Jesus. What Child is This?
Part 1- Many Are Afraid- Herod’s Fear
Matthew 2:1-18
One of the most interesting emotions I think humans experience is fear. It’s an emotion that goes up and down all the time. Sometimes we love it and look for it (movies, roller coasters, extreme sports) and sometimes we hate it and run from it. All of us are afraid of something. We might try to act tough but I have no doubt you have a fear of something. In fact what I did is brought some pictures to share of things that I think many people and maybe even many of you are afraid of. I want to share those with you really quick.
FEAR PICS- 1. Snakes, 2. Mice, 3. Spiders, 4. Clowns, 5. Pastor Jeff- On a more serious note there are some legitimate fears. Fear of the recession, fear of death, fear of end times. Endless amounts of things for you and I to fear. But let me ask you something. Do you know anyone that is afraid of Jesus? You’ve probably heard many people mock Jesus, use his name in vain, call him a good teacher but probably haven’t heard many say they are afraid of Jesus. We’ve seen people fear God. There is a fear that God will curse them, destroy them, cause harm to them. James 2:19 says that God makes demons themselves tremble in fear of Him, but you don’t hear that about Jesus.
Well the truth is people do fear Jesus. They feared him in the bible and there are millions who fear him today. But they fear him for all the wrong reasons. They fear him because they very simply do not truly understand who He is or why He came to the earth to begin with. Many think Jesus will only lead them down a path that will ruin their lives. They watch many “believers” who do such a terrible job of modeling Christ and teaching what the true Gospel is about that they tend to lump all Christians into their negative opinions that have been formed by observing a few bad witnesses. But they also fear the reality that they will face if they choose to come to grips with who Christ is and what He wants to do in their life. I want to look at why people feared Jesus when he was born and why many fear him today. Matthew 2:1-18.
VERSE 1-2: Right away we see the fulfilling of a prophecy about the messiah. Numbers 24:17 is Balaam’s prophecy which says, “I see him, but not here and now. I perceive him, but far in the distant future. A star will rise from Jacob; a scepter will emerge from Israel…” This verse was understood by Jews to point to a messianic savior. The movement of the star itself suggest that this star was not a natural phenomenon but a supernatural one. It may have been a guiding angel that appeared as a star or some divinely created phenomenon that had the brightness of the star. Whatever it was this is a prophecy we are seeing come to pass that all Jews who read the scriptures would have understood. Now one other quick note is that these wise men didn’t travel a few days and they didn’t travel alone. They would have had a large number of attendants with them and their trip would have taken them up to two years. We know that because we’ll see in a second that Herod ask the wise men when the star first appeared and then later when Jesus and his family escape to Egypt Herod has all boys 2 years and under killed. So that tells us that from the star’s first appearance to the time Herod has the children killed it was close to if not 2 years. So when they visited Jesus he would have been out of the manger and living in a house not as a baby but as a toddler.
These are men who are on a mission who believe that the Christ has been born. This is where we see Herod get scared. VERSE 3-8- Verse 3 is key, “King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this as was everyone in Jerusalem.” Why? Why was Herod the Great so afraid that the Jewish prophecy of a coming Messiah is coming to pass? 4 reasons…
1. Not the rightful heir. Herod is afraid because there is a new king in town and Herod was THE KING. He ruled over all four political districts of Palestine and was very popular with the Jews because even though he was known as a ruthless person who murdered many including people in his own family he also supervised the renovation of the temple, making it much larger and more beautiful, as well as overseeing many other building projects in Jerusalem. All of that is well and good but Herod knew that according to the Jewish prophecies he wasn’t the rightful heir to be the true king of the Jews and he was no doubt feeling threatened by this child. The rightful heir would come from the line of Jacob and David. Herod descended from the line of Esau. Also Herod was only partly Jewish and was really only considered Jewish by religion. And he reigned by appointment from Rome rather than being anointed by God. If this baby was a rightful heir to the throne of Israel, Herod could face trouble from the Jews who might want to declare this baby their new king.
2. He was ruthless- Many believe he was mentally disturbed by this point in his life. He was obviously suspicious that someone was trying to overthrow him. Herod was a murderer and a tyrant. He was the opposite of how we would define a savior. His ego was probably off the charts and he feared anyone who may threaten his power.
