“In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
`And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"
Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.
On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
Sermon by the Rev. Carole Horton-Howe
This very rich and interesting gospel lesson this week gives us a chance to look at the qualities and character of two very important men in the story – Herod, King of Judea and Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus.
Let’s start with Herod. By all historical accounts, he was a brilliant man. He was responsible for much building in Israel. Those who have traveled there have had the opportunity to see what still remains of his efforts, the ruins of many of the things that Herod built. There is evidence that he was remarkable, a genius, a smart man -- who for a brief time, had so much potential to do all kinds of good.
Matthew’s is the only gospel that talks about the Magi’s visit. This story jolts us with a cruel reality that Luke’s gospel does not. Luke’s gospel is full of lovely images of angels singing and shepherds with lambs kneeling before the newborn baby. Matthew’s story, though, has all the intrigue of a Hollywood blockbuster -- rampant ambition and greed, fear and lust for power with a lead character who was so insecure that he executed his mother, his wife and three sons because he feared that they were plotting to take his throne. Herod’s encounter with the Magi on their quest to find the infant king triggers his cruel behavior once again.
This one encounter with some wise men who had journeyed a long way and who tell Herod that somebody else has been born King, is bad, bad news for Herod. Because Herod, in his insecurities and paranoia, and in his need to be the only King, is willing to sacrifice the lives of all the male children in the kingdom to ensure that one baby is no longer a threat to him.
That's a destructive course for a man who's had so much potential, a man whose coming to Judea could have left a productive legacy. It’s believed that Herod whose ancestors had converted to Judaism and who had been raised in its beliefs and traditions, could have had the interest of his God and the interest of his people at the forefront of his thinking.
But instead, through the choices he made, he became a destructive force among the people that he was charged with governing. Because he lacks something vitally important at the time we find him in Matthew's gospel: he lacks character and he lacks an understanding of what it means to walk with his God.
So then we have Joseph - who has been put to every kind of test and whose character is revealed in the decisions he’s made. He's had to face the shame of his people in taking a wife who was already with child, a child that wasn't his. He is now being told by an angel messenger who comes to him in a dream and tells him to leave the land of his people and to go to a place where his people were once enslaved. Joseph must have known all of that history and tradition.
What must have gone through his mind? Can’t we just imagine him thinking, “you're asking me to go to Egypt. And what I know about Egypt is that my people were once brutally oppressed there. You want me to believe that this is a safe and good thing? You want me to believe that I am called to go there, to take this young, new mother and child whose welfare has been entrusted to me and to go to a frightening sounding place.”
Whatever questions may have been going through his mind, Joseph is obedient. And he gets up and he goes by night to take his wife and this child to safety.
In reflecting on this text, we remember that Abraham's descendants had not become the numerous and strong family that God promised they were going to become until they had gone to Egypt. It's only after a boy named Joseph of many, many years earlier, a son of Jacob, is sold by his brothers into slavery and taken to Egypt. Genesis chapters 37-41 tell us this important story.
It was only after Joseph’s father and those same brothers had followed him to Egypt because their lives were in danger, that they risked starvation during a famine if they stayed home. It's only when they get to Egypt that these descendants, promised to Abraham, become a numerous people on a foreign soil far from home.
In Matthews account of this story, this is where Joseph is being told to take this child. Yes back to the land where his people were enslaved. But also back where they grew in number and in strength. And this child named Jesus would begin to be formed in a place that held so much meaning to all the descendants of Abraham.
So what is the difference in these two characters that we are encountering today in this text? Herod who presumably has every advantage and immense power and authority to bring whatever he desired to fruition and ought to be faithful is not. And Joseph, a working class man not known beyond his own tribe, who has little power and few options in life but proves always to be faithful to God in every way that God asked of him.
The difference between how these two men see their relationship with God and neighbor is what author David Brooks talks about in his book, “The Road to Character.” Brooks talks about character in a refreshing kind of way distinguishing between external achievements, which he calls résumé virtues, and internal character strengths which he calls eulogy virtues. Resume virtues are things like being a hard worker, having marketable work skills and achieving awards.
Eulogy virtues are qualities like honesty, kindness, courage, and love. He emphasizes developing a closer relationship with God through cultivating those eulogy virtures. Strong, enduring character is built not by shying away from but by embracing opportunities for internal struggle, self-restraint, and contemplating a sense of one's own limitations rather than impulsive self-expression.
And so when we see Herod’s concern play out as “how great can my Empire be? How long can I rule? Will I be remembered as a strong ruler?” it's all about Herod.
For Joseph, it's all about something else. It's all about taking care of the child who has been entrusted to him. It’s all about putting himself last. It's all about following the guidance of God. It's all about being able commitment to the ideal that nothing he does is more important than giving everything he has for this child, Jesus.
So here we stand today at the beginning of a new calendar year. And I know folks are thinking about new year’s resolutions. We love to make resolutions and we have the best of intentions when we do. I have a few I know I need to make. And keep.
But I wonder if perhaps somewhere in all of that thinking about what we would like to do and be in this coming year, we’d do well to reflect on character. Given the choice, don’t we want our lives to look more like Joseph than Herod?
What if our resolutions for the new year mirror Joseph’s actions that we hear about today:
I will do whatever I need to do to stand for Jesus.
I will do whatever I need to do to make certain that Jesus comes first.
I'll suggest to you that when our reflection becomes, “I need to live for the sake of the one who came to live among us, for the one who came to show us God's love,” then all of God's people can be cared for.
When we are willing to pick up and go even to a place that is uncomfortable, that may seem counterintuitive to us, we will take on the capacity to love unconditionally. We will have depended on the kindness and the love and the welcome and the mercy of strangers, and we will have the capacity to extend that same to others.
So we sit at the beginning of this year with lots of blank pages to write in our 2026 book. How will we write them? How will we fill those pages? I don't know about you but I want my pages to look more like Joseph than Herod. I want my pages to be pages of faith and obedience. I want my pages to be pages of love. And I know you do too. Let’s do that together. Amen.