The Feast of the Epiphany Preserving the Kingdom Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen. In the Gospel for the Feast of the Epiphany, “When Herod the king heard [of the new King’s birth], he was troubled.” Dear Christian friends: God’s Old Testament depicts King David as a forerunner of Christ Jesus our Lord. God presents David as the shape, the shadow, and the basic outline of the sort of king we should expect our Messiah to be (Ezekiel 34:23-24). In David, we see our first picture of Christ the Good Shepherd (Psalm 23, John 10:11-18), the courageous, sacrificial King who places his own life between the flock of sheep and the attacking lion or bear (1 Samuel 17:34-37). David is an imperfect picture of Christ our perfect King. Only Christ is sinless (Hebrews 4:15); David displayed his many sins: • You remember that terrible chain of events involving Bathsheba and her husband Uriah (2 Samuel 11). • Less famous is David’s greater sin of doubting God and ignoring the divine command that David should NOT count the fighting men of Israel (1 Chronicles 21). • More to the point for this evening, David also orchestrated the death of his own son. Absalom had risen in rebellion against his father David, threatening the kingdom and the throne. David convinced himself that only death of his son would solve the problem, so he sent the most notorious killers in his kingdom out on a deadly mission. When he said to the assassins, “Be gentle with Absalom” (2 Samuel 18:5), he essentially meant, “Make sure the boy dies quickly.” When David wept at Absalom’s death, he was warned not to be a hypocrite (2 Samuel 19:1-7). Why did Absalom die? Because David felt like he needed to preserve everything he had worked to build in his life. Why did Absalom die? Because not even Christians are able, by their own reason or strength, to trust the promises of God. Why did Absalom die? Because insecure people lash out and achieve their sensations of security by destroying others. Why did Absalom die? Herod knew exactly why: After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. The kingdom is threatened. The kingdom must be preserved. Someone’s child must die: And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, the wise men departed to their own country by another way. Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men (Matthew 2:12, 16). When David walked before the Lord “in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart” (1 Kings 3:6), he showed himself to be the Lord’s king par excellence; a living prophecy of Christ, the King whom God had promised of old. When David set aside God’s promises—when David chose the insecurity of his own fears over the security that comes through faith in God’s promises—David became the polar opposite of the Promised King. David became Herod, as it were, and men lost their lives on his account. After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. By placing Herod the king before us in tonight’s Gospel, God the Father is providing us with a contrast so that we may see the Christ, His chosen and promised King, with greater clarity. In Christ there is no insecurity. In Christ there is no fear. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end (Luke 1:32b-33). Christ Jesus our King establishes His kingdom, not with the blood of others, but with His own blood, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins” (Matthew 26:28). King Jesus preserves His kingdom, not with a sword in His hand, but “the mark of the nails in His hand” (John 20:25). In Christ you have a King who requires nothing from you for the sake of His security. In Christ you have a King who gives everything to you for the sake of your security, both now and forevermore. “And going into the house they saw the Child.” Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory!” (Revelation 19:6-7a) _______________________________________________ Sermons mailing list [email protected] http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
