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1. Herod’s Success
Matthew 2:2 (NLT), Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod.
Herod the Great was a great builder:
• The Temple in Jerusalem
• Masada (fortress/palace)
• Herodium (fortress/palace)
• Caesarea (port, theater, arena)
• Antonia Fortress (Jerusalem)
• Aqueducts (40, 10, 3 miles)
• Jericho (Winter Palace)
Who was King Herod? (73BC – 4BC or 1BC)
• Raised in Jerusalem as the Roman procurator’s son.
• Herod’s father was half-Jewish (Idumean) and his mother, Arab.
• Herod’s father made him governor of Galilee.
• The Senate made Herod King of Judea in 39 BC (age 35).
• King Herod had 10 wives, 15 children and endless family feuds!
• Herod brought peace, prosperity and paranoia.
• He died a painful death in Jericho as crowds were gathered.
• We have no portrait of Herod (no graven image as he was a “practicing” Jew).
2. Herod’s Stress
Matthew 2:1b (NLT), About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” 3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem.
3. Herod’s Search
Matthew 2:4 (NLT), He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?” 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote: 6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’” 7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”
4. Herod’s Slaughter
Matthew 2:9 (NLT), After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem... 16 Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance. 17 Herod’s brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: 18 “A cry was heard in Ramah— weeping and great mourning. Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted, for they are dead.”
CONCLUSION:
• “Herod ... serves as a powerful reminder that we cannot be neutral about Jesus. We can either take up arms against Him—or we can bow down and worship in repentance and faith.” - Daniel Darling, The Characters of Christmas
The Way to True Peace
• “Man is not at peace with his fellow man because he is not at peace with himself. He is not at peace with himself because he is not at peace with God.” - Thomas Merton
• “God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.” - C.S. Lewis
• Romans 5:1 (NLT), “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”
