Advent devotion: Poles Apart - Mark 6:20

Mark 6:20       Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him.

            Even evil people know the truth when they hear it. King Herod was no exception. Like his wicked father before him, he was a cruel despot who retained his power by wiping out his enemies. He was also a puppet-king who sovereignty solely depended on the reports of the Roman Governor and the whims of the Emperor. If Herod did anything to displease the Romans, he would have been immediately assassinated or executed. On the other hand, if he did anything which displeased the people, he could always rely upon the Roman garrison to back him up.

            Herod’s fascination with John the Baptist is full of contradictions. He imprisons John for preaching against Herod and his wife, and yet the king visits him in prison because he liked to listen to him. He was a despotic ruler who ruthlessly crushed his enemies, and yet he is afraid of John because he speaks the truth. Herod is used to being pampered in his palaces and lives a life of luxury; John, however, is the exact opposite – he lives in the rough outdoors, surviving on locusts and wild honey. The two men are worlds and poles apart – and yet Herod protects John because likes to listen to him.

            I wonder what would have happened if Herod had not made the rash promise which resulted in John’s beheading. Would Herod have eventually repented and been restored to God? If so, would he have intervened on Christ’s behalf or kept him protected as a prisoner so that the king could listen to the carpenter? We’ll never know, but at some point in his life, Herod listened to what God had to say through John; his only trouble was this: he never fully accepted or personally applied the truth of John’s words.

            As we approach Christmas, our churches become fuller because of the special programs and great festivals that take place in our sanctuaries. People like to listen to the Christmas carols and hear the Christmas story. However, just like Herod in the past, they miss the wonderful opportunity to make a direct connection to God through Jesus. They like listening to Christ’s words; they’re just not ready to live accordingly.

Questions for personal reflection

What truths do the Gospels convey to me, especially during this season of Advent and Christmas? Do I like listening to them, or am I willing to go further and live by them?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, speak Your Truth to us throughout this season of Advent. Allow our hearts and minds to embrace Your words and to live according to the challenges that they contain. Be with us and strengthen our faith in You this day. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask questions about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is John’s latest nativity drawing called “Long Ago.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: Long Ago.

Erin Church Sermon: Epiphany

Taking Our Treasures to Christ

There’s a phenomena that we call in Scotland “Scots’ Mist.” It occurs in the middle of a summer’s day when suddenly a dark cloud envelops the top of a mountain. The cloud is jet black and anyone who is unlucky enough to be on top of the mountain at that time is quickly overwhelmed in absolute darkness. An electrical storm usually ensues and the cloud remains over the mountain for a while. From the outside, it looks dark and ominous. From the inside, it’s fearful and terrifying.

I’ve only once been caught in it with a bunch of Scouts on the Campsie hills just above Glasgow. When the Scots’ mist came down, our summer’s day was turned into a winter’s night. We stopped hiking and just waited until it went away. When we started to hike again, we suddenly realized that we were on a cliff edge. If we had kept walking during the mist, we would have fallen over a hundred feet to our certain deaths.

Isaiah 60:2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you.

For the people of the Old Testament, the absence of light and the darkness of night were times of fear, superstition, and vulnerability. They didn’t have our instant electric bulbs and streetlamps. Whenever the oil ran out or a candle was finally snuffed, they had no light to keep out the dark. They were completely enveloped in the darkness and shadows of their own homes. And unless it was a beautiful starlit night, no one ventured outside of the protection of their own homes.

Hopelessness was imagined as a darkness of the soul. Illness and death, trouble and turmoil were regarded as dark passages of life, where no brightness of light could penetrate. Even in death, there was no hope. The Jews believed that all souls went down into the depths of the earth to a place of shadows, where eventually their spirits would wander in the darkness for all of eternity. There was little hope in life, and there was no hope in death.

In the Church of Scotland Book of Common order, there’s a great phrase that goes something like this: “we were not meant for the darkness of death, but for the light of life.” I use it as funerals, for it’s a reminder that God created us to be creatures of His everlasting light, not beings that are bound for a dungeon of eternal darkness.

