Wilmot First Presbyterian Church

Scripture: Matthew 2:16-18

Herod

Herod was mean, murderously mean. People who are mean are usually hurt (scarred) or afraid (scared). Power in any world or time is not an easy thing to hang on to because there are always those willing to take it away. History is full of examples of those in power doing terrible things to maintain their dominion. Even so, Herod stands out among them. He murdered his wife. He had three of his own sons killed. He “offed” his brother-in-law, his mother-in-law, his uncle. They say “desperate times call for desperate measures” but Herod seems to have understood no time as inappropriate for desperate measures.

Herod insisted his name carry the suffix “the Great”. With his penchant for doing away with those he saw as obstacles (or maybe even irritations) I do not imagine any scribes or others questioned his order. It is a joke in a way unless one understands greatness solely in terms of coercive power. It was Herod who destroyed Jerusalem in 37 B.C. He then undertook to rebuild what he destroyed but did so on the backs of those very people by taxing the Jews. If you ever wonder why tax collectors are so despised in the Bible, look no further than Herod. He was a vicious, deceitful politician whose only appetite was for self, and he freely used and abused others for that purpose. He was despised by the people he ruled apparently so bitter about it that he ordered the army to kill 5000 people on the day he died so there would be mourning in the land. Thankfully this order was never carried out, but it tells you something about his character.

Herod is the opposite of the Magi. He too seeks Jesus when he hears of the birth, but his intent is certainly not to worship. A foretold king, even an infant, whose time would come long after he was gone was still a threat to his power and control. I presume God could have led the Magi to the Christ without a stop at Herod’s palace. I also presume, then, that God wanted Herod to know of Jesus’ birth. Indirectly this caused a great deal of pain for the people and it is fair to ask why God would let Herod in on the news.

We don’t get an answer, of course, but it seems a fair question. We can assume, based on what is known in Scripture, that God did not let Herod know in order to tweak his nose. God let Herod know for the same reason as the shepherds and the Magi. The news of Jesus’ birth is not only for the good and kindly, or just the honest seekers, but also for those with hard and cold hearts. This is not a story about us, this is a story about God, who is so gracious that God even shares news of the Son’s incarnation with the vain and downright evil narcissists who may be so empty they can’t even recognize their own emptiness.

Tragically for the people of Bethlehem, Herod plays the card he knows well and incites the “weeping in Ramah” (Mt 2:18, Jer 31:15). Herod is a tragic figure as are all such men. All who miss the joy of trust and connection due to scars or scares are to be pitied, even and maybe especially those who hurt so many others. It isn’t only kings, however. Herod has company in many of us who because of our own scars and scares guard and seal our hearts away from all, sometimes even God. This is also tragic, for without God all we really protect is an empty heart and all we defend is our loneliness.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are more gracious, more good, more gentle than we can understand or express. We have wounds and we have fears and we have learned to protect ourselves. Soften our hearts and heal us from the pain of our scars. Place in us Your heart, the heart of Christ. AMEN.

Activity: Who are your enemies? Why? Everyday, for the remainder of Advent, pray for the good of an “enemy” or someone you dislike.