It’s A Boy: Herod Speaks

December 17, 2025 – 3rd Week of Advent

Matthew 2: 1-12 (NKJV) -

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.  And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:        ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’”

Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.  And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”

When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.  And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

Herod was a cruel king. He had his wife, Mariamne I, executed, as well as two of his favorite sons, Alexander and Aristobulus. Throughout his life, he grew increasingly paranoid, having another son—his oldest, Antipater III—executed just five days before his death.

The Jewish people hated Herod as a foreigner and a friend of the Romans. Historian Josephus writes, “He was a man who was cruel to all alike and one who easily gave in to anger and was contemptuous of justice.” Herod was quick to defend his throne against any threat.

In the world of the first century, an expectation circulated that a ruler would arise from Judea. Roman historian Suetonius writes, “Throughout the whole of the East there had spread an old and persistent belief: destiny had decreed that at that time men coming forth from Judea would seize power [and rule the world].”

Herod, with his paranoia and constant defense of his throne, would have seen this coming Messiah—this King—as a threat to his reign. Therefore, Herod sought to destroy Him. First, he asked the wise men to find Jesus and return, telling him where to find this new King so he could go and worship Him. When the wise men did not return, Herod took matters into his own hands.

Unleashing his anger, Herod killed every child less than two years of age in Bethlehem.

Herod could not give up control—power, prestige, control. This drove his life. His need for power and riches got in the way of his discovering the Savior of the world, a Savior for all humankind, both rich and poor, high and low. He was so close. The Christ Child was born five miles south of Jerusalem, in the little town of Bethlehem. Five miles. And because of his need for power and control, he missed Him.

Christ is even closer today. James 4:8 (NKJV) states, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” Yet so many of us, like Herod, allow many things to come between us and Christ. Like Herod, we are often not willing to give up power, control, prestige, riches, and habits to humbly bow before the King of kings.

There are so many who are close—so close. There are many in church who have even invited Christ into their lives but are keeping Him at a distance. They are close yet still holding back from truly knowing Him as King.

Dr. Andrew Bonar tells the story of how, in the Highlands of Scotland, a sheep would often wander off into the rocks and get into places it could not escape. The grass on these mountains is very sweet, and the sheep like it. They will jump down ten or twelve feet, but then they cannot jump back again. The shepherd hears them bleating in distress. They may be there for days, until they have eaten all the grass.

The shepherd will wait until they are so faint they cannot stand. Then he will put a rope around the sheep, go over, and pull it up out of the jaws of death. Once someone asked Dr. Bonar, “Why don’t they go down there when the sheep first gets there?”

“Ah!” he said, “they are so very foolish they would dash right over the precipice and be killed if they did!”

Dr. Bonar goes on to write, “And that is the way with men; they won’t go back to God till they have no friends and have lost everything. If you are a wanderer, I tell you that the Good Shepherd will bring you back the moment you have given up trying to save yourself and are willing to let Him save you His own way.”

Herod had found his spot of grass. He was appointed king of the Jewish state of Israel by the Roman Senate. Herod made sure his plot of grass was safe. He was famous for the fortresses he built, such as Herodion, Machaerus, and Masada.

Herod constantly fought to keep his throne and to gain the popularity of the people, issuing building project after building project, working constantly to try to save himself and his throne.

Herod’s self-sufficiency kept him from coming face to face with the Savior. For those of us who are in control, who have it together, what use do we have for a Savior? We can do it ourselves, right?

Paul has something to say about that. Beginning in 1 Corinthians 2:14:

“But people who aren’t Christians can’t understand these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them because only those who have the Spirit can understand what the Spirit means.”

Here Paul is describing those who are not Christians. They cannot understand the things of God.

This person has not brought Christ into his life. Furthermore, the person, like Herod, has placed SELF on the throne of his heart. The person wants to be boss—in charge and in control.

Now, you may be saying, “Well, that’s not me. I’ve accepted Christ into my life. I believe.”

Well, Paul says there is a second type of person in the church: the worldly or fleshly person. 1 Corinthians 3:1–3:

“Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you, I couldn’t talk to you as I would to mature Christians. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life. I had to feed you milk and not solid food, because you couldn’t handle anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, for you are still controlled by your own sinful desires. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your own desires? You are acting like people who don’t belong to the Lord.”

Paul is talking about a second type of person who has accepted Christ—but they are not living by faith. They are still controlled by their own desires and selfish wants. This person has invited Christ into their heart but refuses to step off the throne and give Christ control. SELF is still on the throne of their hearts.

This is where the daily battle takes place. Every day when we awake, we must make a conscious decision to relinquish our throne to Christ—to become the last type of person in the church Paul speaks of.

The last type of person Paul describes is the spiritual person. The spiritual person has accepted Christ and has given Christ the throne of their life, allowing Him to control, guide, and lead them wherever He wants to take them. Paul speaks of this group in 1 Corinthians 2:15–16:

“We who have the Spirit understand these things, but others can’t understand us at all. How could they? For, ‘Who can know what the Lord is thinking? Who can give Him counsel?’ But we can understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.”

When we have the mind of Christ, we have allowed Christ not only to be in our hearts but to be in control of our lives—our futures, our thoughts, our actions. We have placed Christ on the throne.

How often do I battle with this. How often in my ministry I try to keep control. I try to be the one on the throne, making sure everything gets done instead of leaving it in God’s hands. How often do I try to plan out tomorrow, the next day, and the next year. How often do I feel that it will all fall apart if I don’t do it—rather than trusting the One who created the universe, who hung the stars in the sky. Instead, I trust one who has trouble solving the simplest of problems: me.

What about you? Are there times when you feel you need to be in control—when you feel the success of the ministry rests on you? Or times when you don’t want to relinquish the throne of your life to God because you are afraid of what He might ask you to do? You like your life, your little plot of grass, just the way it is, and when God comes looking to take you somewhere else, you run.

Perhaps you believe you are self-sufficient. You can handle whatever comes your way. You are strong, dependable, self-reliant. You believe in God, but you don’t really need Him in the day-to-day. Are you seeking His guidance for the future, or have you got your life all planned out?

Here’s the question: Will you react like Herod to the news, “It’s a boy,” and fight to hold the throne—or will you step down, allow Christ to take the throne, and bow before the King of kings?