Eve remarks

Tale of four Herods

Herod the Great

Herod, The Great, was told by the Eastern scholars about the new king, but he sought to have him destroyed. (theme) He could have listened and seen the savior, but instead He desired to have him killed, even if it meant killing all the boys his age and under.

Jesus comes to put the government upon His shoulders.

In the Spring of 4 BC, King Herod (the great) is dead.

An angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph and told him that it was time to go home. (Matthew 2:19)

Archelaus

His Son, Archelaus, was brutal. So when the people protested His reign, he had 3,000 people killed as they gathered for the Passover.

Upon hearing this, Mary and Joseph didn’t go back home; they settled north in Galilee.

Jesus’ life tied to the family of Herod.

John the baptist and Herod Antipas

Thirty years later, Herod The Great’s son, Antipas the tetrarch, a ruler of a quarter of His father’s kingdom, when he encountered John the Baptist.

John called him out publically for taking his brother, Philip’s wife, which he was forbidden to do.

In Herod’s sin, he could have heeded John’s words to behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” but instead he shoots the messenger. (Or rather, beheaded the messenger).

John was a light

“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:6–14, ESV)

But wicked man hates the light and prefers darkness - John 3:21

John 3:21 ESV

21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

Herod Antipas would one day see Jesus face to face himself.

Jesus before Herod.

“When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer.” (Luke 23:8–9, ESV)

But He treated Jesus with contempt

“And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other.” (Luke 23:11–12, ESV)

He mocked and berated Jesus. His soul and conscience was seared and cold.

Like his perverse dealings with His niece, He wanted Jesus to do a trick and entertain Him.

Herod Agrippa I

After Jesus’ death, we are introduced to Herod the Great’s grandson (Herod Antipas’s Nephew), Herod Agrippa I.

Agrippa persecuted the church:

“About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread.” (Acts 12:1–3, ESV)

He had Peter thrown into prison (Acts. 12:5).

Peter is released by an Angel of the Lord

“When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”” (Acts 12:11, ESV)

Herod kills the guards who failed to keep Peter

“And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there.” (Acts 12:19, ESV)

The death of Herod

“On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last. But the word of God increased and multiplied.” (Acts 12:21–24, ESV)

Herod could have seen Jesus, acknowledged HIs power and authority and submitted.

Jesus is the judge and will not be mocked.

There is a through-line of worldly opposition but we must notice that it is Jesus who claims the victory. Notice v.24, the word of God increased. The government is upon Jesus’s shoulders.

Herod Agrippa II

We meet Agrippa’s son, Agrippa II — He mocked Paul, saying “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?” (Acts 26:28–29, ESV)

Let every heart prepare Him room. At the first Christmas, Herod’s heart sure didn’t. And he gave that pride and opposition to Christ to His lineage. But it must be that we welcome the Savior. We see Him for who He is. We do not oppose His rule, his judgements, His death in our place, and the power of His resurrection.

Our kingdoms are as petty and small as Herod’s and we must not refuse the Desire of Nations.

What would it look like for us to embrace, worship and love Jesus as our ruler and savior and king over the next few days and tonight?

There is no squashing the testimony of Christ. There is no stopping of the growth of HIs family. There is no

The Bread of life made flesh — real bread.

When there was great darkness, Jesus came in as the light. He enters the world in desperately bleak circumstances.

When there

Jesus came into the world to save sinners, not to try to save sinners. Jesus is the Light of the world, not an attempt at illumination. Jesus becomes either your Savior or your judgement — John 3:21.

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy;” (Isaiah 9:2–3, ESV)

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” (Isaiah 9:6–7, ESV)

———

The tale of Herod, Herod, Herod, and Herod — If I don’t forget, I may even add a fifth

Christmas came into a world that was already ruled—already ordered by thrones, armies, taxes, and fear. The birth of Jesus was not a gentle and quiet addition to history; it was an announcement that another kingdom had arrived. And you can see that quite clearly in the tragic story of one family: the house of Herod.

