Paranoid Herod

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Matt. 2:1-3

       Why did Herod, the king of Judea become agitated when he found out the wise men were looking for the newborn King?  To understand better you need to know the history of Herod.  He was elected as king by the Roman Senate but had no true claim to the throne for his heritage was from Edom where they had been forced to convert to Judaism or leave their country.

       Since Herod and his family lead a decadent lifestyle and broke Mosaic laws, he was hated by Jewish religious leaders.  He also appointed the high priest as opposed to who God said should hold the position.  Although he had an extensive building program, his taxes were extreme for those days.

       His reign was marked by bloodshed:  he had many of his family executed including sons, in-laws and at least one of his ten wives.  He burned alive students and teachers for removing an idol in the temple, regularly employed mercenaries and secret police who often reverted to violence to achieve their goals, was possibly responsible for the monastery at Qumran being destroyed by fire, and was rumored to rob Jewish tombs for treasures,.

       Herod was very paranoid about family wanting to take over his throne, hence the reason several of his sons were executed.  Also, Jewish scholars of his day believed they were in the 76th generation since creation and the Messiah, who would deliver Israel from foreign rulers, was prophesied to come in the 77th.  Into this environment Jesus was born.

       So when the wise men came asking to see the newborn king of the Jews, Herod must have gone ballistic.  Certainly his advisors, friends and family must have also been alarmed given Herod’s agitated state.  Herod knew he was a foreigner in his rule and I’m sure he thought that the child the magi sought would one day try to overthrow his reign.  That was why he called them in to find out the star appeared two years prior, and why he slaughtered all the baby boys two years old and under born in Bethlehem.

       The whole story makes me consider some questions:

Am I being true to who I am and what I believe?

Am I doing whatever it takes to achieve my position or goals despite morality or God’s will?

Do I ever try to usurp the position of someone already in their rightful place?

Do I lead by example or by oppression?

Am I paranoid about losing ‘my’ ministry leadership, ‘my’ seat, ‘my’ standing in other’s eyes and do I then work at harming their reputations to retain my position?

       My personal belief is that if everyone was humbly using their God given gifts, there would be no paranoia or power struggles in the body.  We should all work together like a ‘well-oiled machine’.  Unless by miracle of God, I will never be a worship leader, but I can still sing my heart out to my Lord.  I may never preach again, but I can share God’s Word with anyone, anywhere I am.  I may never head a ministry, but I work in many ministries every day just like every other Christian: at home with my children, my husband, friends and neighbours, at work with bosses, co-workers, clients, and with fellow believers in and out of the local church.  We should never worry about our status, but should only be concerned that we do what God wants us to do at this particular time.  Let God decide, because He knows best.