How Not To Be A Herod

This past week some friends and I were discussing how the average person probably thinks of Jesus’ birth and life as such a pretty story. In reality there were many dark and unpleasant days, beginning with King Herod the Great. The lessons to be learned were how he and those around him dealt with their circumstances.

King Herod the Great has surely been studied by many great psychologists, and for good reason. In the church world he is known for his great act of cruelty after learning of Jesus’ birth. He was terrified that someone else should be called King of the Jews, and commanded that all male children two years old and younger living in Bethlehem and the surrounding region be put to death in an attempt to stop the arrival of this new king. Having no understanding of who Messiah was, his rage ruled as babies were innocently…