3. He feared uniting of Jews. He was afraid of this baby because he feared it would unite the Jews around a religious figure. The Magi said they were coming to worship this newborn king of the Jews. Herod knew the last thing he needed was for the Jewish nation to be led by a whimsical religious leader who is worshipped by the people.
4. Feared possible balance of power. If these men (the Magi) were of Jewish descent and from Parthia (the most powerful region next to Rome), they would have welcomed a Jewish king who could swing the balance of power away from Rome. The land of Israel, far from Rome, would have been easy prey for a nation trying to gain more control.
Now it also says that all of Jerusalem was disturbed not just Herod. The reason the people of Jerusalem were afraid and especially the religious leaders of the time is because the religious and political leaders were corrupt and power hungry. This child would cause them to be afraid that the people would turn to him and revolt against them. You have to remember that about 400 years have passed from the time the last book of the Old Testament happens until this event. As people begin to hear about the birth of the Messiah it makes you wonder if people began to once again become awakened to spiritual longings and hope. If that is true then the leaders who have held power for so long would no doubt be in fear of this child.
But Herod and the people of Jerusalem had it all wrong. They are disturbed because they think Jesus is coming to be King. To rule the government. To save the Jews from Rome. But that’s not why Jesus was born and it wasn’t what he was looking for. John 3:16-17 tells exactly why Jesus was born. “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. Jesus didn’t want Herod’s throne. He wanted Herod’s heart. He wanted to be King of his life, not his land. Herod had it completely wrong and now the King of the universe who came to save all was now wanted by the king of Judea who seemingly wanted to kill all. He goes after Jesus when the wise men leave and thankfully he fails. God calls on Joseph in a dream to flee to Egypt where they would be safe until Herod dies.
Jesus came to spare us. He came to die. He came to free us from sin and eternal separation from God. When we give our lives to Jesus he gives us in return salvation, peace, power over sin, eternal life, help on and on it goes. And yet even today 2000 years later people are still afraid. People still have false ideas about who Christ is, why he came and what he wants to do. To a point I can see why people are threatened by Christ. Like Herod and like the Pharisees and political leaders we like control and power. The problem comes because Jesus doesn’t want just part of us. He doesn’t say, “I’ll take this and this and you’ll still have control over this and that.” He wants all of us. He wants us to give control of every single aspect of our lives over to him. Unless you become a slave to Christ you cannot know Christ, and that scares people. Frankly it disturbs them. It disturbs us because what fear what we can’t control.
There are some other reasons that we fear Jesus today. I want to give those to you really quick. People fear Jesus because…
1. We fear rejection- We have a deep fear about what people will think of us if we believe in Jesus as our Savior. This fear is nothing new. We see it in John 12:42-43. Many people did believe in him, however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. 43 For they loved human praise more than the praise of God. Did you catch that last part? John penetrates the human heart in vs. 43. He shows us that the desire for human commendation kept these leaders from following Jesus in a public way. They feared the Pharisees. They were more concerned about what man thought of them than they were about their eternities. Just like them we have a fear of confessing Christ in a public way because we fear the reaction of man. We fear how people will treat us because of what they think of Christ. When I say it out loud it sounds really silly. Why should we ever be in fear of someone who will one day be on their face worshipping Christ just like us? Why are we so desperate to gain the approval of another human rather than the God who created that human? Matthew 10:28 says, “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:32-33 says, “Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.
I don’t know why we fear the opinion of others so much but we do and it causes us to avoid Christ or attempt to be closet Christians so that we can avoid the possibility of rejection. I’ll just tell you that if you believe in Christ yes people will reject you. But I would rather be rejected by man for the next 60 years of my life than rejected by God for all eternity.