In this passage from Isaiah, written at a time when the Jewish people had lost all hope of returning to the Promised Land, God declares through the prophet that the darkness which threatens to cover the whole earth will not overwhelm them. The Lord God, who has delivered and been with His people for centuries, will still remain loyal to them. He will rise above the people; He will brighten their futures, He will bring and become the Light of the World. As Isaiah writes in another passage: to the people walking in darkness, He will be their great light.”

Light becomes the symbol of hope to the people in the midst of dark and uncertain times. Light becomes the hope for a community that has lost its way. Light becomes the sign that the Lord is amongst them and that He will lead them again to the Promised Land. Light is what is needed in the hearts and souls of the people. Light frees them from the darkness of despair, tyranny, and hopelessness. Light is God’s first act of love and His final revelation.

And so, seven centuries later, when some astrologers look at the Western sky, they see a great light, a new light, a remarkable light…one which attracts them and leads them. One that captivates their hearts and souls, One that sets them on a quest, for when such a star is created in the heavens, then it can only mean one thing: that a new king, a great king, a godly king has been born on earth.

Matthew 2:2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

So this group of astrologers and mathematicians called Magi head west following the star. At some point they realize that they are near to the city of Jerusalem, so they presume that the new king who has been born must have been born at the royal palace. This must mean that they stop following the star, either because it’s too cloudy to see anything in the sky, or they feel that their calculations are slightly off course. Whatever their reason, it made them stop in Jerusalem, to seek the local king and find his newborn son.

A lot has been made about this diversion on their journey. Years ago, I preached a sermon that suggested that this was an example of how believing in astrology can take you down the wrong path. I even mentioned that those who read their horoscopes each day are doing an unchristian thing and that this incident with the wise men proved my point. If astrology was so good at predicting the future, then why do the wisemen make such a disastrous mistake?

These days I don’t see it that way at all, but the detour into Jerusalem still puzzles me. Were they predestined to make this mistake? Did God plan this detour, and if He did, what was its purpose? Did God plan to upset Herod and all Jerusalem with him by revealing that a new king outside of the palace had been born? Was this God’s way of telling Herod that his reign was coming to an end and that the real kingdom of heaven was just about to be ushered in?

The more I thought about this, the more perplexed I became. What was God up to letting a fearful tyrant like Herod know of His plans? Why was it so important for the wisemen to go to the wrong place, at the wrong time, and in front of the wrong king?

And then when I read and re-read Herod’s request to the wisemen, it all became quite clear. Look at verse 8 and see what the king says:
Matthew 2:8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

It’s not about astrology, or mistaken calculations. It’s not about confronting Herod with an advanced warning that God’s kingdom is imminent. It’s not about upsetting the king and the people in Jerusalem that a revolution was about to occur. It’s about what Jesus actually represented: salvation through God’s grace. Herod the tyrant is actually being given an opportunity to repent of his ways, accept God’s forgiveness, and sincerely come and worship Jesus! This is an incident of amazing grace, where Christ’s vulnerability is at stake. The Lamb of God has no protection, but Herod has the opportunity to use his free will to make amends, to fix his life, to come before God, and seek forgiveness. God didn’t have to let the wisemen go to Jerusalem, but in order to give Herod the chance to be redeemed they had to turn up at his palace.

Can you imagine what would have happened if Herod had accepted that moment of grace? Christ would have been brought up in a palace where forgiveness and love, restoration and redemption were experienced. He would have been a Prince of Peace amongst His people and Christianity would have traveled along a different path. God’s grace knows no bounds. Any sinner, even one as cruel, adulterous, and as murderous as Herod could be forgiven, but the key to salvation does not lie in the gift or the giver. The key to salvation, as always, lie in the response of the one to whom it is given.

Sadly, and perhaps predictably, Herod did not grasp at this godly opportunity. Too many years of tyranny and cruelty kept him from recognizing this gift and realizing his salvation. Instead, he chose to use the moment secretly and insincerely. Rather than worship the Christ child, he simply wanted to kill him.

Mathew 2:11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

So the wisemen travel on. They see the star again and rejoice. This time they will not lose sight of it. This time they will reach their goal. And so they come to the house where the child was and bow down to worship Him. And not only do they worship Him, they present their treasures to Him, offering gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

A lot has been said about these gifts. Because Christ is the King of Kings He deserves a gift worthy of a king. Gold was the most valuable and precious metal of that time, so they offer Christ their money.

