“Herod – An Earthly King Trying to Stop the Heavenly King”

Series: The Characters of Christmas [on screen]

Rev. Matthew C. McCraw, EdD

First Baptist Church, Bartow, Florida

December 12, 2021

Introductory Comments:

One of the most famous Christmas stories is A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. The main character is Ebenezer Scrooge. My favorite depiction of Scrooge is the Disney one. [on screen]Here’s another depiction of Scrooge. [on screen] Scrooge was a man who was all about himself. As the story goes, Scrooge would come to see his future and realize that no one really loved him because he loved nobody but himself and his money. In fact, he would see his own funeral in the future and realize that nobody was there except other businessmen who came because they thought there was a free lunch. If by chance you’ve never heard the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, read the book or watch the movie. 

There was another man who was associated with Christmas time, who, unlike Ebenezer Scrooge, actually lived on this earth. His name was Herod. Today’s character in our series “The Characters of Christmas” is “Herod – An Earthly King Trying to Stop the Heavenly King.” [on screen]

Before we go any further, let me correct something from last week. Something minor, but important. I said last week that Joseph’s father was Heli. That’s not correct. Heli was Mary’s father, so he was Joseph’s father-in-law. The irony is, I explained this in the week that I taught on Mary. Both genealogies of Jesus lead to Joseph at the end, because the husband was the head of the household. So, Mary’s father was Heli and Joseph’s father was Jacob. 

Ok, week one we spoke about Mary, week two we spoke about Joseph, and now we’re speaking about Herod. Before we go any further, let’s pray together.

(prayer)

So, what can we learn about Herod? Let’s look at this popular, yet troubled, character. 

First, we’ll look at . . .

I. Herod’s Life [on screen]

Herod did not just stumble into power. He was the son of a member of the Hasmonean dynasty, which was the ruling party of Palestine before it was under Roman control. 

However, Herod did have to fight for his position, and fight he did. 

After some struggle, he finally won power and earned the support of Rome. 

Herod’s quest for power, and his many achievements helped earn him the name “Herod the Great.”

Even though he was under the power of the Romans, Herod ruled as “King of the Jews” from 37 BC to 4 BC.

To be sure, even though he was referred to as “King of the Jews,” he was not a faithful Jew. 

In fact, Herod was not even fully from the Jewish line. Herod was actually an Idumean, or Edomite, meaning that he was a descendent of Esau, not of Jacob (the Jewish people were descended from Jacob). 

During his reign, Herod’s main goal was to protect his own power, which meant squashing his enemies and keeping Rome happy (because they helped maintain his power). 

As many kings did, Herod was a man who liked to have ladies around him. In fact, Herod had ten wives!Herod eventually died in 4 BC. We actually read about his death in the sermon last week.

We learned this fact in the story of Joseph. Let’s look again at Matthew 2:19, “After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt.” [on screen]

After Herod died, his power would be divided among three of his sons: Archelaus, Herod Antipas, and Philip. 

Well, that’s a little about Herod’s life. Now, let’s talk about . . .

II. Herod’s Legacy [on screen]

In terms of an earthly legacy, the greatest part of Herod’s legacy was his construction of magnificent buildings and structures. 

Among other places, Herod constructed the port city of Caesarea Maritima, the fortress of Masada, fortifications around Jerusalem, a magnificent palace, and he brought an extreme makeover to the temple in Jerusalem. 

Caesarea Maritima was a port city and was one of Herod’s greatest accomplishments