus' birth, but who is seldom mentioned in Christmas programs or sermons. His name is King Herod. In the book, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, the Herdman children are fascinated with this fellow they call "King Harold." They want someone in the play to beat him up and have the pageant end with him being executed. But, that is not quite how the story goes. Today, we are going to return to Matthew, Chapter 2, and take a closer look at Herod, the man who hated Christmas. I think it will also be a good time for us to examine our lives to make sure our attitude toward Christmas is one which is pleasing to the Lord. Let's pray the Lord would speak to each of us this morning.
Herod: The man who hated Christmas. Who was Herod? Historians tell us that Herod the Great, the king of the Jews, was born in 73 B.C. His father was Antipater II, a Jew who was appointed by Julius Caesar as governor of Judea. Herod was appointed "King of Judea" by Mark Anthony in 40 B.C., and, after a three-year civil war his power was never really challenged. Historians regard him as an effective, but cruel, authoritarian ruler. In a fit of rage he had his wife executed and in 7 B.C. he had two of his sons killed because he saw them as a threat to his throne. Before Herod's death, a third son was executed for the same reason. When Herod died he was replaced by three remaining sons who divided up his kingdom. One was Herod Antipas, or Herod the Tetrarch, who we read about in the rest of the New Testament. He is the fellow who executes John the Baptist and who sends Jesus back to Pilate when the Jewish leaders bring Jesus before him. The date of Herod's death is something which has been discussed by scholars over the years. Traditionally, historians have said that Herod died in 4 B.C., which means Jesus was probably born in 5 B.C. You might wonder how Jesus could be born five years before Christ. Remember, however, the Bible does not give us a date for Jesus' birth. It tells us He was born during the reign of Caesar Augustus in the days of King Herod. Recently, some historians have made a strong argument that Herod died in 1 B.C. which would place Jesus' birth at about 2 B.C. Anyway, when the Wise Men, or Magi, arrive in Jerusalem, Herod the Great is the king.
Matthew tells us of Herod's attempts to kill Jesus. There are really two attempts, both which failed. When he hears what the Magi have to say, he becomes jealous and angry. Matthew 2:8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him." His first plan is to have the Magi locate the Baby for him, so that he can have the Child killed. But his plot is foiled. 2:12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. It is only five miles between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, so it doesn't take Herod too long to figure out that the Magi are not coming back. 2:16 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. This is certainly one of the most terrible crimes ever committed. I still remember hearing this story for the first time when I was in Sunday School. It sent a shiver down my spine, and it still does today. Just to make sure he eliminates the newborn King, he has every boy in Bethlehem under two years of age killed. This does not mean that Herod had any reason to think Jesus' birth had occurred many months earlier. He just wanted to make sure he got rid of Jesus, and he had no qualms about killing others in the process. Now, Bethlehem was not a large city. It is estimated that there were probably no more than ten to twelve boys killed by Herod's soldiers, but it was still a very cruel act.
Yet, Herod's second plot to kill Jesus fails as well. In Verses 13-15, an angel gives a warning to Joseph, so he, Mary and the Baby go into exile in Egypt until Herod dies. Note that Herod's very cruel plan to kill Jesus does not catch God by surprise. Not only is the Lord active throughout this story, warning both the Magi and Joseph of Herod's intentions, but the whole scenario is a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Matthew says the exile in Egypt was foretold in Hosea 11:1, where the Lord says, "Out of Egypt I called My Son." The slaughter of the babies in Bethlehem is a fulfillment of Jeremiah 31:15 which speaks of "Rachel weeping for her children ...because her children are no more." We are reminded here that no matter how powerful evil is, God's plan will be fulfilled. His purpose will be accomplished. As someone said, "There ain't no use in tryin' to beat God." Herod could not stop Christmas any more than Ebenezer Scrooge or The Grinch could. Friends, that is great comfort to those of us in this room. Whether it is Herod, Pharaoh or Pilate; whether it is Hitler, Stalin or Mao; whether it is Saddam Hussein or Algerian terrorists, none of these can ever do anything to prevent God from fulfilling His plan. As John Calvin said, "Though hostile forces rage and chaos threatens, God is King. Therefore His people are safe."
So why did Herod hate Christmas? Why did he feel such enmity toward the Baby Jesus? Herod hated Christmas because he saw the Christ Child as a threat to his power. Now, that may seem like the Minnesota Timberwolves feeling threatened by Chisholm's high school basketball team, but to Herod, the threat was very real. Perhaps he had a strong tendency to become envious and jealous. After all, he had three of his own sons killed because he felt threatened by them. When he heard the Wise Men had come to worship Jesus, Herod apparently thought, "Hey, why aren't they here to worship me?" He was jealous and did not want anyone else to be the center of attention. Jealousy is a very powerful trap. Maybe you have felt its power in your life. Perhaps you have done or said things which were not so nice because you felt envy toward someone. Jealousy can be a very destructive emotion, and Herod certainly felt its power in his life.
