Which King Are You Like

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:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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. When they found Jesus they bowed down and worshipped him, offering him expensive gifts.

By the way, this event happened much later that what our Christmas cards and Nativity Scenes depict. The wise men did not arrive the night Jesus was born ­ their trip would have taken many months. Verse 9 says that the star “stopped over the place where the child was.” This word child here is used for a toddler, not a newborn. Also, verse 10 mentions that they came to the “house” where the child Jesus was ­ there’s no mention of the stable or manger here ­ Jesus and his parents were in someone’s home when the wise guys showed up. I guess we can just use white-out on our Christmas cards and write a letter to Hallmark!

The mysterious men from the east knew something Herod would never know; that the little boy in a tiny house would someday rule the world. They were not ashamed to give him gifts fit for a King. Just before the wise men step off center stage and drift into the twilight of history, we are told one last fact about them in verse 12: “Having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.”

Realizing that he has been tricked, Herod wigs out. Remember that he is a bloodthirsty killer. All the worst instincts of a lifetime of cruelty now come to the surface. Keep this in mind because it’s the only way you can understand what is about to happen. When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the wise men, he was furious and did something worthy of Hitler or Saddaam Hussein. He ordered the murder of all males less than two years of age. Herod the Great had become the Butcher of Bethlehem.

Rarely in history was a battle between Kings so stacked to one side. Herod the cruel dictator filled with power, possessions, prestige, and paranoia, armed with resources and armies against little Jesus, held safely in the arms of his loving mother.

To say that the two Kings, Herod and Jesus, merely “crossed paths” is way too mild. According to the law of physics, the force of impact depends upon speed and direction. Jesus and Herod were both moving fast, but from totally opposite directions. King Herod represented the popular perspective on power: Get it, keep it, use it. King Jesus had a more simple, yet radical philosophy: Use power to serve others.

No wonder the two kings clashed. They both possessed immense power, but how they chose to use it revealed the hearts of two radically different men. One was a tyrant, the other a servant. One was consumed with self-interest, the other focused on pleasing God and serving others. One manipulated, slandered, deceived, and coerced; the other healed, touched, taught, and loved.

Do you know the problem with this story? There is some Herod in each of Us! Herod the Great was perhaps the ultimate oxymoron in history. He was rich in what most people consider valuable, but he was totally bankrupt as a human being. He was addicted to power, obsessed with possessions, focused on prestige, and filled with paranoia.

A. Herod. In order to fully understand the opposite paths of Herod and Jesus, let’s take a look at the end of the story. Herod, with all his wealth and power, came to ruin. In the final year of his life, history tells us, his body was infected with disease; his pain was so bad that he often screamed throughout the night.

B. Jesus. After a life of what the world would call poverty and lowly position, Jesus descended further; to a rough wooden cross. His cries, like Herod’s, also pierced the darkness, but His came in the middle of the day. By completely yielding His power, He also died. But there was a critical difference: Herod could not save himself from death; Jesus could have, but He chose not to. Instead Jesus chose to die in order to save us, because we, like Herod cannot save ourselves.

In life, Jesus willingly suffered, from the abuse by religious leaders, the ignorance, hard-heartedness, and rejection of many people, the constant threats to His life, the betrayals of friends, the beatings, and His death on our behalf, all for a single purpose: to demonstrate God’s outrageous love. While Herod wielded the power of hate and self-protection, forming armies, building fortresses and killing at will, Jesus wielded the power of liberating love.

Let’s be honest about something. If you and I take a hard look inside, we will sometimes see little Herods staring back at us. Given the right situation, every one of us is capable of a little of Herod’s madness; especially if it helps us get what we want. I know there’s still some Herod inside of me. He comes out when I would rather rule, than serve; when I focus on what I own or what I want to buy rather than on what I can give; when I’d rather be honored, than look for ways to honor others; and when I see others as a threat instead of as people who are really loved by God.

Which King is ruling your life right now? Are you infected with self-promotion and craftiness this Christmas? Do you think more about yourself than others? Do you crave power and the rush that comes from controlling your resources and the people around you? Are you more afraid of what others may do to you instead of how you can serve them? If so, then Herod may be sitting behind the control board of your life.

Which King Are You Following, Herod or Jesus?  Herod the King and Jesus the King still clash today. In fact, they compete with each other for control of our lives.

Herod said that he wanted to go and worship Jesus. It strikes me that Herod was in no way interested in bowing down to another King, even though he said he was. Friend, are you a little like Herod in this regard? Do you say that you’re interested in godliness, but you’re really not deep down inside? Are you just going through the motions?

There are two things you can do to help root out the influence of Herod in your life:

1. Give your Life to Jesus.

Romans 12:1 says, “I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God ­ which is your spiritual worship.” When you give your entire life over to Jesus Christ, this ultimate demonstration of worship is very pleasing to God ­ and we drive a stake into the heart of Herod’s influence in our life.

2. Give yourself away to others this Christmas.

Many years after Jesus was born, He taught His followers an important lesson on how they could honor Him. Jesus said in Matthew 25:40, “…Whatever you did for one of the least of these…you did it unto me.” In essence, Jesus is saying that if we want to worship and honor Him, then we better do some things for the forgotten people of our world. It may be those in prison, the hungry, widows, orphans, or those in Retirement Centers. When we serve people like this, we are actually serving the Christ of Christmas.

I want to close with this story: Picture of Juli and Simone