Dec 29, 2019
by: Jack Lash Series: Matthew's Nativity | Category: Advent | Scripture: Matthew 2:1–23
- Introduction
A. Two of the four gospels contain this story of Christ’s birth. This year we’re looking at Matthew.
B. Last week we talked about the star, the magi and the gifts. But in the midst of this story full of sweet celebration, touching moments and glorious announcements, there looms a dark figure who represents the opposite of all the rest. This week we are talking about King Herod.
C. Just as the magi part of this story foreshadows the Gentiles coming to the Jewish messiah even from the far corners of the earth, so the King Herod part of this story foreshadows the rejection of Jesus, especially on the part of those in power, and His death at their hands.
D. Matthew 2:1–23 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 6 “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ” 7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. 13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” 16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: 18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.” 19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” 21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.
II. Who was this King Herod?
A. This Herod was Herod the Great, the father of the Herod who beheaded John the bapt & tried Jesus.
1. Having reigned for 43 years, he is about 70 years of age at this time, and literally within weeks of his death. But still, he was keenly afraid of losing his throne.
2. A violent man, increasingly so near the end of his life, he was known for his murderous outbursts.
a. He wiped out the entire family of his predecessor because of his suspicions that they would try to take back power, even murdering his wife, who also belonged to his predecessor’s family (1of10).
b. Had two of his sons strangled because he feared they were plotting to take his throne, then had another son killed for trying to poison him (because the son was impatient to inherit the throne).
c. When he knew he was close to death, probably shortly after this magi incident, knowing he was very unpopular with the Jewish people, he ordered all the prominent Jews to his palace. When they arrived he had them locked up and then slain at the hour of his death to insure that there would be mourning among the Jews on the day of his death and not celebrating and festivity.
3. The slaughter of the innocents in Matt.2 is consistent with the other things he did.
a. This is the man who ruled over Judea at the time of Christ’s birth.
b. This is the man the magi asked help from in their pursuit of the newborn king.
III. Why is this dark part of the story here? Why did God inspire Matthew to include this part in his story?
A. For some, this part of the story ruins the whole. The rest of the story is so sweet and so positive, but this part is so disturbing that it takes away what the rest of the story gives.
B. So why did God allow this to happen in the first place? Why didn’t He tell the magi in a dream not to go to Herod’s in the first place? It would have saved these little children from being slaughtered and it would have saved people from the trauma of reading this part of the story.
IV. Let’s think together about why this might be here.
A. God obviously wants us to understand the good news of Christ’s coming, but can we really do so unless we also come to grips with the bad news too? If we’re going to grasp the wonderful supply of God’s grace in Christ, mustn’t we first understand the ugly reality of human sin and divine justice?
B. You see, a lot of people celebrated the arrival of the promised messiah. It’s hard to imagine anyone being more warmly received as Jesus when He was born.
C. But sadly not every heart prepared Him room. Some reacted to His coming with hatred as strong as the love of those who received Him. And Herod is a supreme example of this.
D. But he was just the 1st. All through our Lord’s life, He was received and He was opposed.
1. In John 7:30 we’re told they sought to seize Him. (Cf. John 8:20)
2. John 7:40–44 When they heard His words, ...a division among the people over him. Some said He was the Prophet or the Christ. Some wanted to arrest him.
3. John 11:57 Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should let them know, so that they might arrest him.
4. Luke 19:47–48 He was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him, but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.
5. Luke 20:19 The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people.
E. It’s one thing to disagree with a person. It’s one thing to think someone is harmful. It’s one thing to dislike someone. But it doesn’t often get to the point where people try to kill another person.
1. Luke 4:28-30 One time a crowd was so filled with rage that they dragged Jesus to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff.
2. Mark 11:18 The chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching.
3. In John 8:56-59 they were so upset they picked up stones to throw at Him.
4. In John 10:30-39 they again took up stones to stone Him, saying, “This is for blasphemy; because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.”
5. John 8:37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you.
F. Many people hated Him and wanted to kill Him.
1. In Herod this hatred was so strong that He was willing to kill a bunch of other innocent children in order to try to kill the baby Jesus.
2. From the time of His birth, before He had done or said anything, before He made any public statements or performed any controversial acts, they already hated Him and wanted to kill Him.
