“A Tale of Two Kings” - Matthew 2:13-23

It all started with the arrival of the men from somewhere out east. Their questions were unexpected and startling. I was quite amused at first, wondering why on earth they were searching for my son and why they kept babbling on about some star they had seen. But after it was affirmed that it couldn’t be my son they were looking for, things quickly became serious. We discovered that these men were quite sane and very well informed.

I immediately summoned all the priests and scribes I could get my hands on at such short notice. This “king of the Jews” they were searching for was who the Jewish people called the “Christ.” This title troubled me deeply. Even though I myself wasn’t a Jew (though I sometimes claimed to be for the sake of my people) I was well aware of the implications of this title, “Christ.” It was prophesied that from the line of King David a future king would come who would restore David’s house and kingdom forever. My priests and scribes identified the place of birth for this new king as the small town of Bethlehem, just 6 miles down the road from us in Jerusalem.

This undoubtedly meant that this king was coming for me. Me, Herod the Great, the Roman king over all Judea! This meant he was coming for my family. This meant he was coming to disturb the peace. This meant he was coming as a threat to my people.

I was soon not alone in my worries. As word rapidly spread, the whole city of Jerusalem became distressed right along with me. I decided to act quickly. I summoned the men from the east to meet with me in private. We discussed the exact time that the star they had seen had appeared—I needed to know how old this king would be. After they gave me all the details I could squeeze out of them, I urged them to head into Bethlehem and find this child. I told them that I too wanted to see him and worship him.

So they left and I waited. Days passed and despite my anxiety I remained patient. But as more time dragged on, I soon became uneasy. I sent some of my men to go into Bethlehem and search for the men from the east. When my men returned they informed me that the men from the east had been in Bethlehem but they were now long gone back to their homeland. I was furious. I had been duped. I had been lied to and deceived!

All I knew was that there was a rebel king in my lands and his exact identity and location were unknown to me. Now for the sake of my people, my duty to Rome, and especially for my family, I had to act quickly. This king had invaded my lands and was threatening to undo all the peace I had diligently fought for during my reign. Sure, I had my slip-ups and poor decisions over the years, but I had expanded the temple in Jerusalem and I had improved the water supplies. I was a good king for my people; their situation had improved since I came around.

I called for my troops. Something had to be done. Every male child in Bethlehem and the surrounding area, two years old and under—had to be killed. It was the only option. I couldn’t identify this king on my own and it was my primary duty to protect my people from the tyranny of opposing rulers or kings. It had to be done. It was now or never. So I did it—I gave the order I had to give. The invading king must die.

And this is exactly what Herod the Great tried to do—he tried to kill Jesus. He acted dutifully. He had a foreign king in his lands, and something had to be done. What else was he supposed to do? Just roll over and let this new king take over his kingdom? How could he possibly do that when his family, people, and own life were at stake?

What about you? Do you sympathize with Herod? Do you better understand his situation? Or do you think he was a no-good, rotten king? Would you have done differently than he? Would you have stood by idly while another king invaded your kingdom? I say no. I say that each one of us would have done exactly the same as Herod—try to kill Jesus. How can I say that? Because we already have and already do.

Our attempts to kill and eliminate Jesus from our life are abundant. Look at your life. Examine your everyday experiences and decisions. Do you not see the conflict that exists within you, the battle that wages everyday? How you know God’s will for you and yet you continue to ignore it with your choices. Think of the temptations. What is that guilty pleasure which drives your conscience crazy and yet you can’t say “no” to it? Do you struggle with sexual temptation—that one co-worker you “harmlessly” flirt with or the internet sites you shamefully browse or even with your own girlfriend or fiancé? What about talking behind another’s back—do you struggle with analyzing the faults of those you work with or tearing down those you don’t get along with? What about your body—do you struggle with saying “no” to snacks you know you don’t need or lazily neglecting daily exercise because you don’t “feel like it”? What about pride—do you struggle with wanting to be better than those around you at whatever you do? What about controlling your life—do you struggle with always needing things to go your way or at least feeling like you have a say in arranging your situation and circumstances? And what about selfishness—do you struggle with always wanting to put your own interests ahead of the interests of your neighbors, friends, and even enemies?

