When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
I have read this line before, but I don't remember seeing the last part of it; and all Jerusalem with him. What do these words mean? I understand Herod's concern for he was worried about keeping his throne. But why was all Jerusalem disturbed as well?
When I first recognized Jesus for who He really was, when my life was turned around and I began to follow Him, everything changed. I can recall family members making fun of my new found religion. I was called a 'holy roller', Jesus freak and was given a few other choice monikers. I didn't understand the reason for I initially thought they would be happy.
The situation is similar for Herod. He was fearful that everything would change. He was disturbed by the way in which people reacted to the news of the birth of this child. The Life Application Bible Notes reveals: "In some he awakened spiritual longs; in others, fear and insecurity."
Jesus still has this effect on the world. Herod knew the Jewish people expected the Messiah to come soon and many expected a great military leader, so Herod was afraid. Today, we expect Jesus to return to claim his people again. So, when one of us changes and begins to embrace Jesus as Savior, the world around us changes too. And we all know how we feel about change...
There is a teaching in the Christian recovery world which speaks of hope and of Jesus Christ as that hope. When we embrace the living Hope, Jesus, as our Higher Power we are to expect to change.
Read Matthew 2 here
Listen to Mathew 2 here
No comments:
Post a Comment