Ask Pastor Mike Fabarez

Speaker 1

At Christmas time, as the Nativity story is retold in song and film, we often hear mention of an ancient political figure named Herod.

But who was he? Is he the same Herod who later took part in Jesus' arrest and crucifixion?

It's a helpful and historical Q and A. Coming up on Ask Pastor M.

Speaker 1

Welcome to Focal Point. I'm your host, Dave Droue. And today we're going to take a seat in the pastor's study to hear Pastor Mike Favarez clarify some important background information from the Nativity story.

We're diving into the political climate and structure of ancient Israel to gain a better grasp on one of the key figures, King Herod. So grab a cup of something warm and settle in for a fascinating discussion.

To help start this conversation, here's Focal Point's executive director, Jay Wurton.

Speaker 2

Jay.

Speaker 2

Thank you, Dave. I am here with Pastor Mike and Pastor Mike.

You know, when we read the Bible, we see a lot of different men called Herod. You know, when Jesus was born, there was a Herod.

Then later, as an adult, there's more Herods roaming around. What is going on with all the Herods?

Speaker 3

There is a lot of Herods. Herod was known as the king, the king of Palestine, the king of the ancient land of Israel. Now, remember, this is during the Roman leadership of the world as we know it at that time. And so we had an emperor in Rome, Caesar Augustus, and then he had a king that governed the land of Israel. And of course, there were even governors beneath him. You think about Quirinius in the book of Luke when we talk about the Nativity story when Jesus was born.

But Herod is the king, the king of the land. He was born in Edom, which is in modern Jordan, and became a very, very powerful king. And so that name was transferred then to a number of people in the Bible and outside of the Bible, some that aren't mentioned in the Bible. But it became a name just to be known for that class of leader, that family of leader.

And from what I recall, it means hero. Herod is, you know, that's how they love to name themselves and their leaders. This is our hero.

Speaker 2

They think highly of themselves.

Speaker 3

They do. And so Herod, when you read Herod in the Bible, you need to stop and ask yourself, who are we talking about? The one that is prominent at the time of Jesus' birth is Herod the Great. He was a ruthless leader. As a matter of fact, he was a kind of man you wouldn't want to be in his family. He killed two of his wives and three of his sons.

That's one reason his boss, Caesar Augustus, had popularized a Greek pun saying it's better to be Herod's hus than Herod's huios. And that's just a play on words. "Hus" means pig in Greek, and "huios" means son. It was a funny play on words because Herod had adopted all the dietary restrictions of the Jews, so he wouldn't eat pigs.

So if you were his pig, you were safe. But if you were his son, if you were any threat to him, you might get killed. So better to be Herod's pig than his son. Better to be his hus than his huios.

Speaker 2

Well, not a great thing to be known for. So what kind of person was he? What kind of leader was he? What did he do as part of his kingship?

Speaker 3

Well, yeah, he was very interested in ingratiating himself to the Jews of the day. He wanted to be seen as the, you know, powerful king of the Jews. I mean, that's what he wanted to be called. That's what he was called. He was the king of the Jewish land, and he wanted to be the king of the Jews.

So if you remember, after the Babylonian captivity, we had the rebuilding of the temple by Ezra and Zerubbabel in the Old Testament. We'll read about it in Ezra, Nehemiah. And so he came in, and one thing he did is he threw a massive amount of money into rebuilding the temple, and that ingratiated himself to the Jewish people.

Now, remember, he was born in Edom, I said, which is in modern Jordan. So he was an outsider in some ways, and he was viewed as suspicious by a lot of the Jews. But because he gave so many rights to the Jews, at least within the purview of what he thought was okay, and put so much money into the temple, he was hailed as a leader. If you wanted to be on the right side of the powers that be, you better be in with the king of the Jews. You better be in with Herod the Great.

But again, he was such a ruthless man, but a man with a lot of power. He wielded all of the riches of Rome. He built places like Masada. You can remember Masada. He built the fortified buildings in Jerusalem and Jericho. He built homes in Caesarea, that amazing port there. They call it Caesarea Maritime. It was an amazing ancient port. If you go there today, you can see the ruins of all that. Herod was responsible for all that. He built massive and enduring fortresses and put a lot of money into Israel.

So when he was born and ascended to this great power, he didn't want any threats. And that takes us to the story of the birth of Christ.

Speaker 2

Right when Jesus comes on the scene, he's trying to kill him.

