December 30, 2001
Isaiah 63:7-9
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Matthew 2: 13-23
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“HEROD AND PEOPLE OF POWER”

Preachers face a unique task each Sunday morning.  When the preacher rises to say something to a waiting congregation, what is said is greatly reduced because we preach mainly to believers who have heard it all before.  Couple that with the reality that Americans are a prose people; that is we want facts written succinctly - statements bluntly reported and highlighted, on our computers with bullets.

Unfortunately, that is the way many moderns approach the Bible.  It is read as if we were reading a newspaper or a memo from the administration of our company, school or hospital.  Thus, to the general worshipper on Sunday morning, the gospel message is blunted.  As Walter Bruggeman states in his superb book, Finally Comes The Poet, ”the gospel is thus a truth widely held but a truth greatly reduced.” ( page 1)

Read as prose, the scripture stories lose their shock value.  The great preachers are those who recognize this fact and are able to present the message as poetry because poetry is much more powerful than prose.

In his great poem, “Leaves of Grass” Walt Whitman writes:

“After the seas are all cross’d, (as they seem already cross’d)
After the great captains and engineers have accomplish’d their work
After the noble inventors, after the scientists, the chemists, the
Geologists, ethnologists,
Finally shall come the poet worthy that name
The true son of God shall come singing his songs.” ( pg 324)

After the world of business has presented its best management advise; after the scientists have dispensed their research findings; after the engineers have given their logical instructions then comes the power of poetry shattering fixed conclusions; going beyond logical argumentation and challenging us to new dangerous and imaginative possibilities.  That is how the Bible is to be read.

We have just gone through another reenactment of the Christmas story.  We love it and every year, when the kids, reenact the story of the birth of that baby in the manger we get misty eyed.

To read the story as a news item is to miss the entire point just as to look at a painting only for the likeness of an object is to miss the message of the painter.  The message is God is once again, revealed into human life and the story ushers us into a personality that if seen; truly seen- shocks us into a new way of thinking.  It raises our thoughts to a totally new possibility for the entire world.  If we don’t see that, we miss the point and we have not been exposed to great preaching.

This story is not prose.  This is not the writing of a well meaning reporter.  This is God crashing through and inspiring people with shocking new possibilities for living wisely and well.  The writers were overwhelmed and did their best to put the story into pictorial language that confronts is with exciting new possibilities.  It is poetry that inspires us, lifts us; takes us out of our logical, factual world.  It is poetry that flows through the mind of one writing to his lover-prose would be boring.  Matthew’s poetry says, THIS is the way of God, follow it and see what the possibilities are.

With that as the background, let us look at the reaction to the birth story in the days when it occurred.  Here is how Matthew puts it.  “Now, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the King, behold wise men came to Jerusalem saying, Where is he who has been born King of the Jews?”

Now I ask you, if you were king of Judea and you heard that news, how would you feel?  How would you react?  I suspect you might very well do as Herod did.  Listen to his actions, (vs 3)  “When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled.”  I’ll bet he was.  That is not the news an incumbent ruler wants to hear.  But more, the scriptures say all Jerusalem was troubled with him.  Staying with what you know is always seen as being safer and more secure than venturing into some area or following someone that you don’t know.

So Herod, “assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.”  Now, this is very interesting.  Where did Herod get the notion that Jesus was the Christ - the Messiah. It’s not seen before hand in the text yet here is Herod, not the Wise men, but Herod the secular and frightened King asking, were the Christ was to be born.

The advisors quote to him the passage from Micah chapter 5. “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 govern my people Israel.” 

I’m willing to bet that Herod did not know much about the Hebrew scriptures, but hey, when your kingdom is being threatened, you better act.  Herod called in the wise men from the east and says to them, “Go and search diligently for the child and when you have found him, bring him to me that I too may worship him.”  Sure!  That’s like Jack Welch, of GE saying to his subordinates, go to that young upstart company with the new idea of electrical generation and tell me about them so that I can go and congratulate them.

In this story, the wise men sense that something is not right so they decide to forget about telling Herod, infact, they don’t even want to see him so they go home by another route.

Predictably, when Herod sees that he has been tricked and that the wise men had gone home by a different route, he is furious.  That reaction ought not to surprise us because that is the reaction of people of power.  People of power do not like to have their ideas not followed and people of power are scared stiff of potential rivals.

Herod was a powerful person.  He had made a good name for himself as the ruler of the area.  He had kept the peace, had done a good job with the economy and perhaps most important of all had kept things quiet, which is exactly how the Roman government wanted things to be.  But Herod had one major flaw.  He had an uncontrollable temper.

If Herod suspected there was a rival to his power that person was eliminated.  William Barclay paints the picture graphically in his commentary on Matthew.  He says, Herod murdered his wife Mariamne and her Mother Alexandra.  He killed his older son Antipater and two other sons, Alexander and Aristobulus.  So infamous was Herod that Augustus, the Roman Emperor said, it was safer to be Herod’s pig than his son.  Herod also began murdering the Sanhedrin, the Supreme Court of the Jews and later slaughtered 300 court officers.  Seen in this light, it is easy to predict what Herod’s reaction would be to a new born King.  (Barclay, Wm. Westminster press, Phil. “The Gospel of Matthew” vol 1, page 29) 1975

Herod ordered that all the male children two years old or younger be killed.  As Barclay points out, Bethlehem was a small town and the region not heavily populated so actual number of children killed would not be a huge number.  But that is small consolation to the grieving mothers and is a strong indication of the type of personality that Herod was.