But, I think his problem with Christmas was more than jealousy. In Verse 4 we learned that Herod consulted with priests and teachers of the law. It is obvious he has heard of the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah. I think he feared that this Baby just might be the One of whom the prophets had spoken. Herod believed that when the Messiah came, his power would lose all its meaning. He was king of the mountain. He wanted to stay on top. But, when the Messiah comes, everything would be turned upside down. When the Messiah rules as King, wealth and power will no longer be what matters most. Instead, righteousness and kindness will be what is important. It is easy to see why Herod would not be real excited about this new Kingdom. Luke 2 says Simeon was in the temple waiting for the Messiah to come, dreaming of how marvelous His Kingdom would be. Herod was in his palace dreading that day. If he dreamt about it, the dreams were nightmares. When Herod hears that the Wise Men have come to see a King in Bethlehem, it is no surprise that he hates Christmas.
Herod was the first to hate Christmas and be disturbed by the event, but he is not the last. There are people, and not just Ebenezer Scrooge and The Grinch, who hate Christmas because they don't like the idea of Jesus being a King. Oh, they don't mind the celebration, but the message of Christmas is threatening. Now, of course, some of us feel the opposite. We cherish the message, but find that parts of the celebration can become somewhat of a pain. Once again, I was in the store on December 23rd trying to find just the right present. But lots of folks like to shop, love to deck the halls and hang up the lights, but they want to avoid what the celebration is supposedly about. Oh, they are not really threatened by the Baby Jesus; He is kind of cute. But, like Herod, they are very much afraid of King Jesus. Friends, you see, that is the heart of the Christmas message. Jesus the King is born. Angels, shepherds and Wise Men, all came to worship a King, the King of kings and Lord of lords. Part of the message of Christmas is that all of us are called to worship the King. I tend to think that a lot of folks sing Christmas carols without really thinking about the words they are singing. I'm afraid some of the people who sing, "O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord," really have no intention of doing that, and if they realized what the words meant, they would probably not want to sing the song. Many folks have no more desire to acknowledge Jesus as their King than Herod did. Though they may hang up Christmas lights and put presents under the tree, they hate the true meaning of Christmas, that Jesus the Messiah and King has come.
But, as I was thinking about Jesus the King this week, I realized the problem is not just with the folks out there who want to take Christ out of Christmas. There are also people who sit in church pews most Sunday mornings, and even some who preach behind pulpits, who also are not real comfortable with the idea of Jesus being King. Oh, we don't hesitate to call Him that, but when it comes right down to it, we are not real excited about living that way. In fact, often we don't really think about what it means to live as a citizen of Jesus' Kingdom. Let's take a closer look at what it should mean when we claim that Jesus is our King.
#1) If Jesus is our King, He expects us to be loyal to Him. In the marriage vows there is a phrase which says "forsaking all others." That is what King Jesus expects of us. He will not allow us to continue to serve other kings. He will not share our allegiance with anything or anyone else. That means, for example, that we are to be more loyal to Him than to any other human being. Now, maybe you are thinking, "Wait a minute, Pastor. What are you saying? Doesn't God want us to be loyal to our family and friends?" Well, yes, you are right. He does. But, our loyalty to them should never equal our loyalty to Christ. In Luke 14:26, Jesus makes a very strange statement when He says, "The one who wants to be my disciple must be willing to hate his father, mother, brother, wife and children." We read that and we say, "What? The Bible says we are to honor our father and mother, husbands are commanded to love their wives, and parents should certainly love their children." Jesus would agree. His point, however, is this: If we wish to be His disciple, if we wish to live under His Kingship, our love for our family must never interfere or come before our loyalty to Jesus. As a Christian, He is our King. Our parents are not, our spouse is not, our children are not. In the vast majority of situations, obeying King Jesus will mean that we serve our family members. But, every once in a while, something will come up where it is very clear that the Lord wants us to do one thing, while our family and friends want us to do another. Maybe it involves a job change, or being involved in a different ministry. But, if Jesus is truly our King, we will say at those times, "I'm sorry. I'm going to have to do this, because this is what the Lord, my King, wants me to do." We can only serve one King.
There are many other things which compete with King Jesus for our allegiance. There is nothing wrong with loyalty to country, to a political party, to a football team, or to a church. It is good to make commitments to these things. But again, none of these should ever be allowed to interfere with our loyalty to King Jesus. Twenty-five years ago I headed for college at the University of Wisconsin/Eau Claire. My goal at the time was to go to law school, become a lawyer, and get into politics. That was not a bad goal, and I believe the Lord does indeed call many Christians to do something like that. But, He was not calling me to do it. During those first couple of years in college, I had to ask myself a number of times, "What is my priority? Is it serving God, or is it serving a political cause?" When I understood that I needed to be loyal to God, I realized that He was calling me to go to seminary and serve Him as a pastor or Bible teacher, not as a lawyer. And, boy, am I glad He made that clear to me. Another thing which often competes for our loyalty is money and material things. But, if we are to honor Jesus as our King, money cannot also be our king. Jesus told us that we cannot serve both God and money (Matthew 6:24). If our goal in life is to build up our bank account, or accumulate all the latest gadgets and toys, we are not really following Jesus. If He is King, our money really belongs to Him. Yes, He entrusts it to us to use, but we are to use it in a way that pleases Him.
