Devotional for Wednesday, December 18th
Today's Bible Reading: Matthew 2:1-8
Once upon a time, there was a king named Herod. He was appointed king over Judea by Rome. King Herod was great and powerful, a god among men. But then he started hearing rumors that there was a new king in town. Some magi ride into Jerusalem, trying to find this newborn king. The magi wanted to celebrate Jesus, but King Herod wasn't about to roll out the red carpet.
King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. (v. 4)
As familiar as I am with this story, I completely overlooked the second part of that verse. I get why Herod was deeply disturbed. Judea only had one king. If this baby Jesus was being touted as a king, then it threatened Herod's power. But why was everyone in Jerusalem disturbed? Isn't Jesus good news for all the people?
I can think of two reasons why I might be disturbed if I heard about a new king in town.
1. I might be worried that the new king isn't good.
A king has ultimate authority. If a king isn't good, there's not much I can do about it. In a famous quote in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Susan is worried after hearing that Aslan is a lion. She asks Mr. Beaver is Aslan is "safe." Mr. Beaver replies:
Safe? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.
Jesus is good, but that doesn't mean he won't challenge my assumptions about the world. Which brings me to my second reason.
2. A new king means I'm not the one in control.
This was at the heart of Herod's turmoil. He was in charge, and he wanted it to stay that way. When Matthew says that "everyone in Jerusalem" was deeply disturbed, I'm sure he's using hyperbole to make his point. We all need to decide if we're going to celebrate the arrival of Jesus into our lives or cling to control.
In a way, we're all like King Herod. No, most of us don't have total power and authority as he had. But we're all "little kings" of our lives. I want to be the one to call the shots. And when I feel the control slipping out of my hands, I begin to plot and scheme like Herod. As we'll see, his desire for control would come as a high cost to others. What has my desire for control cost me and those around me?
Jesus is good news for all the people. But we will only see him as good news when we're ready to give up control.
Questions to Ponder:
What do you think of the concept of Jesus being good, but not "safe"?
When are you most likely to become a "little king" and try to control things? What is one area that you want to let go of and trust Jesus with? Ask God for the strength to do that.
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