Matthew 2:1-12
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, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
“‘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.’”
Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 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. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
Grace, mercy and peace to you, from God, our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus, Christ. Amen. Tonight, we're looking at the story of the wise men, the story of these Magi, sometimes called kings, whatever they are traveling all the way to Israel to worship the newborn king. They saw a star, and they want to figure out where he is. Sometimes we assume they know more than they do, because they go to the wrong place first. They must not have updated their GPS like back when it would turn people into the river, and they would do whatever the phone told them to do. They end up in Jerusalem. They end up seeing Herod, the king, and this story of these Magi and who they visit helps us to see a contrast between two important kings who are in the story there is one King Herod and one King Jesus, and they show us important things about the Kingdom of God. They show us the different approaches to power and how the Christian church is supposed to work. Herod, obviously, is the bad example of the power at work in the world, and Jesus the Good example. And what I'd like to do today is contrast the two, the way Herod, the king, tries to affect the world, how he lives in it, compared to the way Jesus, the King, comes into the world and affects it. So let's start by taking a look at Herod. There are several Herods in the Bible. This one is Herod, the Great, the father of the other Herods that you might run into. Herod the Great was the king of all of the region propped up by the Romans. He had been chosen by multiple emperors and people to remain as King there, showing that he was quite the political guy. He knew what he was doing. And so when the wise men show up, they come to town looking for where the king is. They say, the we saw the star. We know there's a king born. And so where do they go? Well, where would you go if you are going to say, ha, ha. The president's wife is about to have a child. Where should I go? You would say, Washington, DC. Right. So the wise men, they go to Jerusalem and they come up to Herod's palace. They get there, they're long trained. There are many people who are with them, this caravan from the east, and they go to where Herod is. You might not know much about Herod, but he was a guy who liked showy things. He went about doing all sorts of architecture projects that are still famous today. The one that was most recognizable in Jerusalem was he actually built the temple that was there, remodeled it and made it so much more glorious. He knew what it looked like and how to act as if you had power, and that's what Jerusalem was for the king of the region. Jerusalem was the place where you showed off your power. He had a palace, he had soldiers, he had priests at his back. And call when the when the wise men said, Where is the king? Herod summoned all the people who were nearby, scribes and priests, to find out where it would be, because he didn't know. We do the same thing today. The White House is the symbol of the president, the prime minister of the United Kingdom, lives on Downing Street. Buckingham Palace is still really impressive, and we use these things to project the importance and power of. The people who live there, they're not there just to be nice and cool, but to say this person is really, really important. You should do what they tell you, Herod is projecting this kind of power and majesty into the world.
He didn't just project his power through image. He used it a great deal. Herod was famous for killing his rivals, including members of his family. He's the kind of guy you wanted as a dad, right? Nearly every one of his rivals throughout his career was murdered somehow, including his beloved wife and a couple of their children. But even more famous is what he does after this story in the Gospel of Matthew, when the wise men do not come back and Herod figures it out. He sends his soldiers to Bethlehem to kill off every male child under two years old. That is how the world projects power. That is how they influence things when there is a threat to eliminate it, when there is a problem, you point a spear at it. And you might think this guy sounds like a terrible kind of villain. He killed his family. He killed all those poor little children in Bethlehem. He was really normal for the ancient world. This is what you did to stay in power. In those days, you killed, you murdered. And power is still expressed in similar ways, maybe not with spear and sword, but with law. The world still tries to force people to do what they want by power and might. We still have criminals locked up. We still fight wars. The only difference between now and then is we have a little bit more technology so we can do it with a joystick from across the world.