#2) If Jesus is our King, He expects us to submit to Him and to His authority. He wants us to do things His way, not our way. In fact, if Jesus is my King, that means I can't be king. That is maybe the hardest part to swallow. Most of us want to be the captain of our own ship. We tend to want ourselves on the throne of our lives, rather than having Christ on the throne. But, if we are going to honor Jesus as our King, then we cannot be in charge. To be a Christian is to be under new management. That is tough, because some things in life will probably be different, some things will probably have to change, if Jesus is in charge. For example, if I am in charge, I don't always forgive those who I think have hurt me. I try to pay them back sometimes. But, if Jesus is in charge, I can't do that. Then I have to be willing to forgive and have to be committed to not trying to get back at people. If I am in charge, some gossip and a little white lie once in a while is very acceptable. But, if Jesus is in charge, those things have no place in my life. If I am in charge, I base decisions on what I think I want to do. If Jesus is in charge, then what is best for others and what brings glory to God are the things that determine what I need to do. Things can be very different, if Jesus is the King.
Friends, in some ways there are really two sides to the Christmas story. The first is the good news of great joy which shall be for all people. A Savior is born, His name shall be called Jesus for He will save His people from their sins. Emmanuel has come and God is with us. That is a beautiful side and it is so true and wonderful. But there is also another side. If we are to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas, then we need to say, "Because Jesus the King has come, I am willing to submit to His rule." Some of you may be thinking, "Boy, Pastor, Christmas used to be my favorite holiday. Now, you are making it sound so hard. I kind of like Groundhog Day better. I don't have to do anything then. I can see why someone might hate Christmas." No, friends, if that is what you are thinking, you don't understand. Christmas is better news than we ever thought. There is no greater joy in the world than living as a loyal subject of King Jesus. When we experience the joy that comes from submitting to His rule, we will never be satisfied with just having fun doing things our own way. To be loyal to King Jesus, to submit to His rule, to serve Him each day, are not sacrifices. When, by God's grace we do those things, we become the heirs of what Peter calls "great and precious promises." To occupy the lowest possible position as part of Jesus' Kingdom, cleaning bathrooms or whatever, is far better than having the highest position in any other kingdom. Because all the kingdoms of this world will one day come crashing down, and only the Kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, will continue and thrive throughout eternity.
Friends, the best way to celebrate Christmas is to honor Jesus as your King. In England the Queen's birthday is a national holiday. Do you know what? It is not a holiday here. Why? Because we are not her subjects. We are not under her rule. Our friends back around 1776 took care of that. Christmas is the birthday of King Jesus. It really makes little sense to celebrate that unless you are willing to acknowledge Him as your King. How does one become a subject of King Jesus? By becoming a Christian; by putting your trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. That means turning away from being self-sufficient and self-confident, and instead, relying on Jesus and what He has accomplished for us through His death and resurrection. Friends, the greatest gift ever given was God the Father sending Jesus, God the Son, to be the Savior of all who trust in Him. Have you received that gift? If not, I pray that the Lord will enable you to turn to Him today. If you are not sure what I mean, please talk to me.
If you are already a Christian, a citizen of Jesus' Kingdom, I have a challenge for you as well. This new year, honor Jesus as your King. To do that, I suggest you may want to give Him a belated Christmas present. No, I'm not thinking you should get gold, myrrh or incense to place under the Christmas tree. Instead, I suggest you identify one part of your life of which lately you have been in charge, and from now on let the Lord be in charge of that. You might say, "Lord, from now on I want You to be in charge of how I relate to other people. I want to do things Your way as I relate to my family, my friends, and other folks at church. I know this means I will not be able to hold any grudges. I won't be able to vent my anger at them whenever I feel like it, but I want to relate to other people in a way that pleases You." Or, you might say, "Lord, from now on I want to commit my money or my time to You. Instead of always being so selfish with what I have, and just thinking about what makes me comfortable and happy, I will be more generous in sharing my money or time with others." Or, maybe you will say, "Lord, from now on I am going to be more selective in television shows I watch and music I listen to. I know there is a lot of rotten stuff out there, but because I want You to be in charge of this part of my life, I am going to choose entertainment that pleases You." Friends, I don't know what honoring Jesus as your King will mean in practical terms in your life, but I do know that as citizens of Jesus' Kingdom, it is something we need to do.
Friends, Herod hated Christmas, the coming of King Jesus, because he would not accept Jesus' Lordship over his life. By God's grace may we experience the true meaning of Christmas as we embrace Jesus as our King.
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Go to www.life.1stbaptist.org/sermons.htm for Pastor Dan's full text Bible based sermon site
