The Christmas story includes numerous kings, with only one who rules over them all. In this message we look at how these men of power respond to the King sent by God and how we might respond to Him either like the magi who bow and worship or like King Herod who is disturbed and attacks.
King of Our Castles
Today we look at another group of “unlikely characters” who appear in the Christmas story.
But first, let me ask you something. Do you like to have other people tell you what to do? Do you like to have someone order your meal for you in a restaurant or choose a movie you’re going to watch – all without consulting you?
Not many of us would like a life in which we have no say. We want our autonomy, our ability to decide for ourselves. It’s the American way.
Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase, “I’m the king of my castle.” It means that while you might not be the boss of much, at least in your own house you get to call the shots. You answer to nobody, and you don’t have anyone else telling you what to do when you’re in your own home.
Wanting to be independent and in charge starts early in the human life. There’s nothing funnier than hearing my three-year-old niece tell her older sister, “I’m the boss!” Even at that tender age, playing pretend with dolls, she realizes she wants to be the one making all the decisions and telling her sister what to do.
Maybe while disciplining a child you’ve had them shout, “You can’t tell me what to do!” Why yes, I can! The child has misread the situation and doesn’t realize the adult is in charge.
So it starts early, and for many people it never leaves their system. Some people like to be in charge. They like to lead. There is nothing wrong with leadership, but often leadership gets twisted into a warped sense of power and demands for blind obedience.
If you were actually a king of more than your castle, you could expect full obedience from your subjects. That’s the difference between being a king and being a boss. Kings have supreme rule over their people whether the people like it or not. If you are just a boss, people can quit their jobs and go find another boss to work for.
There are many kings in the Christmas story; and just as “too many cooks in the kitchen” is not good, more than one king in a story never goes well. So today we consider the multitude of unlikely kings and the roles they play in the beginning of Jesus’s life on earth.
The Many Kings of Christmas
Caesar Augustus. He’s in charge of the Roman world, and God uses him in an important way to make sure Jesus is born in the right place.
When we first meet Mary and Joseph, they live in Nazareth. However, in Luke 2, we read that Caesar Augustus issues a decree that people must return to their hometowns for a census. In order to do what the king demands, Joseph and a very pregnant Mary (riding on a donkey) travel 90 miles from Nazareth to their hometown, Bethlehem. This is a significant part of the story!
The Magi. Next we meet the Magi – or, as the King James Version of the Bible calls them, the Wise Men. These men are non-Jewish religious astrologers, perhaps from Babylon or Persia. We can infer from the story that they have seen a star in the sky and know it is tied to the birth of a Jewish king.
While the original Greek text calls these men Magi, they have the traditional title of Wise Men. They are often referred to as kings, based on Old Testament prophecy that the Messiah would be visited by kings.
Psalm 72:10 – May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores bring tribute to him. May the kings of Sheba and Seba present him gifts.
King Herod (Herod the Great). We ultimately see several Herods in the Bible, which can be a bit confusing. Here’s some clarification.
Herod the Great is remembered as being great because of his military and building achievements.
Herod the Tetrarch – the youngest son of Herod the Great. He shows up in Matthew 14 and has John the Baptist killed. He also confers with Pontius Pilate during the trial before Jesus is crucified.
Herod Agrippa I – grandson of Herod the Great. He becomes king in Israel after the death of Jesus and appears in Acts 12 when Peter is arrested and supposed to go to trial in front of him. However. at the end of the chapter we read how this king died for receiving the worship of people as if he were a god.
Herod Agrippa II – son of Agrippa I and great-grandson of Herod the Great from the birth story. He is in Acts 23 and 24 and is called Agrippa. Paul testifies in front of him.
Back to Herod the Great
Herod was “kind of” a Jew, but he’s an Idumean from the land of the Edomites. The Edomites are descendants of Esau, the brother of Jacob (whom God renamed Israel). So the Edomites are “kind of” family to the Jews, but not the close kind. In fact, King Saul and King David waged war against the Edomites in the Old Testament.
Herod earned his position from Caesar through his military conquests of several tribes in the area. By snuffing out all the other military powers, he brought peace to the region.
During his rule he built several palaces and military forts. He rebuilt Samaria. He built the port at Caesarea, which is mentioned several time in the book of Acts. Most importantly, he renovated the temple in Jerusalem. His actions impacted numerous locations we read about in the New Testament.
Herod the Great is remembered for being very suspicious of everyone around him. In fact, his eldest son convinced him that two other sons were plotting to kill him and take his crown. Herod had them executed. Later, even his eldest son came under the suspicious eye of Herod and was killed. Herod is not convinced that anybody – the Israelites or even his own family – wants him as their King.
