Herod the Great

Herod the Great is the only Herod who figures in the birth of Christ. He founded the Herodian dynasty, and John the Baptist and Jesus each had to deal with members of that family. In the biblical record, Herod the Great appears in Matthew 2:1–19 and Luke 1:5.

Herod began his career as a military man but pushed his way to the top in politics. First he governed Galilee, added Syria, and finally was made King of Judea by Augustus (37 BC). He was not a Jew but an Idumean (Edomite). His ruthless leadership style perpetuated a triangle of conflict between himself, Jewish leaders, and Caesar.

Herod did not follow the Jewish religion personally and never let it influence him politically. He deprived the Sanhedrin of its civil power, relegating its members to a religious role. Josephus reports that Herod built a theater in Jerusalem and held games there every five years. His subjects disliked him but they feared him. Rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem was his greatest architectural achievement. As he neared the end of his life, his anger grew uncontrollable, and to spite the Jews, Herod erected a golden eagle at the temple gate—an act interpreted as sacrilege and insult.

Because he could not discern the truth from lies and gossip, Herod was not loyal to family or friends. He was responsible for the deaths of a wife, a mother-in-law, two brothers-in-law, and three sons. Josephus characterized Herod in these words: “A man he was of great barbarity toward all men equally” and “a slave to his passions.”

It is not surprising that Herod felt threatened by the Magi’s inquiry, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?” (Matt. 2:2 NASB). Herod thought he was king of the Jews and he did not tolerate opposition, even from a child. His interaction with the Magi conveys the sense of an actor manipulating his audience, using them to identify his rival. Herod was an angry old man when Jesus was born. The cold-blooded murders of the baby boys under age two in Bethlehem is consistent with what we know of Herod’s character and conduct.

Herod’s response to Jesus set the pattern for how rulers and governments have often dealt with Jesus and His followers. A Christian’s highest loyalty is to Christ, and some states perceive that as a threat. This explains the persecution of Christians in nations that ignore human and religious rights. The state is often focused on control; Jesus brings freedom.

The tragedy and grief in Bethlehem is a dark shadow in the Christmas story. We wish it had not happened. Indeed, we wish no child would die! Evil produces terror and pain and sorrow. Joseph was told in a dream to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt, and they were saved. Other infants died and their parents were devastated with horror and grief. Those babies died so Jesus could live. People still die today because of Jesus.

 See: Bethlehem, Egypt, Innocents

Holy Spirit

The true “spirit of Christmas” is the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, without whom there could have been no Christmas. The Spirit inspired the Old Testament prophecy of Messiah’s birth (Isa. 7:14) as well as the New Testament fulfillment (Matt. 1:18, 20). “The Holy Spirit will come upon you,” the angel Gabriel told Mary, “and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Luke 1:35). It was a miracle nobody can fully explain.

But the Spirit brought blessings to others besides Mary. He filled John the Baptist from birth and equipped him for his ministry (v. 15). He filled Elizabeth with blessing when she heard Mary’s greeting (v. 41), and He filled Zechariah the priest and enabled him to speak and hear again and to deliver a prophecy (vv. 67–79). The Spirit was upon aged Simeon and told him he would not die before he had seen the promised Messiah. The Spirit led him to Mary and Joseph and Jesus in the temple and put within his heart and upon his lips a song of praise to the Lord as well as a prophecy concerning Jesus and Mary (2:25–35).

We must also remember that the Holy Spirit inspired the prophet Micah to write the prophecy that led the wise men from Jerusalem to Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2; Matt. 2:1–12).

Love, joy, and peace are words often used during the Christmas season, and this is what we desire for everyone; but those blessings can come only through the Holy Spirit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace” (Gal. 5:22). However, we can’t receive these wonderful blessings of the Spirit unless we first receive the gift of Jesus Christ the Savior. “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons” (4:4–5). That’s the Christmas event. Paul tells us who came, when He came, how He came, why He came. But knowing these historical facts doesn’t save us. We must turn from our sins, believe God’s promise, and ask Jesus to save us. Then we shall have the Christmas experience! “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father’” (v. 6). Trusting Jesus means you receive the true Christmas Spirit!

The Christmas event happened but once, at Bethlehem, when Jesus Christ was born into this world, but the Christmas experience is repeated over and over as sinners turn by faith to Jesus and call on Him for salvation. Jesus called this experience being “born again” (see John 3:1–16). It means making a new beginning, receiving a new life, and having your sins forgiven.

The Christmas event with friends and family is a very special time, but the enjoyment doesn’t last. People try to recapture a distant childhood Christmas and rekindle a dead fire, but it doesn’t work. For God’s people, the Christmas experience is ever fresh and joyful because the Holy Spirit makes Jesus real to us through His Word. This kind of experience brings blessings that last forever.

Have you had this experience?

 See: Hope, Immanuel, Overshadow, Virgin Birth

Hope

In the years before Christ’s birth, there was a growing sense of hopelessness among the peoples of the world. Many people felt that the old religions had failed, but there was nothing to make them believe that better days were coming.

The people of Israel had hope—they anticipated the coming of their promised Messiah. Simeon was waiting for “the consolation of Israel” (Luke 2:25), the arrival of Israel’s Redeemer and King. The prophet Isaiah offered hope in these words:

The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them. . . . For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:2, 6 NASB

The promised child, a son, would shine light into Israel’s darkness by being the perfect Ruler. Godly people hoped and prayed for His speedy arrival.