Speaker 3

And the magi were coming, saying, hey, where's the one known as the King of the Jews? Well, he's the King of the Jews. That's why he has such a hard time.

Remember, he killed two of his wives and three of his sons because he felt threatened in his power. And so he was going to go after this supposed King of the Jews.

And that's why he sought to exterminate anyone that fit the profile, being born in the city, which of course was Bethlehem. It was a terrible time of him doing what he did, and as a ruthless leader, he would do whatever it takes to maintain his power and have everyone bow the knee to him.

Speaker 2

Herod was a bad guy. He wanted to kill all the babies that were two years and younger. And so Jesus and his family flees to Egypt, but they come back from Egypt. Why did they come back? And who's in charge then?

Speaker 3

It wasn't long after Jesus was born that Herod the Great died. And so his kingdom was split up. He'd heard Joseph did that. Herod was dead, the one who wanted to have Jesus killed. And God led him back to Israel.

But when he got back to the land of Israel, he learned that his son, Archelaus, Herod the Great's son, Archelaus, was on the throne. It says in Matthew chapter two. So being afraid again that he was the son of Herod, he was going to probably have the same kind of vehemence against Jesus as his dad did. He went to Nazareth.

So he was led to Nazareth by God to raise the child there, which, of course, was what God's plan was the whole time. But Herod, in splitting up the kingdom, had one of his sons there on the throne in Jerusalem. And it was a problem, at least in the mind of Joseph, to say, "I can't raise my son here."

Speaker 2

But he wasn't the only Herod that was ruling at that time.

Speaker 3

No, there were four Herods at that point. We call them tetrarchs, four different leaders that, you know, Herod the Great was such a powerful leader that his kingdom was divided up.

And you have in Scripture a few of them mentioned. Aristobulus is one that's not mentioned in Scripture. Archelaus is mentioned in Matthew chapter two, the one you hear about often.

In the life of Jesus is Herod Antipas. Sometimes he's just called the tetrarch, sometimes he's just called Herod. But Herod Antipas is the one that we deal with in the life of Jesus. He's the one that's a constant problem, really, as a leader. That's kind of like Herod the Great that has a problem with any kind of uprising against his authority.

Speaker 2

Where is he ruling?

Speaker 3

Herod Antipas ruled over the area of Galilee and what the Bible calls Perea, which is the area east of the Jordan River. And that's why we see so much interaction between Jesus and Herod Antipas, because Jesus' ministry, so much of it was in the northern region of Israel around Galilee. As the Bible says, Herod Antipas was not keen at all on Jesus. As a matter of fact, in Luke 13, the Pharisees come to Jesus and say, "Herod wants to kill you." The Herod there is, again, not Herod the Great; it's Herod the Great's son, one of his sons named Antipas. He was out to kill Jesus, just like Herod the Great was when Jesus was a baby.

Then, when Jesus is being passed back and forth between Pilate and Herod, you might remember the scene of his crucifixion and trial. That's Herod. It keeps saying, "Herod, Herod, Herod." That's Herod Antipas. Herod Antipas is interesting in this story because Jesus is from Galilee. Herod is there, of course, for the Passover feast, as everyone would be, and he would be concerned about being there at the right time of the year for this holiday. When Pilate hears that Jesus is from Herod's jurisdiction, because Herod Antipas oversaw the northern part of Israel over Galilee, he sends him to Herod.

Here's what Luke says: Herod was glad. He had long desired to see Jesus. He'd heard about him and was hoping to see some sign done by him. So he questioned him at some length. That scene of Herod and Jesus was a meeting that had been long coming. Jesus had heard that Herod Antipas wanted to kill him, and he said, "Doesn't matter. It's not going to happen. I'm going to go and finish my course." You might remember that. But now he's face to face with Herod Antipas.

Again, you have to keep in mind that this is three decades plus after Herod the Great had tried to kill the babies in Bethlehem. Herod the Great is the one that tries to kill Jesus, while Herod Antipas is the one we read so much about in the story of Jesus' life, culminating in the trial of Jesus before his crucifixion.

Speaker 2

It sounds like Herod Antipas took up just after his father. I mean, you mentioned he killed John the Baptist.

Speaker 1

Yeah.

Speaker 3

And you remember the story of Herod Antipas killing John the Baptist or having him killed. He did it in a situation. He put John the Baptist in prison because he didn't like what John the Baptist was preaching about his relationship, his wife. And because of all the issues of divorce and remarriage and all that was going on, he didn't like what John was preaching.