Incense was used by priests in their temples as a means of offering a sweet perfume to God, to please Him and to ask His favor. As Christ would become known as the high priest of Melchizedek in years to come, this gift was also highly appropriate.

Myrrh was used as an ointment, not just to embalm dead bodies, but also as an instrument of healing. Christ would be known as the Healer of the Nations, so this gift was also worthy of Him.

It all happened so long ago and we delight at Christmas when we see images and receive cards that depict this wonderful scene of three wisemen offering their gifts to Christ. But how do we apply this lesson, this story in our own lives. How do we encounter and experience a moment of Epiphany, of transformation and revelation in our own faith.

We also bring our treasures to Jesus. We may not have gold coins or bars to give Him, but we do have money. When we give an offering to the church each week, we’re actually humbling ourselves before Jesus and worshiping Him. When we place our tithes and gifts in the offering plate, we’re saying to Jesus, “I want You to have this because You are my King.” We don’t do it routinely or dutifully, we give it to Him cheerfully and gladly because Christ is the head of this church and he is the King of this congregation.

We may not have perfume or incense to offer to Christ, but we are all priests in His eyes. He looks to us to please God by ministering to one another and serving the community where we live. If we work effectively, sincerely, and faithfully as Christians in our homes, our schools, and our workplaces then we become the sweetness of Christ to the world. God will favor our good works, not to bring success to ourselves, but to attract other people to His Son Jesus Christ. If we offer our lives as something beautiful to God, then we will make a positive difference in our community and in our world.

We may have myrrh to offer to Christ, but we can be healers in our homes, with our families and friends. We can learn to say sorry and seek forgiveness for our mistakes. We can repair our damaged relationships and look for peace with our partners. We can take the high road of forgiving those who hurt us and restoring those who have disappointed us, instead of carrying bitterness and resentment, hostility and hatred in our hearts.

We have all these treasures to bring to Christ, but it is up to us to give them. Are we going to be wisemen and women and offer Christ our all, or will we choose to reject this time of Epiphany and grace, and become a Herod? As always, the choice is ours and ours alone. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Daily Devotions: Equal to God

King Herod met an ignoble end for claiming to be equal to God. Are our presidential candidates in danger of going down the same path?

Podcast version here

Acts 12:23 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.

It’s a gory end to a cruel king. The executioner of John the Baptist and the mocker of Christ finally gets his just deserts. He’s reigned over his people with the same acts of cruelty and control that his father displayed before him. Herod bites the dust in a horrific way and nobody feels pity for the tyrant.

Why does God punish him like this? What finally pushes God over the edge to intervene and cause Herod to die in agony? From Luke’s account, it appears to be pride that has caused Herod’s fatal downfall. He is enjoying the applause of his people for persecuting the Christians. He rides that wave of popularity and makes a wonderful speech. His sycophantic audience proclaims that they have just heard a god speak, but instead of disclaiming this, Herod allows his narcissism to embrace the compliments. And that’s when God acts: Herod is struck down because he is claiming to be divine, something that he would not acknowledge about Jesus, he now claims as his own. It’s the age old temptation that goes back to the Garden of Eden – sinfully claiming to be equal to God.

As I watched the victorious candidates relish their moment of glory for winning the Iowa caucuses, I was struck by their oratorical skills. Each of them had something powerful to say and they expressed it eloquently. However, what I can’t remember hearing was any of them giving thanks to God for what they had achieved. That makes me both worry and wonder about the candidates. Are they getting so powerful that they forget the source of their power?

It will be interesting to see how the rest of this presidential campaign develops. I hope that one of them acknowledges the hand of God in their road to the Whitehouse. Leaders who lead without being led by God can end up ignoring both the wishes of the people and the will of God. Let’s hope and pray that some sort of humility before God will be sincerely evident amongst these politicians in the days to come.

Prayer: Lord God, these are exciting times for our nation, as well as being serious. We pray that a leader will truly rise up who acknowledges Your hand over their lives. Bless us as a nation with strong candidates and great leaders, but remind us that our hopes lie within You, and not with ourselves or our leaders. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.