The New Testament uses the word hope more than eighty times—it is a book of hope!

God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ provided hope not only for Israel but for all the Gentile peoples as well (Rom. 15:12). God is “the God of hope” (v. 13). The birth of God’s Son means hope for every person alive today.

Let’s ask some questions as we investigate Christian (and Christmas) hope.

Who Needs Hope?

People who have heard the doctor say, “There’s nothing more we can do,” need hope. The athlete who didn’t make the team needs hope, as do the victims of injustice and violence, the man who lost his job, the grieving mother, the teenager tired of the daily grind, those with tearstained cheeks and a sin-sick soul, families whose loved ones serve in the military, the person who no longer finds a purpose in life, sinners who cannot escape the power and guilt of their sin. Who needs hope? We all do! The whole world needs hope.

What Is Hope?

Some skeptics belittled those with hope. H. L. Mencken defined hope as “a pathological belief in the occurrence of the impossible.” Benjamin Franklin said, “He who lives on hope will die fasting.”

Hope is not optimism based on positive circumstances. Hope is the ability to believe in the good when things are bad. “Hope means hoping when things are hopeless or it is no virtue at all. It is only when things are hopeless that hope begins to be a strength” (G. K. Chesterton). Hope is an undefeated forward look.

Christian hope is facing the present reality with confidence in future good because of God’s action in Jesus Christ. Hope is living now, knowing that God is preparing something better. Hope expects God to take what’s painful and mysterious and turn it ultimately into eternal good (see Rom. 8:24–25). Hope also prevents us from getting comfortable when all is well.

What Do We Hope For?

We hope for peace. We hope for a world without war, terrorism, child abuse, divorce, and nuclear threat. We hope for answers to our questions that start with Why . . . ? We hope for an end to suffering. We hope for change: change in ourselves, in others, our circumstances, our attitudes, and our conduct. We hope for sufficient resources to meet all of life’s challenges. We hope for success in what we do in working, parenting, witnessing, and being a friend. We hope for friends we can trust and life that has meaning. We hope for heaven.

Where Can We Find Hope?

Hope is rooted in a person, Jesus Christ. Paul began his first letter to Timothy by calling Christ Jesus “our hope” (1:1). Jesus is the enduring source of Christian (and Christmas) hope. His death for sin and His resurrection give us absolute confidence to face the future, including death. Christians grieve when a loved one dies, but we grieve with hope (1 Thess. 4:13). Because our relationship to Jesus is secure, we will ultimately experience everything that God has prepared for His people. This is why a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is essential. Have you experienced the hope that only Jesus gives?

The gospel is another place we can find hope. The “hope held out in the gospel” (Col. 1:23) includes the reality that our sin is forgiven and we are not what we used to be. The gospel proclaims that God is making us to be like His Son (Rom. 8:29). Peter wrote that we have received “new birth into a living hope” (1 Pet. 1:3), meaning that the Christian life moves toward a glorious future, despite life’s difficulties. Salvation will be a finished work when we stand before the Lord (Phil. 1:6). The presence of Christ dwelling in us now is our “hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). Our hopefulness should be a reason unbelievers ask about our faith in Christ (1 Pet. 3:15).

Our hope needs to be nurtured by the truth of God’s Word: “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Rom. 15:4). Stories of the saints motivate us to carry on. Think of Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Esther, Jeremiah, the Virgin Mary, and John the Baptist.

God’s promises found in Scripture also nourish our hope. The promises provide strength to endure (v. 4). This tells us that true Christian hope is capable of waiting. The experiences of Bible saints teach us that God always, ultimately, responds to hopeful waiting. “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23). What promise do you need to claim to bolster your hope? Here is a short list of Advent and Christmas promises of what Jesus can do for us:

God the Holy Spirit also sustains our hope: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:13). The Holy Spirit does not let us focus on what is wrong or painful. He consistently points us to Jesus, who is our source of hope. The Spirit works to reproduce the character of Jesus in us, genuinely transforming us. The hope provided by the Spirit is not a trickle, but a constant stream, so that we “overflow with hope.” That doesn’t mean we ignore life’s realities or turn a blind eye to serious issues. It means having an undefeated forward look because the Holy Spirit is present and at work in us.

Christ’s return is another source of the believer’s hope. Jesus promised He would return and take us to be with Him (John 14:3). When he appears, “we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself” (1 John 3:2–3). Our hope of Christ’s return will motivate holy living so we’re ready to welcome Him. His return means peace and justice and joy and heaven. The reality will exceed our anticipation!

Are You a Hopeful Person?

The old saying is, “Where there’s life, there’s hope.” That’s wrong! We should say, “Where there’s hope, there’s life!” When your hope is anchored in Jesus, you are truly alive.

Ponder these evidences of being a hopeful person: giving to God’s work even when the economy is shaky, investing in missions during wartime, continuing to serve even if you’re not appreciated, expressing love despite being treated unkindly, praying and witnessing even when the results are slow in coming, facing death by anticipating heaven. Hopeful people know God is at work and God is trustworthy. They expect that the way things are is not the way things will stay.

Christian (and Christmas) hope means living in the future tense.

 See: Anna, Baby, Bethlehem, Simeon