He didn't kill him until, of course, remember the scene of dancing on his birthday? It talks about Herod having a birthday with a banquet with the nobles and all of that. Herodias' daughter came and danced and pleased Herod. And he's probably drunk, and he says, "What do you want?" Mom makes her rather ask Dad, Herod Antipas, to have John the Baptist's head on a platter. So that's how John the Baptist dies.

And that was a painful thing for Jesus to recall in Mark, chapter six, as he's thinking through what's happening. I mean, he's grieving over the loss of John the Baptist being killed there. And it's a terrible scene.

Yeah, Herod in that case wasn't just bloodthirsty. His wife was more trying to shut up John the Baptist. And yet, of course, he was a lot like his dad. He wasn't interested in any rivals, and he certainly didn't want anybody insulting him, which is what John the Baptist's preaching was doing.

Speaker 2

So a few times we have these people that come on the scene called the Herodians. How do they relate to the Herods?

Speaker 3

The Herodians were a group of politically minded people within Israel in the first century who supported Herod, specifically Herod Antipas and the family of the Herods. They aimed to adapt themselves to the existing power structures and were part of the aristocracy within Israel, seeking to take advantage of the powers that existed.

In a notable scene, the Herodians attempted to trap Jesus by asking him whether it was lawful to pay tribute to Caesar. Jesus skillfully navigated this question by pointing out the coin's inscription and asking whose image it bore. He famously replied, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and give to God what is God's," which effectively silenced his critics at that moment. The Herodians were involved in this attempt to entrap Jesus, and they were among many competing factions in the first century, including the Sadducees, Pharisees, scribes, and Zealots, all of whom were looking for reasons to condemn him.

The Herodians essentially advocated for adapting to the existing powers and making the best of the situation by ingratiating themselves with the power structure of Herod's family. It is also important to note that there were more Herods mentioned beyond the Gospels. In the Book of Acts, we encounter two additional Herods: Herod Agrippa I, referred to simply as Herod in the early chapters, and Herod Agrippa II, before whom Paul makes his defense in the latter part of Acts.

Thus, we see a lineage of Herods spanning three or four generations in the biblical narrative. Herod the Great is associated with the infancy narrative of Christ, while Herod Antipas is the primary figure in the Gospels. Additionally, Herod Agrippa appears in the early chapters of Acts, and King Agrippa II is mentioned at the end of the book in chapters 25 and 26. This creates a complex structure of leadership, and while a secular study might reveal even more Herods, the biblical narrative aligns with historical accounts, including the history of Rome and the ancient Near East, highlighting these key figures within the biblical story.

Speaker 2

Well, thank you, Pastor Mike. I know that can be quite a convoluted system there on the Herods, but hopefully that will help unravel a little bit about what was going on and clear up some of the confusion at the time of Jesus's birth and later on in his ministry and obviously afterwards in the book of Acts.

So thanks for that. And we're going to get back to Dave. Take it away.

Speaker 1

Well, thanks, Jay. And Pastor Mike. That was certainly enlightening. And to follow up with that discussion we're going to hear a little bit from a sermon Mike delivered on a similar topic titled Christmas on a Budget.

Speaker 4

Verse number one of Luke chapter two says, "In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered." This was the first registration when Quirinius was the governor of Syria. And they all went to be registered, each to his own town.

Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth to Judah, in the city of David, which is called Bethlehem. Why did he do that? Well, because he was from the house and lineage of David, the great king of the Old Testament. He went to be registered with Mary, verse 5 says, his betrothed who was with child. She was pregnant because they were under authority.

Now, I know this is the ultimate authority, the emperor of Rome, Caesar Augustus. But they were faithful, obedient citizens. Even when it was uncomfortable, they were forced to go on a journey they did not want to go on. They were not free to do what they wanted.

And there are a lot of times in our lives—jot this down, if you would—number one on your outline: when we are not free to do what we want. We want to be free, but we're not free. We're all under authority. They could not get out from underneath the decree.

Speaker 3

They.

Speaker 4

They dutifully respond to it because they're not free to do what they want. You don't want to go on a traveling trip with your pregnant wife or fiancée when she's about to give birth, but that's what they do. And you and I are not free to do everything we want to do because we're under authority and under constraints as well.

Why did God do that? Why in the world would God make Mary, who he so highly favored, according to Gabriel? Why would God make Mary take an 80-mile, 85-mile donkey ride when she was about to give birth?

Number one, on your outline, we said this: When you're not free to do what you want, here's what you need to do. The second half of that point is that you need to trust in God's sovereignty. You need to trust in God's sovereignty.