People fear Jesus because they fear rejection…
2. We fear truth. We fear Jesus because Jesus will bring out truth in us that we have worked so hard to avoid. When I am awakened to my need for a savior I have to come to grips with the reality that I really have never been in control of my life. I have been living as a slave to sin. I have turned my back on God. I am imperfect, impure unable to save myself through my own abilities. I am out of control, lost and insecure. My life has no real meaning. These are all extremely difficult truths that many of us have had to come to grips with and many more are still so controlled by their egos and pride that they refuse to see that truth or accept it. But truth is what it is. Knowing Christ means admitting to the truth of who we are. It means we must be able to admit that what we show people is just a façade and who we really are is something that we are incredibly ashamed of. Not everyone in this room is a well dressed, smooth talking Jesus loving Christian. You pretend to be. You put on a good show. But I’m not dumb. Jesus definitely isn’t dumb. So let’s just get the truth out there about who you really are. You are an addict. You are angry, you are a bad husband, bad wife, you are a bad parent. You cheat on your spouse on your taxes. You blame others rather than take responsibility for your own actions. You love to gossip and judge. Criticism is your past time. Pornography is your hobby and alcohol is your best friend.
But we don’t want to admit that because we fear what will happen if we do. We fear that if I admit that people will reject me and I will have to give up control of my life to the only one who can truly save me from myself and my sins. We fear Jesus because we fear rejection because we fear truth and finally…
3. We fear change. Coming to grips with truth scares us because we know it’s going to cause change in us. If I want to conquer the sin in my life I have to make a change. The only change I can make is not to do more good things or be a nicer person or drink less. The only change I can make is to give everything I have all of my life to Jesus. Recognize that he alone is the only way to heaven. Through him alone is the only way I can be saved from sin, from myself and for eternity. It’s not just enough to believe in Him. My life must be about him. That scares us. This is where people fear that our lives will now be more about rules than about living. But listen, I got news for you. Truth is you have never lived yet. You’ve been deceived. You’ve been chained in a prison and didn’t even know it and if it wasn’t for Christ you never would. Jesus is the one not trying to give you rules. Jesus has come to set you free.
Yes when you believe and give your life to Christ there will undoubtedly be change. People who are still lost in sin, slaves to sin, still stuck in that prison will reject you. Yes there will be a change of mind, change of heart, change of the way you think, change of life goals and aspirations, change of priorities, change of how you view the world. But it’s not a change we need to dread. It’s a change we should embrace because when we experience salvation in Christ we will feel freedom for the first time ever.
People who don’t understand or know Jesus thinks Christianity is all about rules. I haven’t asked everyone in here but I know that I have never felt that way. I have never felt like I have to obey these rules or suffer the consequences. On the contrary I found that when Christ set me free I wanted to obey his commands. I wanted to follow his teachings. I wanted to live in a way that pleased him rather than living in a way that was all about me and what I wanted. If you don’t experience what I am talking about you will never understand it. People fear what they don’t understand and what they don’t have control of so they mock it and make it into something that it is not so that they can continue to justify the sinful lives they are living rather to come to grips with the reality that their lives are out of control and they need Jesus.
Herod was afraid that this newborn king would one day take his throne. He completely misunderstood the reason for Christ’s coming. Jesus did not want Herod’s throne. He wanted to be king of Herod’s life. Jesus wanted to give everyone, including Herod, eternal life – not take his present life. Today people are afraid that Christ wants to take everything away from them. But the truth of Christ is that Jesus doesn’t want to take your freedom, he wants to give you freedom. Jesus wants to give us peace, joy, and freedom. Don’t fear Christ- instead allow him to reign on the throne of your life. John 8:31-36 says, “Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” “But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?”Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. 35 A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.
Worship Team- This morning I have given to you the truth of Christ in the best way I know how and now it is up to you. If you don’t know Christ today as your savior what is stopping you? What are you afraid of? Don’t wait any longer. Quit worrying about rejection, quit fearing having to face truth or fearing the change that will come and just give your life over to Christ. Confess him as your savior. Ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins to come into your life and be the King of all of your life.
For the rest of you who are believers how have you stood firm for Jesus this year. What are you afraid of? How you also feared what people will think if they knew you were a believer? Have you also sought the approval of man rather than the approval of God. If you have then repent this morning. Ask God to forgive you and to help give you the boldness to stand up for truth and not to fear what man will do to you. Don’t be like the religious leaders who believed in Jesus but were afraid to confess it publicly because they were worried more about man’s approval. In fact I want to challenge you to make a public confession right now that you need Jesus in your life. Either you want to ask Christ to be your savior for the first time or you want to rededicate your life because you know you haven’t been living in a way that glorifies him. You’ve been living in hear of rejection, truth and change. Is there anyone this morning who will stand and make that confession. Anyone who will stand and I say I need Jesus as my savior? Prayer
