Since Jesus came as Savior; and since humanity's primary need is forgiveness, whatever our sin, or how many, Jesus should have been universally honored in his generation, and
Still, Jesus understood, not only the sins of humanity, but the sin-nature in humanity that never failed to sin in new ways. His teaching left no doubt: perhaps ¾ of those hearing his word would fail in some degree to produce full-fledged discipleship Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23. Two groups in Israel symbolized the visceral hostility Satan feels for God in Christ and uses willing mortals to express it. The First is Herod the Great He represented the political opposition that Christianity confronted in the last 30 years of the first century, through the second century and the first decade of the third. A political and societal opposition renewed in western culture in 1859 with the publication of Darwin's Origin of the Species. An opposition revealed the Humanist Manifestoes of the 20th century, and embodied in the unapologetic humanism of the 21st. Intemperately jealous of his throne, Herod systematically executed anyone he suspected of intriguing against hm. That included the execution of Mariamne, his favorite wife. That he spent many nights pacing his bedroom grieving over her loss didn't erase his blood-guilt. How violently his anxiety antennas rattled when foreigners for the Tigris-Euphrates Valley appeared at his Court:
How terrified his Intelligence Chief felt as angry looks flew from the King to him:
Now suddenly...foreigners...FOREIGNERS...knew more than his own intelligence service:
Likely muttering to himself that if he wanted anything done right he'd have to do it himself, Herod called the Wise Men to his private quarters. There his pointed questions left no doubt: the danger to his throne seemed minimal since the so-called King of the Jews had hardly passed two years of age. While the information gleaned relieved his anxiety, it didn't pacify his rage. Read Matthew 2:16 how he placated his rage. End Part I
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
May 2024
Categories
All
|