3. This is not just disagreement. This is personal. This is hatred.
4. When Simeon held the 40 day old Jesus in his arms, he said, “This child is appointed ...for a sign that is opposed.” – Luke 2:34
G. This is important for us to see. Because we’re going to be treated the same way.
1. We will be loved by those who love Him. We will be hated by those who hate Him.
2. This is what Jesus taught us in John 15:20 “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.”
3. “I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, that many walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.” (Philippians 3:18–19)
4. And because they are enemies of the cross, they are enemies of the people of the cross.
H. This is the world we live in. And it’s getting more and more so.
1. And that means we live in a day of great pressure, great pressure to conform, great pressure to avoid truths which the enemies of Christ don’t like.
2. On the one hand, there is great temptation to live for the approval of a world which is opposed to Christ, and on the other hand there is great temptation to isolate ourselves from the hostile world.
3. None of these are the way of Christ. They are all responses of fear, and not responses of love.
4. It’s getting easier and easier to live an intimidated life. But God has not given us a Spirit of fear, but a Spirit of power, and love, and self-control. (2Tim.1:7)
I. Herods are scary. But if God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)
1. They may take our things. They may take our livelihood. They may even take our family. They may take our lives.
2. They’ve done it before. It’s being done in places around the world as we speak. It will certainly happen more in the future.
3. “Let goods and kindred go. This mortal lives also. The body they may kill. God’s truth abideth still. His kingdom is forever.” (M. Luther)
J. God is able to protect, as He did with Jesus.
K. And if we isolate ourselves from the Herods of this world, we miss our opportunity to reach out to the magi being drawn to Christ.
1. Joseph and Mary fled from Herod, but welcomed the strangers from the east into their home.
2. For not all unbelievers are Herods. For every Herod there are some far off being led to Christ.
L. It can be scary, though. God can protect, but sometimes He withholds His protection, as He did with the little children of Bethlehem.
1. In Acts 12 God protected Peter from execution, earlier in the same chapter God allowed James to be executed.
M. Why does He protect one and not protect the other?
1. He is perfectly wise and perfectly good, but He doesn’t always explain to us what He does.
2. Why does He protect the baby Jesus and not the little peers of Jesus in Bethlehem? Is He just protecting His own Son while not protecting other people’s sons and daughters?
3. That would be an incredibly unfair accusation. God gave His Son to be killed.
4. God didn’t spare Jesus and allow the others to die because He loved Jesus and not the others.
5. Remember that in protecting His Son, God was only delaying His death, not forbidding it.
6. Jesus wasn’t ready to die yet because He wasn’t ready to redeem.
a. He hadn’t lived a life of perfect obedience yet.
b. He hadn’t willingly surrendered Himself to death yet.
c. He hadn’t taught the world the meaning of His life and His death yet.
d. He hadn’t trained a few men to be the foundation of His church yet.
7. Jesus being spared while the others were allowed to die was not for Jesus’ sake, it was for others’ sake, others including those little ones killed.
8. Those poor little victims of Herod: their only hope of eternal life was in Jesus being protected.
9. It was partially out of compassion for them that God spared Jesus.
V. Peace on earth?
A. Many people completely misunderstand Christmas. They think Jesus came to bring peace among men on earth. But that is a misinterpretation of Christ’s coming and a misinterpretation of that verse (Luke 2:14).
B. The fact is that, as Simeon said, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel.” – Luke 2:34
C. Jesus Himself said,“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.” – Matthew 10:34–36
1. He does not mean that He comes with a sword to fight. He is referring to how a sword is designed to cut in two.
2. And Jesus Himself divides people into two groups: those who love who love Him and those who hate Him, those who receive Him and those who reject Him.
D. Ultimately there are only two groups. You have to be in one or the other.
1. Jesus Himself said, “If you’re not with Me, you’re against Me.” (Matt.12:30)
2. You can’t be in both groups, you can’t have one foot on each side of the line. James 4:4 says, “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
E. But not being a friend of the world does not mean not having friends in the world. Jesus Himself was a friend of sinners. He came into the world of rebels and showed love to them and spoke truth to them. Their lostness troubled Him.“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36)
F. So, our assignment is a nuanced one, isn’t it? Loving the world as God so loves the world. And yet not loving the world in the sense of not loving the ways of the world and the things of the world and the approval of the world.
VI. And that means we’re going to live in a world which is hostile to who we are and how we think.
A. Sadly, we live in an age when it is common for the news to be filled with stories of little children being murdered, stories that bear a similarity to the story of King Herod & his slaughter of the innocents.
B. But we don’t even see these stories in the news in the way the world sees them.
C. The world thinks the stories are all about guns and policies and governments and mental illness.
D. We know that the stories are all about Jesus and human rebellion and the misery of Christless lives.