Embracing Hope Amidst the Darkness of Christmas

We've been studying the Christmas story from the Gospel of Matthew, the first book of the New Testament. First, we saw difficult Christmas from the story of Joseph when he was struggling with Mary's alleged adultery and betrayal with his own goodness and fuming over the whole incident. Joseph receives God's timely help in a dream. Second, we saw different Christmas from the Gospel of Matthew, the story of the Magi. The first worshippers of a newborn king of Israel were not pious Jewish religious people but a pagan Gentile astrologer. Today we will see dark Christmas from the story of Herod the Great. Today's Christmas story is more difficult and different than the other two stories because it is the darkest. It involves a migration of a young family and massacre of innocent infants around Bethlehem. [00:22:24] (62 seconds)


Christmas story of Herod illustrates the greatest light of God's love in the day of judgment. The deepest darkness of a human's sin, it completely and totally contrasts the highest to lowest, the brightest to the darkest. So here we find a warning as well as a wonder of a new hope. These two things will focus together, a warning and wonder. [00:26:22] (32 seconds)


Herod the Great was a brilliant man to reckon with. According to historians, he was good-looking, well-built, and personally led his army in the field of battle in ten different wars. Racially, he was an Arab. His father, Antipas I, was from the Arab kingdom, from south of Judah called Edomia, or Old Testament called Edom. Antipas I was a true politician and diplomat who became a friend and an ally of Julius Caesar. [00:27:27] (32 seconds)


Now, although Herod the Great was brilliant, he was more known for his brutality. He married ten women, and sons for him were often seen as potential political rivals. And two of his favorite sons were strangled by his order. So Caesar Augustus jokingly commented, It would be safer to be picked in Herod's temple than his son in his palace. [00:31:33] (29 seconds)


You know, Matthew 1, verse 21, when Jesus was born, God told Joseph, name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sin. If you have a Bible, you need to underline the phrase, he will save his people from their sin. Because Jewish people were expecting a Messiah. To deliver and save them. But the object of salvation is not from them, but from foreign powers. The external, you know, circumstance. But God said, Jesus will save them from their sins. [00:34:10] (41 seconds)


Do we recognize God as our king? If so, that means I don't get to do life, money, marriage, family, sexuality, and politics as I want. But we follow the king's authority and desire. When was the last election? Did you ask yourself a question? Who did Jesus vote? Or did Jesus vote according to whatever? [00:36:54] (30 seconds)


Matthew was not saying Jeremiah predicted this event. That's not what he's saying. He's saying the same statement and the lamentation that was true in Jeremiah's time is true again in Jesus' time. You know, in Matthew 1, we see prophecy comes in many colors and shades. Some are direct, like Micah's prophecy of a birthplace of a Messiah to be Bethlehem. That is absolutely clear. [00:38:10] (30 seconds)


Although Rachel already had a beautiful first son, named Joseph, her jealousy and desire to dominate her sister, the first wife of Jacob, demanded one more, and finally she got the one more sprayer, the second sprayer. son but in the child you know her body could not keep up with the birth labor so when benjamin her second son was born her sin the curse of a sin took her life and in a way took her children from her so can you imagine the grief of a dying mother with a newborn in her arms and rachel was buried on the way from bethel to bethlehem probably near rama and many years later the jewish exiles to babylon jewish people when they're going to exile to babylon pass by her tomb and jeremiah says you can hear rachel's weeping for children and now that herod has a slaughter all the baby boys in bethlehem is a vicinity and matthew is saying now you can hear her crying all over again here matthew was reminding us that though the people are living in their land while they when they rejected god as their king they are still in exile still in egypt still in babylon still ruled by another king in foreigners in the land of her promise so matthew is reminding us of a terrible sadness and curse that sin has brought upon our world and he's reminding us the horror about what happens to our world and our children when we reject god's kingship over us so first matthew tells us about this warning this a violent fury of a king who completely didn't understand how much actually god loved him you know tragedy of our heritage great as when you stand before god guess what god would say i sent my son for you he's not against you he came to give you eternal life [00:39:47] (149 seconds)


Second part that we're going to look at today it's not just you know we see a greater joy of god this joy of god it's actually greater in christmas story of a herakle great we see god's comfort which is a deeper than any deep sin here we see the grace of a dauntless you know savior who is ever patient with us to give us his resilient joy you know in matthew's christmas story chapter one and two we find the dreams are very instrumental god used a dream as a major motive is a revelation and direction there are no dreams that are very instrumental but there are five dreams in the Matthew chapter verse one and two. The first Joseph's first dream tells him not to abandon forsaken Mary and then during came to Magi to warn them about the harrow's plan so they went to different way home. And then second dream of Joseph third dream angel tells him take the Mary and Jesus to Egypt. And then third angel tells you know Joseph now the refuge in strange land the harrow is dead and the family can be safely returned to Israel. [00:42:16] (80 seconds)


So while all dreams came in different times all of them carried the same message that is do not fear anything. Do not fear God was telling Joseph do not fear Mary's pregnancy not even the king not even the you know exile or migration in Egypt. And God's first love gives us a vision that are often as unbelievable as something that comes in dreams. [00:44:38] (35 seconds)


The inclusio of a book of Matthew, gospel of Matthew is a slaughter of innocent. Matthew chapter 2, we see the killing of innocent life. And Matthew 27, what do we see? Slaughter of the most innocent person of all, Jesus Christ on the cross. So today's story, Matthew is saying, this is prophetic step, it's a prophecy toward the coming fulfillment of Jesus Christ. [00:49:50] (41 seconds)


Therefore, brothers and sisters, let us not be discouraged, or afraid of life, or future, for our God is with us. Our God is Emmanuel. With God Emmanuel, let us welcome him. Let us be with him. Let us journey with him. Let us follow our King into his glory and future. Amen. Let's pray. Gracious Heavenly Father, you are our true Emmanuel. [00:54:57] (38 seconds)