Advent Reader: Herod Kept His Crown but Lost the Kingdom

Matthew 2:7-12

Wouldn’t you be excited if you heard that the most important person in history was recently born in a town near you? Apparently, not if your name is Herod. He saw his Creator as a competitor, and his human crown as more precious than the divine King. Yet this is a parable for life; it is reenacted to this day ever since. Whenever someone in business, science, politics, or elsewhere values their reputation above God, they deny the eternal Father in the name of fleeting fame. They keep what will eventually be lost and lose the most priceless prize of all: friendship with the ultimate King.

By contrast, pagan kings travel countless miles to greet an unknown boy in Bethlehem. They lay aside their majesty to find an unassuming child inside a little cottage. Yet they are not fooled by appearances. These wise men forget their pride. Their faces touch the dirt-floor under His feet. And they worship Him. Mary’s son is more than meets the eye.

Even now, on His birthday, this same vulnerable child confronts our world. Some see in Him a nobody, or someone who, for His claims, must be put to death. Others come eagerly, lay aside their pride, and find in Him the Saviour of the world.

In the end, Herod kept his throne but lost his soul. The pagan wise men put aside their pride and won new life. You too stand to make a choice. Whom do you see inside that run-down shanty in Bethlehem today: a nobody, a nuisance, a challenger to your independence? Or the Son of God, who became a child so that you, a human, may become a child of God?