Let Down | The Herod In Us

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the territory of Judea during the rule of King Herod, magi came from the east to Jerusalem. 2 They asked, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We’ve seen his star in the east, and we’ve come to honor him.”

3 When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, and everyone in Jerusalem was troubled with him. (Matthew 2:1-3 CEB)

King Herod is easy to hate. When we read the Christmas story and see how he responded to the news that the Messiah had been born, we want to distance ourselves from him as much as possible. After all, we would never order the execution of innocent children. We would never let our insecurity and paranoia lead us to commit such atrocities.

But before we pat ourselves on the back for being better than Herod, we need to ask ourselves an uncomfortable question: What would we have done if we were in Herod's position?

Here's what we often miss about Herod: he wasn't just some power-hungry tyrant. He was Jewish. He took his faith seriously enough to spend decades rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem. He knew the prophecies about the Messiah. He'd been waiting for the Messiah just like every other Jewish person of his generation.

So when the wise men came to him and said, "We've seen the star of the newborn king of the Jews," Herod should’ve been ecstatic. But Herod wasn't excited. He was threatened. Because when he heard "king of the Jews," all he could think about was what that meant for him. He already was the king of the Jews. So if there was a new king, that meant Herod's days were numbered.

In that moment, Herod had a choice. He could celebrate that God had finally sent the Messiah to save his people, or he could protect his own position and power. He chose himself. And that choice led to one of the most horrific acts in the entire New Testament.

Now, we need to be clear here: we're not Herod. We're not going to order the execution of children. But we do make the same fundamental mistake he made. We hear the good news of Christmas, and our first thought is often, "What does this mean for me?"

We think about what we want for Christmas. We think about our holiday traditions. We think about our Christmas celebrations. We make Christmas about us instead of about Jesus. And when Christmas doesn't go the way we want it to, when we don't get what we hoped for, when our expectations aren't met, we feel let down.

That's the Herod in all of us. Not the murderous tyrant, but the person who makes everything about ourselves. The person who hears good news and immediately thinks, "But what about me?"

The cure for this isn't to beat ourselves up with guilt. The cure is to remember what Christmas is actually about. Christmas is about God loving the world so much that he sent his son. Not just for you. For everyone. For the people you love and the people you struggle with. For the people like you and the people completely different from you. For all of us.

When we remember that, when we really let that truth sink in, it changes how we approach Christmas. We stop making it about ourselves and start seeing it as an opportunity to share God's love with others.

Closing Prayer:

God, forgive us for the times we've made Christmas about ourselves instead of about you. Help us to see beyond our own wants and needs to the people around us who need to know your love. Give us hearts that celebrate your coming not just for what it means for us, but for what it means for all the world. Amen.