Herod's Tomb

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1 John 2:4 The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (NIV)

Breaking News: Israeli archeologists find King Herod’s tomb

The tomb of one of the most evil kings in the Bible, Herod the Great, has just recently been discovered. A sarcophagus, which may have contained his last remains, has been found in an ancient place called Herodium. The inscriptions on the tomb seem to refer to the king, so it’s almost certain that he was buried there after all.

Herod was the king who lied to the wise men about Jesus. You’ll remember the old story of how they end up at Herod’s court expecting to find the new king of the Jews. Herod is deeply troubled by this and wants to kill the child. He makes up some elaborate story about wishing to worship the new king and asks the wise men to come back and give him information about where the child resides. It’s only when an angel warns the wise men in a dream not to go back to Herod that the evil king’s plans are ruined. In a fit of temper and paranoia, he orders all the male infants to be slaughtered. Jesus only escapes just in time.

I wonder if the inscriptions in the tomb refer to any of this. Probably not. Herod liked to be called Great – a title that he was given by the Romans. He was a tyrant who murdered his family, as well as his opponents. He was so ruthless that is was said, "It is better to be Herod's hog than to be his son." He died a lonely and fearful man.

When the apostle John was writing his letter to the Christian church, he reminded Christ’s followers that not everyone who said that they believed in Christ actually were believers. At that time, Christians were being hunted down and persecuted. Church people were betraying other Christians to the Roman authorities and informers had infiltrated local congregations. John was cautioning the Christian community to remain alert and to sift out these traitors. Whoever talked the talk about faith, but did not walk the walk of faith was suspected of being a liar. John doesn’t mince his words or pull his punches. Like Jesus before him, John considered a true believer as one who had faith and whose life witnessed to Christ through the fruits of that faith.

So, I guess the challenge for us today is this: do we put on a good show and say that we believe in Jesus, or can we back up our Christian profession with real fruits of faith?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, like Herod, we all live and we all die. Our lives are filled with acts and deeds that either exalt You or betray You. Help us to re-examine ourselves and seek to do Your good each day. Enable and empower us to walk in faith, and not just talk about faith. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.