The Human Rights Chief of the United Nations, Volker Turk, reported that a “quarter of humanity is caught in global conflicts.” That’s two billion people. We might wonder what comfort the Christian story offers to folks who will not plan easter egg hunts for their children, or cook a President’s Choice spiral ham, or attend a Easter Sunday worship service, but instead must listen to gunfire and missiles, struggle to find food and water, flee to refugee camps.
The story in Matthew 2:1–18 talks about a King of the Jews called Herod who cared little for the people he governed and mostly obsessed over his own legacy – a leader like many who rule today. At the time of Christ’s birth Herod the Great was in charge and this passage tells us a lot about his lust for dominance and disregard for human life.
There’s more.
Titled King of Judea by Marc Antony himself, Herod was a vassal of Rome and given to building things and tyranny. This King of the Jews had 45 members of the Sanhedrin killed, ordered his favourite wife murdered, then her mother, brother, and two sons, and in 4 BC he had 40 dissenting Jewish students burned alive. The week before he died he had his first born son executed and it is said he had influential men imprisoned, ordering they be killed as soon as he died, so Israel would be sure to grieve.
History describes Herod as a friend to powerful men, a visionary, ambitious, ruthless, obsessive, jealous, cruel. Herod, King of the Jews, wanted to be seen and known by everyone but had no desire to see and know his own people or their suffering. In fact, he caused much of it.
This Herod, King of the Jews, is a lot like the wicked rulers of today, brooding and afraid in his palace, ordering others to do his murderous work. Like most monarchs there was probably no dirt under his fingernails, no dust on his sandals, no literal blood on his hands. We see and know him, don’t we. He’s the King of the Jews who had his family, influential citizens, dissenting students, and children murdered.
But all the while, during Herod’s unstable reign, there was another King of the Jews who would eternally supplant him; a King of peace for the war weary world.
Years before King Herod would walk the earth the prophet Micah promised that out of lowly Bethlehem, a town of no great reputation, would come the greatest King (Mic. 5:2). This King of the Jews did not choose to be born so the powerful might recognize him, but came instead so the least of these might know him.
Here is Jesus, the High King of Heaven, the God before whom all powers and principalities are made silent, who laughs at our military might, who can, with two words, stop the pounding waves and merciless winds, born in a small, fairly insignificant town, to regular parents, a normal kid, just like us.
Jesus, King of the Jews, was the son of an unmarried woman, displaced, a refugee in Egypt. He was “working class”, he knew hunger, sickness, poverty, grief. The King of heaven and earth was homeless, hated, racially profiled. Do you see him? Do you know him?
And what this means, this beholding the one who surrendered everything he was entitled to and suffered the terrible things we do, what this means is we see and know that we can bring our suffering selves to him. We can tell him what we need, what scares us, what we’re guilty of, and he will be with us, completely understanding what it is to be human.
When we are unemployed and feel purposeless, afraid we can’t afford rent, or retirement, help us to wait for you, Jesus.
When we are physically suffering, watching our illnesses take things from us, Jesus, teach us to believe you, even then.
When we’ve endured a long winter alone and quiet that speaks of everything we don’t have, call out to us so we hear you, Jesus.
When we have hoped for that one thing for so long and we have waited and wept, teach us to believe you are enough, Jesus.
When we are giving in to the same sin and we love the things you hate, bring us to faith and repentance. Oh Lord, help us to see and know you are still with us.
When we are embroiled in conflict, each person wanting to be seen and known but missing others – Jesus, help us to lay down our defences and see one another as you do.
When our loved ones are in war torn countries and we are afraid for them, when we have been traumatized and we mistrust powerful people, when we can’t see you, God, for all the evil around us – help us to trust you, Jesus. You have never done wrong and you will judge justly.
This King of the Jews entered our broken and sin filled experiences the same way we did, but without sin, so he can make all things right. Unlike Herod Jesus is not hidden away from his people. He has never asked us to do anything he wasn’t willing to do himself. He took on embryonic form, becoming human so the gap between us and a holy God could be bridged through his life and death and resurrection; so we could walk in his holiness, unconditional presence and love, even when evil is so very great.
Yes, Herod was the King of the Jews who killed children to hold onto his power, but Jesus, He is the Christ, the King of the Jews who surrendered his power, became a child and was killed for his children.
When our suffering and the suffering of this world seems too much we have to ask God to give us the heart to see his King of the Jews, strung up and pinned down on the cross, forsaken and left to die, not only by humanity, but by his Father too. And from there God, give us sight to behold Jesus, resurrected from death, and we in him, so we can live a life of seeing and knowing you!
Father! We ask for eyes to see Christ and hearts to hear the voice of his Spirit who calls us saying: Come, behold and worship the King of the Jews! In terrible suffering, through strangers and stars, in what is written, behold and proclaim the true King of all people, places, and time. Mighty and fearsome, gentle and lowly, he sees our suffering and will heal our wounds.