If we take this story as prose, we are left with the account of an unusual birth, an astronomical phenomenon, different enough to cause some eastern astrologers to come and see what was going on and a King whose ego is so insecure that he has to kill all potential rivals.  Mary and Joseph take their child away from Bethlehem that he may raised elsewhere.

That’s a nice story, but it doesn’t have much punch.  It lacks the requirements that will inspire and motivate people to a different way of living and acting.

So, lets look at the story through the eyes of the poet.  If we do so, we will begin with the knowledge that the poet is not really very interested in the details of a story.  Details and accuracy are not necessary to one seeking to elevate humanity and inspire people.

What do the poets see?  Matthew sees a baby being born who is the answer to the long held prophecy and dream of the Jewish people.  This baby comes in the line of King David and thus fulfills all the genealogical requirements.

Matthew incorporates any prophetic message he can find in the Hebrew scriptures that might apply to this child in order that he might be seen as the long awaited Messiah.

Then, in order to solidify the case, this baby is born of a virgin who is pregnant because of the Holy Spirit.  All of this is to present Jesus in such an extraordinary light that all they could  say about him was, he is the son of God.  Ordinary descriptive words simply would not justify the hope and the promise that this child had within.  The story has difficulties as prose, but as poetry, it has changed the entire world.

With quick dispatch, all of the gospel writers get to the baptism of Jesus story and the beginning of his ministry as quickly as possible.  Luke takes 3 chapters to get there.  Matthew does it a bit more quickly.  Mark starts his gospel with the baptism and John is into the baptism and ministry aspect in the first chapter.  The birth stories are simply a prelude to the real meat of what Jesus is all about.

The message that Jesus proclaimed, the life he lived and the stories he told turn the world as we know it and live in it upside down.  It was true when he taught, it is true now and only a few really buy in.  In fact, I think it can be safely said that often the biggest barrier to people hearing the true message of Jesus is the Church itself and those who call themselves, preachers of the word.

Poetry often doesn’t make logical sense but it communicates.  To take the creation story literally, for example, is to miss the whole point of the story.  Here, the poet says, God crashed through into human life.  The Holy One is revealed in a new and dramatic fashion.  When humans really hear the story of Jesus, they have a mental picture - they can see Jesus, in their minds eye, hear him speak and then they can say; God is like that.

Jesus’ teachings assault people of power.  Herod was thwarted and out of desperation tried to protect his turf. Today, Herod is an item in history but Jesus, humble Jesus is revered around the world.

People of power say, power and control are the secrets of success. Jesus said, the kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor of spirit.

People of power say, compassion is a sign of weakness, be decisive and impassionate. Jesus said, those who mourn i.e., those who can feel another’s hurts are the one’s who will be comforted.

People of power say, leaders must be strong; strength overcomes weakness. Jesus said, the meek, the gentle and the humble, shall inherit the earth.

People of power say, success, growth and income are the essential ingredients to life.  Jesus said, the righteous are the ones who will be satisfied.

People of power say mercy is a sign of weakness.  Jesus said those who show mercy are the one’s who will find it.

People of power say purity of heart is not necessary on the road to success.  Jesus said, the pure in heart will see God.

Power people say enemies must be defeated. Jesus said love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you.

Power people say let the world know your accomplishments - publicize.  Jesus said, pray to your father in secret and your father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

The biblical poets turn the world upside down.  Matthew does it with King Herod.   Herod was cunning and cruel, the new king seemingly weak  yet divine.  It is a clash that shakes all of history.

Herod had magnificence; Jesus was born in a manger.

Herod had energy and a support system; Jesus was a helpless baby.

Herod had power and used in cruelly; Jesus was compassionate and held to a different power.

Herod was crafty; Jesus was free of guilt.

Herod had Jerusalem with him; Jesus seemed unbefriended.

For years I was a Dodger fan.  Roy Campanella, a great catcher, was one of my favorite players.  Perhaps you will remember he was paralyzed in an automobile accident.  He writes that one day, coming out of therapy, he wheeled himself over to plaque on the wall where he read words allegedly penned by an unknown Confederate soldier.  It changed his life - gave him power to live in that wheel chair.

I asked God for strength, that I might achieve.
I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey…
I asked for health, that I might do great things.
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things….
I asked for riches, that I might be happy.
I was given poverty, that I might be wise…
I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men.
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God…
I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life.
I was given life that I might enjoy all things…
I got nothing I asked for-but I got everything I had hoped for….
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am, among me, most richly blessed!

                                                (Chicken Soup for the Soul 1996, Page 144)

We Americans seem bent on being people of power.  Finally, comes the poets and they tell us of a different way, a tough way but a triumphant way.

Another poet named James Russell Lowell wrote words to a hymn which we are going to sing in conclusion.

          Though the cause of evil prosper, yet alone ‘tis truth is strong,
          Truth forever on the scaffold, wrong forever on the throne.
          Yet that scaffold sways the future, and behind the dim unknown,
          Standeth God within the shadow keeping watch above his own.

For the New Year, let us seek to have our power be the power seen in that baby!