Insightful Musings on the Scriptures
by
Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67
Passage: Matthew 2
Focus: “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him.” Matthew 2:11.
What a contrast in attitudes toward Jesus that we see in this chapter! First there are the wise men who, when they find Jesus, worshipped Him. Then there is the stupid man Herod who out of insane jealousy rejected the Christ and did his best to kill the same child the wise men worshipped.
On the first day of the year we gave attention to our first problem of SIN. On this second day, we are given an ugly demonstration of what SIN can do if unchecked in a human heart. It would seem that Herod’s unbridled sin nature caused him to become so intoxicated with self-centeredness and power that he lost any proper use of his measure of human intelligence. So I think it’s appropriate to use the term “stupid” to describe Herod. I mean…this is just stupid beyond belief to think that he could successfully oppose the author and fulfiller of the prophecies announcing the Messiah. Why didn’t he have some fear to launch such a despotic act against God and innocent people? It only makes good sense to me that if this God is big enough to precisely fulfill prophecy and determine the future, He would certainly have enough power to deal with anything or anyone who got in the way of that fulfillment. Duh?! Although SIN at its core is a spiritual disorder, it is also a mental disorder. Indeed “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Ps. 111:10).
I suppose the contrast given in this chapter implicitly illustrates the two life options before us all as it relates to God’s revelation in Christ: Wise worship, or stupid rejection, with no safe space in between.