The Gospel of Matthew begins with a genealogy that often means very little to most of us. This opening chapter, however, is the culmination of the entire Old Testament as it highlights the faithful preservation of God’s promised seed mentioned way back in Genesis 3:15. In each and every name we see God proclaiming his sovereign power over history and undeserved grace in the lives of people like David, Rahab, Tamar and Solomon. This uneventful list also reminds us that Jesus of Nazareth is not just a fable. He came in real space and time from a line of real people, and his life can actually be pinpointed to an exact time period. But maybe more than anything else, this genealogy is the bloodline of the King.
It was this realization that drove the wisemen to Jerusalem to ask one of the most threatening questions King Herod would ever hear. “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.” (Matthew 2:2-3). The text tells us that Herod was troubled, and I think it is because he understood with great clarity what was at stake. When someone approaches a reigning king and asks, “Where is the real king?” it is an instant threat. For Herod, Jesus was not just a cute little baby cooing in a manger, he was a threat to his position and his power.
In some ways I think Herod understood what the coming of Jesus meant more than many of us. You see, Herod knew that only one person could be king and that for another person to show up and claim the crown was treason and considered an act of war. While we picture Jesus coming peacefully into the world on that silent Christmas night, it was not good news for everyone. For Herod it was threatening and that ‘troubled spirit’ within him would spawn a genocide that would result in the slaughter of many young males in Bethlehem, the ripples of which would devastate families throughout the region.
There can only be one king. Herod knew this. We often forget. When Jesus claims to be king it should be equally threatening to us. The problem however, is that Herod comprehended with greater clarity that which we often misunderstand…one king has to die. There is a tiny little Herod in each one of us clinging desperately to the throne and this is where Jesus’ coming should trouble us. Far too often we feign submission when we want things from God and we barter with him as equals when we want him to act for us, but Jesus is not looking for a partnership when he declares that his kingdom has come. It is not a democracy that he comes to install. He demands complete surrender and loyalty. He commands that we lay down our arms, take a knee, bow our head, declare that we are his subjects and “kiss the Son” (Psalm 2:12). Jesus will not tolerate a crown on any other head and in any other heart. There are only two types of people at Christmas, whether they know it or not: those whose hearts are troubled by the claims of that little baby, and those who take a knee in complete surrender because The King has come.
