The Enemy and the King

What does Matthew 2 have to do with Sanctity of Human Life Sunday?

Sort of two things going on this morning, we are, along with 90 or so other churches in the Puget Sound working with CareNet to recognize Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, raising awareness of how we as the church can love and support families who and children. AND, we are continuing our walk through Matthew’s gospel in 2023.

Well, let’s be upfront and say that Matthew 2 is not about abortion, but I think there are several principles which can help us think about how to respond to this sensitive and significant issue we have in our culture today.

First, a caveat, I’m going to leave A TON of stuff out of this sermon. Maybe you read ahead in Matthew 2 and you’re full of questions like…who are the wise men? What land from the east did they come? Or how does a star move and then move again and then somehow point to a specific home, or why does Luke 1 and 2 says Mary Joseph are from Nazareth but then Matthew seems to say Nazareth was an unforeseen destination? Or why does Matthew seem to misquote Old Testament scripture, is that allowed?

All good questions, take them up with your Community Group Leader, or Google it and let me know.

This morning I want to focus on our theme, and I want to give John and Cindy time to talk today because I’m really glad they can speak on this as well, so I’m going to just do an overview.

Three observations about Matthew 2 and how it applies to Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, before I’m looking forward to giving the microphone to John to talk to use about CareNet and then our very own Cindy Petersen to talk about her experience working with this amazing organization.

Caring for those in need is caring for Jesus.

Matthew’s main point in the book of Matthew is that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the King, the most important person in the world.

Show structure of Matthew

Matthew does that in a variety of ways in Matthew 2…one of the main ways is geography.

Bethelehem

Egypt

Ramah

Nazareth

Fulfill, fulfill, fulfill...

Wise men come to Jesus…just like people from the east came to worship Solomon, another Son of David.

Jesus is on the run from a corrupt king who murders children…just like Moses.

Matthew is making it very clear to his audience that Jesus is the king, and like the wise men, we are to do whatever it takes to be with Jesus and give him everything we have.

But what kind of king is Jesus? Well, we learn in Matthew 2, that Jesus was vulnerable.

He came as someone in desperate need of help. He was a victim of the cruelty of government, he was entirely helpless in the start of his life (as we all are) but to a degree that many of us cannot relate to.

And the good news of the gospel is that Jesus cares for us because he knows our weakness. He’s not trust fund king who doesn’t know what it’s like to be poor.

And, the invitation for us as Christians is to care for those in need is just like we’re caring for Jesus.

Isn’t that what Jesus says in Matthew 25?

Matthew 25:31–40 ESV

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

We’re going to get an opportunity to do just this later with the Bottle drive...

What I appreciate about CareNet as we’ll hear from John and Cindy is they care for the mom’s.

To be in a place where you feel like giving up your child is your best option is a horrible place to be. And rather than shaming women, or Bible thumping them, they kindly and gracious help gals to understand their options and guide them towards life.

Jesus says the most important command is to love God…have you ever wondered how to do that? One way is to care for those in need? How might God be calling you to do that?

The second observation about how Matthew 2 applies to Sanctity of Human Life Sunday is...

Recognize the real enemy.

Not a trick question, who is the bad guy in Matthew 2?

Herod! He’s super evil.

Who was Herod?

Herod - Herod the King, also sometimes called Herod the Great.

He was a prolific builder, he built the temple that Jesus went to as a child. He was a skilled orator, he was a shrewd politician. He reigned from 37 BC to 4 BC when he died.

He was also a paranoid tryant. He was a prolific builder of fortresses because he was terrified of being overthrown. He had 10 wives and 15 children. He was so protective of one of his wives that he ordered if he were to die while abroad his soldiers should kill her so she can’t marry someone else. This wife also spoke her mind, which led him to execute her parents, then her, and then her sons for thinking they were trying to take his thrown.

Before he died of a horrendous illness, he ordered that captive Jewish elders be murdered so the Jews would be mourning while he died, and he ordered that his oldest son be murdered so he couldn’t take his thrown.