And what do we see in these everyday struggles of ours? We see the signs and symptoms of our rebellion against the kingship of Jesus Christ. Herod versus Jesus is not a far away conflict; it is the same conflict that wages within you everyday of your life as a Christian. It is the battle of two kings: your desire to put your own interests at the center of the world—the “Herod” within you—versus the claim of Jesus Christ to put God and your neighbor before yourself. This is a battle of life and death. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the Lutheran pastor who was executed in a Nazi prison, recognized the depth of this conflict: “There are only two ways possible of encountering Jesus: man must die or he must put Jesus to death.” Think about that again: “man must die or he must put Jesus to death.”

Here in the story of Herod we see this encounter with Jesus illustrated. Even in the first few months and years of Jesus’ life we find him already stirring up all sorts of trouble. Even before he could talk, the word of his claim to the throne was throwing men into fits—and this wouldn’t change. For the rest of his life, he caused conflict and division everywhere he went. And even now he still divides men and injects himself into their lives through his Word, baptism, the Lord’s Supper and his Church. Here in these things we too daily encounter Jesus Christ in a life and death struggle.

And as we have seen, this encounter is not friendly: “man must die or he must put Jesus to death.” The sinful desires that lie within you, the desire for control over your life, situation, and circumstances, collide head-on with Jesus’ claim to the throne of your life. There can only be one ruler and master over your life. Something must give. You must die or Jesus must die. There is no alternative. There is no safe middle-ground.

This is observed clearly in Jesus’ own life. In the final hours of his life, when he needed them the most, every last person abandoned Jesus. The church leaders were seeking to get rid of him, the crowds of his own people had turned on him, his disciples had fled, and even Peter, the one who said he would stand with him through it all, disowned him. There is no neutral ground left. Jesus is sent to the cross to die, completely alone and rejected by all, even by those who had confessed him most faithfully—that is, even by you and me.

Therefore we end up doing just as Herod did: we seek to kill the invading king—we seek to kill Jesus. Every time we give in to our desires for life—think of the sexual temptations, the gossip, the pride, the selfishness—rather than Jesus’ desires, we again attempt to hunt Jesus down—man must die or he must put Jesus to death.” With Paul we call out in desperate need: “What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”

The answer comes to us everyday anew in that unexpected and unpredictable way. In the face of our confrontation with Jesus, Jesus does the impossible. Instead of standing up to oppose us, he humbles himself and meekly goes to the cross on our behalf. He willingly goes to die. Instead of fighting against us, he lays down his life for us. In this he fulfills the truth of his own words: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24).

Jesus has gone to die but the death of Jesus does not mean he is out of our life and that we are “off the hook”, so to speak. He not only dies, but he rises from the dead—he returns, he comes back—and is exalted to full rule over our lives. Jesus did what we were incapable of doing on our own and in that act actually took us along with him. Because he knew that our desire for control and kingship over our life must die, he took us up into his own body and died in our place. His death becomes our death; his resurrection, our resurrection; his victory, our victory.

So remember the story of Herod and Jesus. Here in these two kings we see our own daily battles reflected. Jesus is fighting today for total control and kingship in your life. Your rebellious tendency to want to be free from Jesus’ rule is your “Herod.” The Herod in your life wants to put Jesus to death because it can’t stand the idea of being replaced. But even though these desires may win a few battles here and there—just like Herod—Jesus ultimately wins the war and takes over the throne.

Jesus’ reign as king is a gracious rule and in it you have the only true life: a life that is united with Jesus Christ and is blessed to serve God by loving your neighbors and enemies alike, in all that you do. So daily put to death your own will and desires—sexual immorality, anger, gossip, selfishness, and whatever else you may struggle with—in order that you might submit to God’s will and desires for your life in Jesus Christ—through kindness, humility, patience, and bearing with one another in love. All that you do in life—work, school, family, friends, playtime—is now blessed and holy through Jesus Christ. Therefore, everything you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of your King—Jesus, who has taken you up into his body, gone through death, and been raised to new life for you—giving thanks to God the Father through him. “You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). May God grant this to us daily in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—Amen.