Almost everyone has felt the fear of losing a place of prominence, at work, in the family, or in a group of friends. That fear can turn ordinary people into cruel adversaries of anyone who seems to threaten their position. The story of Herod the Great shows just how far a heart like that can go.
Herod was an ambitious king, placed on the throne of Judea by the power of Rome. He built grand works, among them the renovation of the temple in Jerusalem, but he ruled under constant suspicion, fearing any sign of rivalry to his power.
It was in this climate of distrust that magi from the East arrived in Jerusalem asking about the newborn king of the Jews (Matthew 2:2). Herod was disturbed and gathered the chief priests and teachers of the law to find out where the Messiah was to be born (Matthew 2:3-4).
He asked the magi to return with precise information, disguising his true intent under the pretext of also wanting to worship the child. But God warned the magi in a dream not to return to Herod, and they went back to their country by another route (Matthew 2:8-12).
When Herod realized he had been outwitted, he reacted with fury and ordered the death of all the boys up to two years old in Bethlehem and the surrounding area (Matthew 2:16). An angel had already warned Joseph in a dream to flee with Mary and the child to Egypt, and the family escaped before the massacre (Matthew 2:13-15).
A short time later, Herod died, and the family was able to return safely (Matthew 2:19-21). The tyrant who tried to forcibly erase God’s plan had no power over it at all.
This story brings comfort to anyone who has suffered under the unjust decisions of those in power: evil can wound deeply, as it wounded the families of Bethlehem, but it does not have the last word. God protects his purpose even when kings rage, and he keeps guiding his plans along paths that no human power can close off.
