My favorite Christmas movie is “Jingle All The Way” with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad. They go toe to toe fighting for the last “Action Man” action figure for a gift for their kid. Over the course of their fighting, they completely lose sight of what Christmas is really all about. To me, the movie is the perfect encapsulation of the internal battle we all face around the holidays between how the world wants us to live our lives and how God wants us to live our lives. We see this battle from the biblical side of things as well. The Christmas story is often depicted as a peaceful, serene event with shepherds, angels, and a manger. Yet, as we will see, beneath the surface there was a clash of kingdoms between God’s heavenly kingdom and Herod’s earthly kingdom.
1. What is your favorite Christmas movie to watch each year?
2. Read Matthew 2:13-18. What stands out to you about Herod’s reaction to the news of Jesus’ birth?
Matthew 2:13-18 says, “Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’ And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.’ 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. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: ‘A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.’”
In Matthew 2:13-18, we encounter King Herod, a worldly ruler whose paranoia and desire for power unleashed an assault that threatened the newborn King, Jesus. King Herod had heard rumors of this “king of the Jews” being born (Matthew 2:2). King Herod’s original plan was to have the wise men find out where Jesus had been born and report back to him so that he could have Jesus killed. However, when the wise men never return to him, he realizes that they have betrayed him. So, he orders all boys two years old and under to be killed. We see King Herod here being controlled by his fear and his pride. The birth of the Savior happened, and all King Herod could do was worry about himself and hold tight to the power that he had.
3. Why do you think Herod saw a baby as such a threat to his power?
4. What does this reveal about the nature of our own sinful hearts?
It seems as if King Herod knew what Scripture said about the Messiah being born, and His understanding was that the Messiah was going to be an earthly king. This would mean that He would be out of power when this baby finally grew up and took his throne. This is the way that our sin wants us to react to the thought of Jesus as King of our own lives. Instead of surrendering control of our lives to Jesus, we react by trying to keep control of our own lives even more. We start focusing on all the wrong things other than Jesus Himself. I think the Christmas season can even magnify our selfish hearts even more. We take a time of year that is supposed to be focused on our Savior’s birth and instead get distracted by everything that the world around us makes Christmas all about.
5. In what ways do you see yourself in the reaction of King Herod?
6. Herod’s fear drove him to violence. What fears might tempt us to resist God’s work in our lives, and how can we overcome them?
John 18:36 says, “Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.’”
7. Why was it so significant that Jesus was born to establish a heavenly Kingdom instead of a kingdom of this world?
Everybody thought that Jesus had come to establish an earthly kingdom, but He reminds His disciples in this verse that His Kingdom is not of this world. He was sent to establish a heavenly Kingdom that operates in a completely different way than the world was accustomed to. Jesus came in humility to be a sacrifice for us, not to rule an earthly kingdom. We see these things through God’s Kingdom, which was brought to Earth through humility and grace as Jesus was born in that stable.
8. Re-read Matthew 2:13-15. Contrast Herod’s response with Joseph’s obedience in these verses.
9. How is Joseph’s reaction a picture of how we should respond to Christ?
Joseph continued to put His full faith in God. When God told him to go to Egypt and stay there, that is what they did, and it protected them from death. When the world tells us God cannot be trusted, we must remind ourselves that He is in full control. As believers, we have to realize that we are not the rulers of our own lives. We have to be willing to lay down our pride and put our lives in the hands of Jesus. Joseph could have decided that he knew what was best for his life, but instead, he willingly humbled himself to God’s commands. God’s Kingdom and the earthly kingdoms are always going to fight for our allegiance.
Romans 12:1-2 says, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
10. How can you better protect yourself from being “conformed to this world” and better put yourself in a position to be “transformed” in these ways from Romans 12:1-2?
11. Where do you see the values of God’s Kingdom clashing with the values of the world in your own life?
Christ’s mission advanced.
This clash continues today as the values of God’s Kingdom (justice, mercy, and humility) confront the world’s pursuit of power, wealth, and self-interest. The story of Jesus’ birth and the Christmas season is such an important reminder for us as believers to keep our eyes fixed on Christ. We can too easily find ourselves acting no different than the rest of the world that does not know Jesus. We need to keep Him at the center not only at Christmas, but of our everyday lives. The kingdom of this world and the Kingdom of God will always be at odds. Let us make sure that we find ourselves fighting on the side of the one true King.