Four generations. Four encounters with the nearness of God. Four refusals to bow.

First, There was Herod the Great: A King Afraid of a Child

Herod the Great was not naive. He was ruthless, calculating, and deeply paranoid. He had secured his throne through violence and betrayal, and he knew how fragile power really is. Mark Anthony and Octavian appointed him the ruler of Jerusalem, and gave him the title “King of the Jews”. He murdered two of his sons, his wife, and countless political opponents. Augustus said that it would have been safer to be Herod’s pig than one of his sons.

So when Eastern scholars (the Magi) arrived in Jerusalem asking about a newborn king, Herod listened. He heard the news. He could have gone with them. He could have seen.

But instead, he felt threatened.

Isaiah had promised a child upon whose shoulders the government would rest. And Herod understood what that meant: this child was not an addition to his reign—He was a rival.

So Herod did what tyrants always do when confronted with a truth they cannot control. He tried to destroy it. Bethlehem’s children were slaughtered. Innocence was sacrificed to preserve a throne.

And yet even here, a pattern is set—one that will repeat again and again. A Herod rages. Heaven intervenes. The child lives.

In the spring of 4 BC, Herod the Great dies—fearful, defeated. And once more, an angel speaks, telling Joseph it is safe to return.

But not to Judea.

Second, Herod Archelaus: Brutality Passed Down

Herod’s son Archelaus takes the throne. If anyone wondered whether cruelty could be inherited, Archelaus answers the question quickly.

When crowds protest his rule, he orders three thousand people slaughtered during Passover. Blood stains a feast meant to proclaim redemption.

When Joseph hears of this, he turns away. The Holy Family settles instead in Galilee—quiet, overlooked, politically insignificant.

Even as a child, Jesus’ life is shaped by the violence of kings who refuse to yield. The Savior grows up in the shadow of men who will not submit.

Third, Herod Antipas: The Light Rejected

Thirty years later, another Herod rules—Antipas, a diminished king ruling only a fraction of his father’s realm. They call him a tetrarch, which means that he rules a fourth of his father’s kingdom. Their father feared that a child would overtake him, so he divided his will and gave his sons lesser portions to weaken their rule. Rome approved of this.

All this against a background of Jesus, who was born in a manger and of the increase of his government there is no end.

Into Herod Antipas’s court comes a prophet.

John the Baptist speaks plainly. He names sin. He tells Herod that taking his brother’s wife is forbidden. He does not flatter power. He calls him to repentance.

John is a witness to the Light.

But darkness hates the light.

Herod could have listened. He could have repented. He could have followed John’s words to behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Instead, he silences the voice. After the perversion of parading around his niece and giving into her request for John’s head, the prophet is beheaded so that the ruler can keep his conscience quiet.

And yet—even after this—Herod Antipas will stand face to face with Jesus Himself.

During Jesus’ mock trial, he is sent to him. Herod is delighted. He has long wanted to see Jesus—not to worship Him, but to be entertained.

He questions Him at length. Jesus gives no answer.

No miracle. No performance. Only silence.

So Herod mocks Him. Dresses Him in splendid clothing and parading him around in perversity like he is used to. He sends Him away as a joke. A man who once killed a prophet now laughs at the Son of God.

The conscience that would not heed the light can no longer recognize it.

Herod Agrippa I: The Church Attacked

After the resurrection, the story does not end.

Herod Agrippa I—grandson of Herod the Great—turns his violence toward the church. James is executed. Peter is imprisoned. Once again, power attempts to crush testimony.

Once again, an angel intervenes.

Peter walks free. Herod executes the guards who failed to keep the prisoners. And then Herod himself, clothed in royal splendor, receives the praise of men who call him a god.

Immediately, judgment falls.

He is struck down. Consumed. Humiliated.

And Scripture records the verdict of history with stunning clarity:

But the word of God increased and multiplied.