This kind of power is typical, but you have to ask, what is the lasting impact of King Herod? Herod was mighty and powerful, the king of a small nation. He had all of these people. He would do whatever they wanted. He could kill and eliminate. And you know what he did? He died, and then he was gone. And his mighty kingdom, this thing that he built up that he could pass on to his children disappeared as soon as he was gone. Sure, Herod built a number of interesting architectural things. There are cities that still exist because of him. But you know what? We talk about him more now because of Jesus than we do because of what he has done. Herod would actually just be a footnote in obscure histories about the Roman Empire if it weren't that he was ruling in a town just a little bit farther away from where Jesus was born. And so many groups and organizations and governments and empires have faded just like that, haven't they, these places that thought that they could build and establish something that was eternal by the power of a spear, a sword or a gun, they have all faded. Where is the great Persian Empire? It's gone. Where is Rome gone? Where are all the mighty empires of the world? They've crumbled and turned to dust. Even today, states are breaking apart and splitting and getting smaller and smaller. Everything built on this kind of power disappears. Herod is a perfect example of the way of violence and might and power that is obvious and confrontation.
Jesus is different. Herod was in this. A palace in the city of Jerusalem. But where was Jesus in Bethlehem? Listen to what the prophecy says, 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. Bethlehem was not a great town, not a mighty place. It was a small city outside of Jerusalem. The only thing that made it special in the history of Israel that was well, a king was born there. At one time, King David, Jesus was not in a in a palace, but a house, a house that was likely at one time so full they didn't get to stay in the guest room, but had to sleep with the animals next to the manger. They spent up to two years there as a poor and lowly family. Real power doesn't need a palace. It doesn't need all the trappings. Real power came from a child being the Son of God, a savior born into the world who is going to be the true king over all of creation, not just of this little kingdom where Herod was, but over all the earth.
Jesus expressed his power differently too. He didn't need sword or spear, but just his word. He healed the sick, he cast out demons. He calmed the storm by saying, Peace be still. Isn't that power isn't that might. Can you imagine how cool that would be. But the amazing thing about what Jesus does you think about all of his miracles, all of the works that he did, all of the great and mighty deeds, not a single one made his own life easier. He did it because sick people needed healing. He called them the storm because the disciples were terrified. He cast out demons because they were oppressing the people and he didn't conquer anyone. He didn't destroy the cross as he was being dragged to it. He didn't send the angels that he could have called upon to scatter all his accusers. He used his power for other people. And you might think, Well, okay, maybe he used his power to get himself famous, right? If I were to run around casting out demons and healing the sick and walking on water, people would be like, well, that dude's cool. But Jesus even told them not to talk about the people he healed, especially in the Gospel of Mark, he says, don't tell anyone, because his miracles weren't for his fame or his ease or to create a mighty army, but because he has power and love to serve. But the most amazing way that Jesus expressed his power is the most radical. He died on a cross and rose from the dead. How crazy is that to express the power of God by being nailed to an instrument of torture. Jesus, the Messiah, king of the world, died a rebellious slave's death, and it's how he saved all of humanity that was the most scandalous thing about Jesus, when they were spreading the news to the pagan world, the king died like a lowly slave. Gave up his life instead of conquering like Herod gave his up his life for you, instead of destroying you, like Herod might have, and it's still scandalous today, when the church talks about sacrifice, that the power of God would not show itself in amazing miracles and. In wisdom or politics or power or great PR machines, the symbol of the church is still a dead man on a cross and the word of God that tells his story, it's still the spoken word of God that shares the message about the death and resurrection of Jesus, Christ for the forgiveness sins and your own resurrection, we still use only the power of the Word of God.
And it's amazing what Christ has done, isn't it? Herod didn't even last a couple of years past Jesus's birth, His kingdom fell apart. The Roman Empire disappeared. But who is still here? The Kingdom of Christ. They tried to kill us. They tried to get rid of us all the ways that they knew how they put us in the arena. They chopped up our heads, they nailed us to crosses, they they burned us and boiled us with oil. They did all sorts of awful things. And you know what it did? It made us stronger, because the gospel of Jesus Christ doesn't come with spears or swords or guns, but by the death and resurrection of the Savior who guides us through death into eternal life. See the power at work in Christ. This is what lasts. It changes hearts. It moves people. It makes us one with God, and leads us into eternity. All those other things disappear. This child, Jesus, where the wise men come to visit him. He shows us the true power of God, not the way the world. Does it like Herod by force and prestige. Jesus does it in humility, by the power of His Word, through His death and resurrection in His name. Amen. Please stand and.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
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