Captivated by the King of the Nations

Captivated by the King of the Nations:

Friend’s book on Church Architecture

Considering the connection between the church as people and the church as building.

“Every Mailed Letter Needs an Envelop”

The Letter can’t get to the destination without the envelop.

The envelop communicates something:

College admissions letters:

Big Envelop vs. the Small Envelop

This morning we are going to be talking about 2 Kingdoms:

Two Kingdom with two very different types of envelopes so to speak with two very different letters.

Outline:

Herod’s Kingdom

Christ’s Kingdom

Herod’s Rule

Christ’s Rule

Herod’s Kingdom:

Matthew sets the Stage:

v.1: “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem”

Jesus=Bethlehem

King Herod=Jerusalem

Magi=East

Bethlehem=Weakness

Jerusalem=Power

East=Mystery

They all collide in one verse...

Let’s focus in more on King Herod:

Herod’s Kingdom: Obsession with Image

Famous Dad: Governor of Judea: Sets Herod up for Success

Romans made Herod King in 40BC:

Herod made powerful friends, including the future Caesar.

Voted by the Roman Senate to be the King

Made King through the power of persuasion and popularity.

Great because of his building projects in Israel at the time

Fortress: Masada

Aqueducts: when Herod wanted fresh water, he got fresh water

Hippodromes: when Herod wanted chariot races, he got them

Theaters: when Herod wanted entertainment, he got them

Harbor at Caesarea: when he wanted a grand entrance for friends from Rome, he built it!

Every letter needs an envelop?

Outside looks amazing! What it communicated to Rome? Power, prestige, glamour, over the top lavish.

Jesus’ Kingdom: Obsession with Humility

Humble Beginnings:

Jesus Born in Bethlehem: Humble Origins

Jesus wasn’t voted King, he was born king

Power in the question: “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?”

Matthew doesn’t bring up Jesus’ birth city until ch.2, where it’s a story about Jesus Kingship.

6  “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”

What is Bethlehem? Tiny village 5 miles south.

Totally Insignificant other than the fact that this is where DAVID CAME FROM!

John 7:40-42: “Some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?”

Matthew sets things up perfectly?

Magi were like dressed up for Halloween going door to door, but rather than tricker treating, they were asking people where they could find their King!

Where can we find the King?

What happens?

Herod and all of Jerusalem with him are spooked!? “When Herod heard this, he as troubled and all of Jersualem with him...”

Matthew is getting us to see the connection?

What does this Kingdom Look like? Not quite sure what it actually looks like!

Mustard Seed: Boring Beginnings

Unremarkable beginnings: Smallest of all seeds

Grows above above the garden plants: 8-12 feet

Like Leven: Invisible Growth

33 He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”

Three measures of flour: Could feet 100 people.

Grows without a growth strategy or powerful marketing campain.

While King Herod’s Kingdom could be seen, Christ’s Kingdom was like leaven in the dough multiplying under the surface.

Like a Hidden Treasure or a Pearl: Total Surrender

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

The Magi Get that Connection:

v.2: “We saw his star and have come to worship him.”

They were on a one-track journey to worship the King, and they didn’t get sidetracked by all the glitz and glamour along with way!

They are on a mission to praise the King of the Israelites, not the Politician demanding all the attention.

v. 11: Dream Comes True: “And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.”

Envelop:

Unassuming and unimportant: POWER IS IN THE LETTER!!

Now let’s take a look at the letter

Herod’s Rule: Obsession with Power

Bigger Doesn’t Mean Better

Leon Morris: “unscrupulous tyrant”

Threats Eliminated

Killed the Hasmonean Line: Jewish Rulers in Jerusalem

Killed 2 sons: suspicious of them taking over his throne

The Roman Emperor himself once said that he would rather be Herod’s pig then Herod’s son.

He killed his wife, Mariam on a suspicion that she was trying to poison him.

Death:

When he was on his deathbed, King Herod ordered the imprisonment and execution of popular leaders throughout his kingdom. He did that so that people would actually feel sad the day their king died. That plan ended up flopping… I guess when you die, executive orders don’t have the same sticking power. And I think that’s the point...

The legacy of this King wasn’t his Kindness, but his buildings, and every single one of them looks like heaps of rubble. You wouldn’t even be able to recognize it’s glory anymore.

Death: Kidney Disease, gonorrhea and gangrene??

2017: Discovery of Herod’s Gravesite:

Mountain named after himself: Herodium:

Herodium: when he wanted a famous crib, he got one:

Manmade mountain and stand today as one most glorious structures built by King Herod. As I said, the Herodium is found straight south of Jerusalem, but only one and half miles away from Bethlehem.

1,300 feet high, palace and fortress of 4 towers on top, massive swimming pools, bathhouses, extensive gardens.

In 2007, archeologists found this area right here (pic). This recent discovery is the tomb of King Herod.

Jesus’ Rule and Death

King Herod dies shortly after this event, and so think of this:

While his body is being carried south out from Jerusalem to a place a mile and a half away from Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph become the new royal entourage to escort the New King into the land!

Raised in Nazareth: What good comes out of Nazareth?

Baptism: Coronation in front of peasants

Rather the shmoozing in Rome to take up the mantel, ‘King of the Jews’, he walks the dusty roads of Galilea.

Humble King: Ran away from popularity in order to grow the right Kingdom

King who Cares: Took the time to heal people

King who Teaches: Love neighbor as yourself

Teaches in the Wilderness

What does that all mean for us today?

Think about Your Envelopes:

Our Houses

Our Bodies

Where we worship

What are you trying to build? What legacy will you be leaving behind?

Think about the Letter inside:

Are you transformed by this King!?

“I will write the LAW on their hearts.”

Jeremiah 31:33: “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.”

The Law fulfilled, “Love God, Love Neighbor”