We learn about his son Antipas later in Matthew who, while drunk - has eyes for his niece and is tricked into beheading John the Baptist.

Great family.

Matthew 2 confirms that Herod is a bad dude.

Look at all he does...

He is troubled that Jesus is king (v3)

He schemes to find out how to find and murder Jesus (4-8)

He lies to the wise men (8)

In an angry rage he murders an unknown number of innocent children (16-18)

Let’s agree, Herod is super evil. But does he kill Jesus?

No, who does? Jerusalem and the scribes and Pharisees…good guys or bad guys? Good guys!

The bad guy murders innocent children, the good guys murder God. Everybody’s guilty.

Who’s the real bad guy?

Satan! Working behind the scenes to steal, kill, and destroy.

And so we see that the real bad guy of Matthew 2 is not the government, it’s not the people Jesus disagrees with, it’s Satan. And it’s Satan who Jesus comes to destroy on the cross, and as Jesus dies he makes a way to forgive the sins of murderous people…like all of us.

Colossians 2:15 ESV

15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Similarly to our topic today…let’s recognize the real enemy.

It’s not the government.

It’s not Planned Parenthood.

It’s not those who identify as Pro-Choice.

It’s Satan who continues to try and cause as much destruction as possible even though he knows he’s lost, whether through abortion or through making Christians hate our neighbors, rather than care for them.

The gospel would not be good news if Jesus only killed Herod. It wouldn’t be good news if he took his murderers to trial and they were found guilty. Jesus came to defeat a greater enemy, who is now defeated and we as Christians are invited to live in such a way that shows we follow Jesus, and we fight his way.

Grieve with those who grieve.

Matthew 2:16–18 ESV

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: 18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

I remember being at PF Changs in 2012 for my friend’s birthday party, and it was the night President Obama got reelected, and my friend’s parents, the night of their sons birthday said, “This is the worst night of my life.”

And my other friend Josiah got in a kind of heated exchange about abortion with my buddy’s parents, mostly because he was on the debate team and he just liked to argue and push people’s buttons where he knew he could push them.

And I was prepping for the sermon this week, I just realized that I think I’m like Josiah in that my focus when it comes to the issue of abortion is on being on the right side. Making it an argument that I can win because Jesus cares about being right.

Right theology does matter and abortion is not in line with God’s heart for human life, but maybe it was the Holy Spirit I just felt this week a sense, of “Chris, do you care? Are you sad that someone could be in a place where they would think that the best option for them is to end their child’s life? Does it make you sad that 16,000 abortions happen a year in Washington, and how Roe being repealed won’t change that, and women are told that’s a win, they did the right thing, and they’re not given the chance to grieve the loss of their baby?

Maybe someone in your life is struggling with a pregnancy, or their struggling with another area of life whether it’s drinking, or pornography, or gambling, or family disfunction...

Do they know you care? Do they need the right answer right now or do they just need someone to be sad with them that this is where they are?

In Matthew 2, we’re reminded that Jesus’ path to victory included a lot of sadness. And following Jesus means grieving with those who grieve because that’s what Jesus did, and he was someone who grieved.

Do we care? Are we sad over this?

Long pause

And, we do not grieve like those who have no hope.

Matthew quotes from Jeremiah 31…two verses later it says...

Jeremiah 31:15–17 ESV

15 Thus says the Lord: “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.” 16 Thus says the Lord: “Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your work, declares the Lord, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. 17 There is hope for your future, declares the Lord, and your children shall come back to their own country.

I wonder if Matthew is hinting here of the hope beyond the grave for these little children. And hope beyond the grave for families, mothers with their sons, mothers with their daughters. Fathers with their children. Families restored.

Because of Jesus, there is hope beyond the grave. Because Jesus rose, families will one day be reunited. The tears we shed over abortion and the countless other ways we’ve grieved God’s heart will be wiped away, and children and mothers and fathers will sing to Jesus in the new creation.