Focused on the Wrong King

Matthew 2:1-3

There are times when one of these devotions will lead to a message. Other times, I will take a message and condense it down into a devotion. That is what this is. I had the opportunity to preach a message on December 17 that was very interesting to me. I take no credit for that. It is God's book and the leading of His Spirit that result in the messages I preach. Anything that I may add is of no real importance. It is God's Word that has the power to save souls and to change lives. I would like to share with you part of what I preached Sunday, and I hope it is a blessing to you as well.

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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 troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

Matthew 2:1–3

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Herod, in order to secure his power, married a Hasmonean (Jewish) princess named Mariamne. He then became suspicious that she might be plotting to dethrone him, so he had her killed. Then he had his two sons by her killed as well. He also had her brother killed because he was the high priest. He was a great administrator, but also highly suspicious and jealous of his power.

So, when this group of Magi enter Jerusalem and proclaim that there is a new king, this gets him all worked up. He is so worked up in fact that the passage tells us all Jerusalem was troubled with him. Just as leaders can inspire their followers with their courage, so they can spread their anxiety with their followers. That is exactly what happened here. One has to wonder if they were worried about how many other heads might roll.

We need to understand that "all Jerusalem" was troubled with Herod because their focus was on the wrong King. Rather than having their focus on the baby that had been born in Bethlehem, they were focused on Herod. God had promised to send the heir to David's throne who would reign as King of Kings, but they were focused on a political appointee. Some may think this is unfair. How could they have known? The answer to that question is, they were told!

In Luke's gospel, he tells of the circumcision of Jesus eight days after His birth, in accordance with the law. While Mary and Joseph are at the Temple, they are greeted by two people. Simeon is a man who God has promised that he would not die until he saw the Lord's Christ. Anna is a prophetess who has served in the temple for decades. Both of these make it very clear that this baby who is being circumcised is the Messiah of Israel. The problem is, no one really listened.

Had the people listened, they would have known that they did not need to be troubled with Herod. God was shining His favor down upon all people with the birth of His Son. He had sent peace on Earth and Goodwill towards men with the birth of the Lamb of God. The Angels told the Shepherds to "Fear not" and Jerusalem should have gotten that message as well. Had they, then they would not have been troubled with Herod. Their focus was on the wrong king.

Father, I pray that this Christmas we too would have peace because our focus is on the Prince of Peace. May we not put our focus and trust in political leaders who will only cause us to be troubled. Our hope was born in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago and is sitting at Your right hand today!