Sermon Tone Analysis

Which King Are You Following?

Matthew 2:1-2:8 (NIV) \\ \\

Today’s message is a story of two Kings.

One was a man who hated Christmas even more than Scrooge.

In fact, he tried to kill Christmas.

It’s a strange and bizarre story that doesn’t sound right amid the Christmas carols, bright lights and poinsettias.

After all, ‘Tis the season to be jolly, you know, Joy to the World, Hark, the Herald Angels Sing, I’ll be Home for Christmas, Jingle Bell Rock, Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer.

This is the Christmas season.

Our home is decorated, most of us have Christmas trees, and our hearts are full -- and everyone’s happy, right?

No, there’s one who isn’t happy about Christmas.

In fact, he’s pretty angry about the whole thing.

Only he’s not a make-believe character.

He’s for real.

He hates Christmas and he’s never even heard the word.

He’s the man history calls Herod the Great.

His story is told in Matthew 2:1-8.

Born into a politically well-connected family, Herod was destined for a life of hardball and power brokering.

At 25 years old, he was named the governor of Galilee, a high position for such a young man.

The Romans were hoping that Herod could control the Jews who lived in that area.

In 40 B .C. the Roman Senate named him “King of the Jews.”

It was a title the Jews hated because he was anything but religious.

Herod was the embodiment of the ultimate villain.

He exhibited 4 classic characteristics:

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He Had a Preoccupation with Power.

Herod was addicted to power.

Power has been described as the ultimate human obsession.

If it were an alcoholic beverage, Herod was drunk with it.

The Bible links power, more often than not, to something we call sin.

If power is defined as the ability to control resources in order to secure one’s own destiny, then Herod was the epitome of power.

His life, and his use of power, can be summed up in three words -- he was capable, crafty, and cruel.

He was extremely capable in what he was asked to do.

Soon after becoming King, he wiped out bands of guerrillas who were terrorizing the countryside and used subtle diplomacy to make peace accords with many competing factions.

Herod was also very crafty.

He arranged all his relationships as conduits for power.

It was one thing he could never get enough of.

His craftiness had no barriers.

Because he had a morbid distrust of anyone who might desire to take his throne, he was also known as a cruel man.

He held tightly to power and brutally removed anyone who got in his way.

He killed many people: His brother-in-law, his mother-in-law, two of his sons, and his wife.

Herod the Great was a cruel killer.

He murdered out of spite and he killed to stay in power.

Human life meant nothing to him.

The historian Josephus called him “barbaric.”

The intensity of Herod’s cruelty grew in direct proportion to the amount of power he possessed.

At least we can say that he lived a consistent life.

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He Had a Preoccupation with Possessions.

Herod wanted it all.

He wanted everything a Roman Caesar had.

With the knack of a Donald Trump, Herod built 7 palaces and 7 theaters ­ one of which seated 9,500 people.

He even built stadiums for sporting events ­ the largest could seat 300,000 fans!

He even constructed a new temple for the Jews.

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He Had a Preoccupation with Prestige.

Herod loved to make an impression on others.

He built entire cities with state of the art architecture and amenities and named them after his superiors.

He was also a smooth talker and had a special ability to win over his opponents.

Several of his 10 marriages were prestige and politically motivated.

He once married the daughter of his leading rival in order to gain prestige and power.

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He Had a Preoccupation with Paranoia.

Ever since an enemy poisoned Herod’s father, who was a king himself, Herod was beset with paranoia.

He went to great lengths to make sure a secret ingredient never ended up in his soup.

When he became king, he commissioned tens of thousands of slaves to build over 10 emergency fortresses, all heavily armed and well provisioned.

He also established an elaborate network of spies.

Anyone with a plot to dethrone Herod was sniffed out and eliminated.

Those who opposed him would take a midnight swim in the Jordan River with a cement bathrobe on.

He ruled for more than 40 years, until he clashed with another King, one who was also called, The King of the Jews.

Now, with that as background, let’s fast-forward to the final months of Herod’s life.

Herod the Great, King of the Jews, is slowly dying of a disease.

His body is racked with convulsions, his skin covered with open sores, he’s rapidly losing his mind.

But he is still the King.

And then, one day word comes to him in Jerusalem that some visitors have arrived from the East.

These were strange men, with a strange question.

They asked him in Matthew 2:2: “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.”

They were looking for someone who was born King of the Jews.

Herod was probably thinking, “What’s up with that?” I’m the King of the Jews.

But he wasn’t born a King.

He had to fight and kill to gain that title.

What were these men talking about?

Why didn’t his spies tell him about this threat to his throne?

Matthew 2:3 says that, “When Herod heard this he was disturbed and all Jerusalem with him.”

The word “disturbed” means to shake violently.

And no wonder.

He had finally killed all his enemies and was ready to die triumphantly.

Now these strangers come with their strange question.

Now, there’s one more to kill, ­a boy who claims to be King.

No wonder all of Jerusalem was shaken, no one knew what this wacko would do next.

Now, even though Herod is old, remember he was capable, crafty, and cruel.

He knew that somewhere in the scripture was a prediction of the place where the Messiah was to be born.

So he called together the religious leaders to find out if the Bible had anything to say about a coming King.

Specifically, he wanted to know where He was supposed to be born.

Without having to think much about it, they responded in Matthew 2:5-6: “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.’”

(Micah 5:2)

Herod winces when he hears the word, ruler, because now things are getting serious.

What if the boy they are looking for is the One the Bible predicted would come?

He must take Him out ­ now.

So Herod called the stargazers secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.

He sent them to Bethlehem and said in verses 7-8, “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.”

Off they went.

The star that led them over 800 miles through the desert miraculously reappeared and led them to the exact house Jesus was in.