The Fear of Herod, Pt. 1: Isaiah 60: 1-6; Matthew 2: 1-12
In every recorded story, there is a villain. There is no Sleeping Beauty without Maleficent. There is no Snow White without the evil witch. There is no Gone with the Wind without everybody in the movie being a bit villainous at some point. In Adam and Eve, we have a deceitful snake. In Samson, we have Delilah. Whether a story is a true account of history or a fictional fantasy, there will be a villain. in the story of the Magi, that person is Herod the Great, or King Herod I, who ruled in Judea from around 37BC to 4BC.
It occurred to me that in 14 years of preaching on the Magi, that we’ve never discussed Herod before. So, it is time to give the cruel king his due. Herod was of Arabic heritage from a group who had converted to Judaism. He was appointed as king by the Roman senate at a time when power of Judea went back and forth between competing families. Herod was able to solidify his power and control over the region and began his reign. He ruled Jerusalem for almost 30 years, and his time as ruler was marked by great building projects, high taxes, constant resentment, and tyrannical cruelty.
For Herod, despite being a practicing Jew, the sole thing he worshipped was power, and absolute power over his small kingdom given by Rome. His desire for power led him to murder anyone who could be a challenge to his authority. This included a high priest from a rival family, anyone associated with other royal families, and his own sons. Herod was the embodiment of the old saying, “Power corrupts and absolutely power corrupts absolutely.”
In the gospel of Matthew, we see an aged Herod still clinging to power. This would have occurred in the last years of his reign, shortly before his death. The Magi come to the palace, because that is where one expects to find a king. Their revelation of a new king and Messiah deeply upsets the power-hungry Herod. It also concerned the power structure in Jerusalem. Though the people did not like Herod and deeply resented his kingship, they knew how to manage him. And he generally left the local Temple leaders in charge of the religious and social affairs. They were able to cling to power so long as Herod was clinging to power. Any change to this challenged their power as well.
The leading priests tell Herod of this prophesy that a Messiah would be born in Bethlehem of Judah. Now as someone who claimed to believe in Judaism and who called himself religious, Herod had a choice. He could embrace the Messiah, who was the foretold deliverer of the people, or continue to worship power. He chose power. He tries to convince the Magi that he wants to come and worship the newborn baby also, but it’s simply a ploy.
Herod wants to destroy this Messiah child, just like he destroyed threats to his power, just like he killed his own children. Herod was a man consumed by his own desire for control and being king. And anything that stood in the way, whether military, political, or the holy would be eliminated. He could manipulate the present religious leaders however he wanted, but something new and powerful was a threat to him and his hold on power.
I am also certain the gifts the Magi brought, or at least two of them, concerned Herod as well. Frankincense, to honor the holiness of Jesus, would not have been too concerning. There were many pop-up religions and sects of the faith in those days. But the gold was a real concern. That was meant to honor a king. Some wild, new prophet was of little concern. But a child being honored as king was a political threat. And King Herod tolerated no threats to what he had built in Judea.
Jesus was born to save us from the Herods of life. It is in Jesus we find the our shining light casting out the darkness. The Isaiah prophecy tells of Jerusalem arising in splendor and letting their light shine for all the world to see. The scripture foretells of a Messiah who would bring the light of God’s presence into our lives. Isaiah tells of people coming from Sheba, which is the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula. These people would bring gold and frankincense. It was a preview, if you will, of the coming Magi who would bring their gifts to the infant Jesus. But before one gets to the light, you have to journey through the darkness.
Herod was that journey through the darkness. His desire for power and his bottomless wickedness to achieve it made him a true villain. He tried his best to con the Magi into disclosing where Jesus was in order to eliminate one more threat to his absolute power in Judea. Though he would not reign much longer, Herod made sure there was no challenge to his rule in Judea. His cruel power empowered the religious authorities as well, and is the same kind of lust for power that led him to crush enemies and the religious authorities to demand the death of Jesus. God’s will and human lust for power cannot co-exist in the same place.
Where we struggle in our modern day is when we find a little Herod in us where the light of Christ is supposed to be. It is easy for us to fall into this pattern. A year or two ago, I recognized it in myself. I was in a meeting for work, and someone with less experience than me said, “Oh I can handle that.” And before I could stop my inner irritation coming out, I replied, “I will handle that. That is my job, not yours.” Truth was I could have used the help, but also, I didn’t want to run the risk of being sidelined.
We have to be careful where our own human faults well up and overtake the light of Christ within. For Herod, it was a desire for power and his kingship over the people. For the religious authorities, it was a desire to control the comings and goings, and the greed and power associated with being the religious ruling class. Our own day sees no shortage of people who value themselves and power over God’s calling or following in the way that Jesus taught us.
Had Herod truly understood the prophecies and work of Jesus, he would have known that Jesus was not a threat to his reign and rule. Jesus came to offer Herod grace and redemption just as much as anyone else. But Herod clung to the darkness and rejected any hope of what could save him from his wicked ways. I heard a pastor friend once say, “Whatever we love the most, that is what we worship.” As followers of Jesus, we should love God the most, not ourselves, not our power, not our position. We must love God.
In Jesus we see the light of love, of grace to those who have lost their way, or even those who willfully choose a wrong way. The love of power led Herod down a bad a murderous road throughout his entire life and his reign in Judea. His misplaced loyalties created in him a villain who never in his life found redemption. Herod’s fear of losing what he had fought for and conquered led him to act cruelly here and throughout his entire life.
But Jesus offers a kingdom with no villains because his kingdom is not built from a mighty, conquering army, killing enemies, or consolidating power. His kingdom is built on redemption, grace, and finding peace. The Magi sought this kingdom, this king, the one who was born to set people free from their darkness and to give life and the light of salvation. In God’s kingdom, there are no villains, there is only redeeming grace.
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