With all of that as background, let’s read what happens.
Herod, Magi, and a New King
Let’s jump back into the story about all these kings in Matthew 2:1-12:
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “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 shepherd my people Israel.’”
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
Now you see the important role Caesar Augustus played. It was his edict that caused Jesus to be born in Bethlehem as prophesied in the Old Testament. Joseph wasn’t studying the Bible and trying to manufacture a life for Jesus that would fill all the Messianic prophesies. God Himself had to make sure everything was fulfilled, even if that meant working through the actions of Roman emperors.
I’m sure you’ve noticed we were introduced to a fourth king in this story – the rightful King of the Jews, Jesus Christ, the Child born on Christmas day.
In the story, the Magi came looking for a king, but they weren’t looking for Herod, King of the Jews by Caesar’s appointment. They were looking for the rightful King of the Jews, the One sent by God to fulfill the prophecies and redeem His people.
This concept of the King of the Jews is a big deal and goes all the way back to the selection of the very first king of Israel. In 1 Samuel 8 we read about how God never wanted Israel to have a king. He wanted to be their king and their leader. The people however, wanted to be like the nations around them, and so God relented and gave them Saul.
The idea of having someone from the line of the Edomites – not even a full Israelite – as the King of the Jews was simply outlandish! God Himself, now having come to this world – fully human – to take over the throne of Israel, seems to be the most appropriate King of the Jews. God is taking back His full kingship from the failed line of human beings.
Think about whether you would rather have Herod or Jesus as your king.
- Herod was focused on building up earthly buildings for his reputation and fame. Jesus was focused on building His Heavenly Kingdom for the glory of God, His Father.
- Herod held an iron-tight grip on his authority and position. Jesus has given us authority and power as His representatives on earth to do His will and to be a light in a dark world.
- When Herod was suspicious of rebellion, he killed people, even his own sons. When God saw rebellion on this earth, He sent His Son to die for those who were rebelling against Him.
Ultimately Jesus came as the perfect King, loving and merciful, yet just and all-powerful – a King who would give His own life for those willing to follow Him.
Opposite Responses to this King of the Jews
In this story we see that both Herod and the Magi believe the Messiah, the King of the Jews, has arrived. But boy-oh-boy! They have two completely different responses.
Magi. When they hear that a new King of the Jews is to be born, they hop on camels and head west with gifts, ready to celebrate. When they find this new King they are overjoyed. When they arrive, they bow down; they give gifts; and they worship.
Yes, the Magi are men of significance and authority, but they also recognize that this young child sits in a realm of authority far above themselves. Compared to him they are merely kings of their tiny castles. Yet they are overjoyed to be in His presence.
Herod. Herod’s response couldn’t be more opposite to that of the Magi. When he hears about the birth of this promised child, he immediately feels threatened. While the Magi are overjoyed, Herod feels disturbed. While the Magi can return home to where they have authority and power, Herod recognizes that there is no room for two kings of the Jews.
So, rather than rejoicing in God’s fulfillment of his promise, he seeks out how he can eliminate this competition, just as he has already done with his own sons. His focus has nothing to do with what God is doing and everything to do with how he can keep his iron-tight grip on his position and power.
Our Response to this King of the Jews
Herod and the Magi show us two polar-opposite responses to this new King, the Christ Child. One chooses worship and the other chooses to attack.
We have the exact same choice in our lives today. We must decide if we are willing to bow down to King Jesus and submit to His rule in our lives or if we want to remain kings of our own little castles.
Our culture likes to build people up as kings. It likes to make every child feel important, sometimes to the point of creating self-centered mini-kings and queens who think the world revolves around them.
We are seeing the result of a world filled with people unwilling to submit to the authority of the good and righteous King, King Jesus. Instead, people are making themselves kings or are following fraud kings like Herod and others who have set themselves up as saviors able to correct all that ails our world.
Here’s the thing. We’ve already seen that you can’t give your loyalty to two different kings. You can’t be the king of your own castle all week and then come worship King Jesus on Sundays. Your devotion must be singly focused. Do you believe Jesus is good and just and worthy of your submission to Him as King, or is there a better king worth following?
Following Jesus includes a recognition that we are not kings. It means we must submit to Him our lives, our choices, how we spend our money and our time, whether we go to church or not. We must focus on all Jesus wants for us.
If you have never made that decision, I encourage you to talk to me after the service today. Making Jesus the King of your life is the best decisioin you can make. Trusting that He is good and has your best interests in mind in all He does will change how you think about the events of your life. Lots of Herods will try to claim your allegiance, but there is only one rightful King to whom we should bow our heads and our hearts – the Baby born in the manger.
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