Now here's the thing. When you're not free to do what you want, I'm assuming you complain like most people do. I'm assuming you feel like this is a big detour. I don't want to do this. I get that we feel that way, but wouldn't it be neat to go up to Mary, you know, halfway through her donkey ride, and say, "Listen, I know you don't want this detour. But this detour, whether you've noticed it or not, is God's way to sovereignly fulfill his purpose in your life, which is to make sure you have this kid in the place, the Messiah, in the place that he promised the prophet over 400 years ago. So we need you to be there so God can fulfill his promise."

As inconvenient of a detour as this may feel like, the Bible says this: it's a great word. Soon, Argo, he is going to work together in your life all the unpleasant things, all the detours, all the things that you don't necessarily care for, to do something good in fulfilling his purpose for you.

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You.

Speaker 4

So here's a pregnant Mary almost 100.

Speaker 3

Miles from her house.

Speaker 4

**Verse 6, Luke 2.** While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger because there was no place for them in the inn. Now there is no room. In the end, I tell you what would have solved the problem. Money. Money would have solved the problem. Here's the thing. They didn't have much. So this baby may starve to death in a stable. No, no, no, no, no. There's no way God is going to let Christ starve. And there's no way Mary and Joseph aren't going to have dinner. They're going to be taken care of. Why? Because God is faithful to take care of his children.

Number two. Let's put that down as the compliment. When you can't afford better, you need to stop and remember God's faithfulness. Because God has promised to be faithful to you, to give attention to you, even though he won't fill your level that you want, right? What you need to do is to recognize this. I need to go back to the promise of God that he'll take care of my needs.

**Verse 8, Luke 2, verse 8.** It says in the same region there were shepherds out in the field keeping watch over their flocks at night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them.

**Verse 9.** And the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear, as you would be. And the angel said, fear not. For behold, there is, Ooh, angelion. There's the word. We get evangelism and evangelical and all of that. That good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a savior who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you. You'll find the baby wrapped not in a baby blanket, but in strips of cloth and lying in a feeding trough. And there's not many of those in Bethlehem, so go find his kid and off they go.

Now, what's interesting about this, and let me underscore this part of it, okay? You've just had the King of Kings born. Not in a hotel, not in a hospital, not in the family home, in an outback cave or a stable, and the kid's in a feeding trough. And they're not even at home. They're hundreds of, you know, 100 miles almost from home. And now you're going to call for a baby shower. And who do you invite? You invite the shepherds, right? Well, what good are the shepherds?

What is it? It's a reminder to us about the cohort, the party, the team, the gang that God calls together and reminds us that oftentimes you want some influential, powerful friends around you. God doesn't call any of those; he calls the poorest, most uninfluential people in society. I put it this way.

Number three. When you don't have powerful friends, when you're not in the circle you want to be in, you're not in the in-group, you don't have the connections you want. We're talking about slogans we try to live by as Americans. Life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness. Money makes the world go round. Here's one: it's not what you know, it's who you know. That was one I remember hearing as a kid thinking, whatever. That's kind of weird. Well, then you're in college, you're working hard. Then you get out of college, and you're thinking, you know, I'm working hard in school because it is supposed to be what I know. And you realize it isn't what you know, and that adage has got some truth to it. You watch people who you think don't know half of what you know, excelling.

And you think, what's going on with this? Everybody's experienced that in whatever line of work; you see that the connections are so important. He wants to make it clear that the point of the birth of Christ has nothing to do with the people that associate with it. As a matter of fact, go back to the line there in verse 10. Fear not. Behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people, for every person, without distinction, in this case of class, of wealth, of importance, of influence, right? It'll be great news for those—not all without exception. Of course, there are some people who are not even interested in the news, right? Because not everybody is attached to or receives the benefits of the coming of Christ.

You see right now to rightly ally ourselves with Christ, Christ paints the picture by pulling shepherds, the lowest class in society, and saying this news is for you. This is good news, and it is unto you that this child has been born. Not just you, but you. And including you. Because it's good news for all kinds of people.

Speaker 1

A fascinating discussion today about the politics of first century Israel. You're listening to Focal Point with Mike Fabarez and our weekly feature called Ask Pastor Mike. Now if you missed any part of today's conversation, you can find it online at focalpointradio.org. While you're online, why not leave us a note sharing how this program has impacted your faith? We love hearing how God is moving through this ministry.

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Speaker 1

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