The man who wanted to kill Christmas

He was the powerful and cruel king of Judea; his name was Herod.

Soon after he ascended the throne, he killed guerrillas who terrorized the countryside.

He removed anyone — including his mother-in-law, two of his sons and his wife — who got in his way and whom he thought was a threat to him. He was a killer; human life meant nothing to him.

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A smooth talker with a special ability to win over his opponents, he was so afraid of losing his position.

So he ordered thousands of slaves to build fortresses. Plus, he had a network of spies who eliminated anyone whom he thought wanted his crown.

He was also awfully greedy and wanted to have everything. He built seven palaces, and seven huge theaters, one of which could seat 300,000 people!

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When he was slowly dying of a disease, some important men from the east arrived—the magi.

These intelligent stargazers asked Herod a strange question:  “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.”

Herod might have thought, But I am the King of the Jews! He was so disturbed.

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He called all the ministers and religious leaders to find out if the Bible had anything to say about a coming King. He wanted to know where this rumored king was born. They responded: (Matthew 2:5-6)

“In Bethlehem in Judea, for this is what the prophet has written: ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’”

Ugh! Herod winced. His throne was in danger!

He had to act. He called the magi and found out from them the exact time the star they were following had appeared. He also requested them to please come back and tell him where they found the child, so that Herod may also go and worship Him.

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Off the magi went. The star led them to the exact house Jesus was in. When they found Jesus, they bowed down, worshipped him, and offered him expensive gifts because they knew that the little boy would someday rule the world.

They were warned in a dream, however, not to go back to Herod; they returned to the east through another way.

Realizing that he had been fooled, Herod was furious. He ordered the murder of all males less than two years of age! And there was great weeping in the land.

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But nobody could stop God’s plan.

Little Jesus grew up to be the opposite of Herod. He used his power not to kill, but to help others and show love.

Despite his wealth and power, Herod came to ruin in the end—his body was infected with a painful disease.

Jesus, after a life of poverty and no throne, was killed on a lowly wooden cross. But unlike Herod, who caused massive bloodshed among hordes of people, Jesus shed his own blood for you, me, and everyone in the world.

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Nobody could kill Christmas. Not even a powerful human king like Herod. So let’s worship the only reason for Christmas: JESUS. Merry Christmas!

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