Herod Agrippa II: Almost

One final Herod appears.

Agrippa II listens as Paul proclaims Christ—His death, His resurrection, His authority to judge the living and the dead. He hears clearly enough to understand.

And yet he mocks.

“Almost,” he says. “Almost you persuade me to be a Christian.”

Almost.

Near enough to hear. Close enough to understand. Too proud to submit.

Christmas and the Question of Kingship

This is a through-line of Christmas:

Each Herod heard. Each Herod saw something. Each stood near the truth.

But none would bow.

Their kingdoms were real, their palaces were magnificent, but now they are gone.

The child they feared, the man they saw, the Church He built, still reigns.

Because Christmas is not an invitation asking for permission.

It is a proclamation.

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.

Jesus did not come to try to save sinners. He came to save them. He is not an experiment in illumination—He is the Light. And the Light does not merely comfort. It exposes. It judges. It saves.

And that brings Christmas very close to home.

The problem with the Herods was not ignorance. It was not lack of access. It was not that they never heard the truth. They heard it clearly. They stood near it.

They simply refused to yield and surrender.

Of course, that danger is not confined to ancient palaces.

Herod’s heart is found wherever Christ is near but not welcomed—where He is admired but not obeyed, celebrated but not submitted to.

So tonight, Christmas asks us a searching question:

Where are we resisting Christ’s rule? Where do we want His comfort but not His authority? Where do we sing about Him but keep Him at arm’s length?

Our own little kingdoms may be smaller than Herod’s—our schedules, our habits, our fears, our sense of control—but we sometimes guard them pretty fiercely.

And yet this is the mercy of Christmas:

The King who demands allegiance is the King who gives Himself for rebels. The Judge who exposes darkness is the Savior who enters it. The Child born in weakness is the Lord who bears our sins.

Jesus took on flesh to rescue this world from murderous rebellion, by being rebelliously murdered.

Jesus took on flesh to stand faithful against sin where you never have been able to.

Jesus took on flesh so that we can see who this God is that gives us our days and our breath and our lives. What does He demand of us? What has He given to us? What is His heart towards us? He so loved the world He gave His son, how will he with Him not give us all things.

Jesus took on flesh to show us light and truth.

Jesus took on flesh for that flesh to be broken for you — the bread from Heaven, the bread of life. Take and eat.

So what might it look like, even tonight, to prepare Him room?

It may look like repentance—naming sin we have excused. It may look like trust—releasing control we cling to. It may look like obedience—doing what Christ commands even when it costs us. It may look like worship—not merely singing, but surrendering.

Christmas is not asking whether Christ will rule.

The government is already upon His shoulders.

The question is whether we will receive Him—not as a decoration, not as a tradition, not as a comforting idea—but as our Savior, our Lord, and our King.

The Light has come into the world.

Do not turn away. Do not delay. Do not hear his words and say you “almost” convinced me.

Let every heart prepare Him room.

Prayer

O Lord Jesus Christ, Son given, Child born, Light of the world who has come into our darkness—

We confess that we are often more like the Herods than we care to admit. We hear Your Word, yet resist Your rule. We draw near, yet hold back. We want Your peace, but not always Your authority.

Forgive us, Lord.

Where pride has guarded our hearts, humble us. Where fear has ruled our decisions, give us faith. Where sin has been excused or hidden, grant us repentance. Where our kingdoms have competed with Yours, overthrow them by Your grace.

Tonight we confess that You are King. The government is upon Your shoulders. Your reign is just, Your rule is good, and Your mercy is great.

You did not come to destroy us, but to save us. You did not come in splendor, but in weakness. You did not demand our lives before giving Your own.

So now we open our hearts to You.

Make room where there has been resistance. Bring light where there has been darkness. Bring life where there has been fear and death.

May we not say “almost.” May we not delay. May we receive You fully— as our Savior, our Lord, and our King.

And may the Light that has come into the world shine in us and through us, until the day when every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Amen.