“Seven Scenes from the Advent-Christmas Story:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. The theme for our services during Advent this year is, “Seven Scenes from the
Advent-Christmas Story,” including, “John Preaching,” “Shepherds Watching,”
“Angels Singing,” “Mary Praising.” “Joseph Dreaming,” and “Wise Men
Worshipping.” We continue with this morning’s Gospel Reading,
and the story of “Herod Fearing.” Matthew’s Gospel tells us, “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,
saying, ‘Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen his
star in the East and have come to worship him.’ When Herod
the king heard this, he was frightened.” Why is King Herod frightened? So frightened that he even
wickedly tries to slaughter the newborn Babe of Bethlehem? In the past decade
there have been a series of rebellions against brutal dictators in Arab
countries throughout the Middle East: Muammar Gaddafi of Libya, Hosni Mubarak of
Egypt, Bashar al-Assad of Syria. And right now there is a
revolution building and about to explode against the tyrannical mullahs in Iran.
That’s what King Herod is frightened of. The Roman Empire had installed him as puppet ruler over the conquered people
of Israel. But, although King Herod was given the title “King
of the Jews,” he wasn’t actually Jewish. He was in fact Arab,
ruling over a very resentful and rebellious Jewish population, which he kept
under control by being a notoriously ruthless, oppressive, evil dictator.
So, King Herod doesn’t fear an Arab revolt. He fears
being overthrown and defeated by a Jewish revolt, against him.
“Behold, Wise Men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who
has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in
the East and have come to worship him.’ When Herod the king
heard this, he was frightened.” Herod is frightened because
he is supposed to be the King of the Jews, but he fears the oppressed Jewish
people will rally around this newborn rival revolt against him. Some 33 years later the Babe of Bethlehem had grown into the adult Jesus of
Nazareth. It is ironic that his trial before the Roman
governor, Pontius Pilate, most likely took place in the very same palace where
the now dead King Herod had once met the Wise Men. When
Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” he replied, “My kingdom is
not of this world. . . my kingdom is from another place.” As the Wise Men say, the Babe of Bethlehem is indeed the newborn King of the
Jews. In fact, he is the Ruler of the whole universe, the
King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But, he was not born into
our world to establish an earthly, political kingdom, or to overthrow King Herod
or any other earthly ruler. In fact, the Apostle Paul says in
Romans, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is
no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist
have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority
is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring
judgment on themselves,” and he tells Titus, “Remind the people to be subject to
rulers and authorities.” So, King Herod had no reason to fear losing his throne to this newborn King.
For, Jesus was not born into the world to overthrow King Herod and seize
control of his worldly kingdom. The kingdom of King Jesus is
not political and earthly, but spiritual and heavenly. But,
although he does not covet the throne of King Herod, Jesus did come to overthrow
and defeat for us all not just one but three oppressive, evil dictators, three
oppressive, evil spiritual dictators. “Everyone who sins,” Jesus says, “is a slave to sin.”
Jesus came to overthrow for you the oppressive, evil dictator of sin.
There’s a Greek word translated “redeem” and “redemption” in the New
Testament that literally means “to buy back and set free from slavery.”
That’s what Jesus did for you. He bought you back and
set you free from slavery to the oppressive, evil dictator of sin.
He bought you back and set you free with his own life, death, and resurrection. As Paul
declares in today’s Epistle Reading, “So you are no longer a slave, but a son.” “For the Son of Man came not to be served,” Jesus said, “but to serve, and to
give his life as a ransom for many.” Jesus gave his life as a
ransom for you. Using the word for “redemption” that means
“to buy back and set free from slavery,” Paul says in Romans: “We are justified
freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God
presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.” Jesus also came to overthrow for you the oppressive, evil dictator of death.
As the book of Hebrews says, “He freed those who all their lives were
held in slavery by their fear of death.” “I am the
resurrection and the life,” Jesus says. “Whoever believes in
me, even though he dies, yet shall he live.” His resurrection, his victory over death and grave, means that you will
finally be victorious over the oppressive, evil dictator of death and enter into
eternal life. “Because I life,” Jesus promises, “you also
shall live.” “Thanks be to God!” Paul says in 1st
Corinthians, “He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Jesus came to give you the victory over the oppressive, evil dictator of sin;
Jesus came give you the victory over the oppressive, evil dictator of death; and
Jesus came to give you the victory over the oppressive, evil dictator of the
devil. Paul puts it this way in Ephesians, “For our struggle
is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil
in the heavenly realms.” By ourselves we are powerless
against the overwhelming forces of evil. But, Paul says in
Colossians that Christ has “triumphed over them by the cross.”
As Martin Luther says in his most famous hymn, “A Mighty Fortress”: Though devils all the world should fill, all eager to
devour us. “Behold, Wise Men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who
has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East and have
come to worship him.’ When Herod the king heard this, he was
frightened.” King Herod had no reason to fear losing his
throne to this newborn King. For, the kingdom of King Jesus
is “not of this world,” not political and earthly, but spiritual and heavenly.
But, like those oppressive, evil dictators recently toppled in the Middle
East, Jesus did come to overthrow and defeat for you and us all not just one but
three oppressive, evil, spiritual dictators: sin, death, and the devil. Amen. Return to Top | Return to Sermons | Home | Email Church Office
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