Thursday 13 December 2018

Christmas 2018: Not everyone is happy that there is a new king in town


The historian Josephus tells us about Herod the Great.  At the time of Jesus’ birth, he was nearing the end of his reign and was almost seventy years old.  He ruled Israel and Judah.  
He was complex.  His grandfather had been forcefully made a Jew.  He worked for the occupying Roman powers.  He was Greek in culture and Arab by race.   In his youth he was good-looking and powerful.  He had personally led his troops in battle in ten different wars.  He showed political cunning when Caesar Augustus came to power.
But old age came with fears.  He was scared of anyone who might compete for his throne.  He had married ten different women and began to see his sons as rivals to the throne.  He had two of his sons strangled.  He later became suspicious of the intentions of one of his wives and had her killed.  After her death he was known to have wondered around the palace calling her name, and having servants beaten for not bringing her to him.
Given what we know of Herod, Matthew’s account sounds authentic.  Upon being told that a king has been born, he orders the slaughter of all the baby boys under two years old.  Bethlehem is a small village and the number of babies killed may have been somewhere between ten and thirty.  
The story of Herod reminds us that Jesus was born into a hostile world.  Jesus would grow up to be misunderstood by his family and opposed by the religious establishment.  Eventually people would spit at him and mock him as he was pinned to a Roman cross.  The night before that execution Jesus warned his disciples not to be surprised if the world hates you the way that they hated me.
But I don’t want to be hated.  I don’t want to offend anyone.  But the problem is that the message we have been commanded to share is offensive.  When we speak about who Jesus really is, some people will respond with hostility.  Yes, we are telling people that Jesus wants to forgive them.  We have the great news that nothing we have done can separate us from his Father’s love, if we turn to his Son.   But we also have to tell people of the consequences of refusing God’s offer of grace and mercy.  We have to warn them that being a ‘good person’ doesn’t cut it with God.  We have to communicate that they are spiritually dead without Jesus as their King.  We have to warn then of Day of Judgement that will be awful for those who refuse King Jesus.  Jesus said that it wasn’t a good thing when everyone speaks well of us.  It might mean that we have not been clear with the message.  Matthew tells us that we live in a world that can be hostile to Jesus and us.
While Herod was an unusually violent man, there was something very normal about him.  The thought of someone else being king threatened him.  He wanted to hold on to the power that he had.  Jesus wasn’t actually interested in taking over the palace in Jerusalem.  He wanted something far more radical.  He wants to rule the hearts of men and women from every place in every time  The story of Herod reminds us that not everyone wants Jesus to be king..  This, too, affects how we speak about Jesus.  
I like to speak of the fact that Jesus died for all of our guilt and we contribute nothing to our salvation but the sin that made it necessary.  I like to talk of eternal life as a free, undeserved, unearned and unmerited gift.  This is all true.  But, like the wise men, we come with news of a king.  The proper response to Jesus involves a life of submission to his words and openness to his influence.  His teachings are to shape our views on the issues of the day.  Although I let him down every day, I cannot call myself a follower of his way and simply ignore what he commands.  I must seek his strength to forgive as I have been forgiven, to love as he has loved me, and to strive for the purity he values so much.  Jesus comes to be your king.
Jesus is unlike Herod, or many of the self-serving, proud leaders we see on our news.  Jesus wants to rule his people for their good.  He wants to bring purpose and joy to empty lives.  He desires our security and inner peace.  He comes to set you free from guilt and accusation.  He enables us to live for a cause bigger than our own selfish interests.  He never leaves us or forsakes us.  He will delight over us for eternity.  He will be our delight forever.  We will gladly enjoy singing his praise. King Jesus says to us, ‘Come unto me all you who are weak and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and lean on me for I am lowly in heart; and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light’ (Matthew 11:28).

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