Herod’s False Words
What would have happened in Herod's life, I wonder, if he had surrendered his disturbed soul to Jesus? But he didn't. Instead, we see from him a string of lies.
In Matthew 2:8, we read these words which he spoke to the Magi: "Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find Him, report to me so that I too may go and worship Him."
Villains are famously dishonest, saying whatever they need to in order to get what they want. Herod's no different. He says "I also want to go and worship Him," which was a blatant lie.
God's Call to Honesty
We all know that lying is wrong. It goes way back to the Old Testament, God said this to His people: "Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another. Do not swear falsely by My name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD." (Leviticus 19:11-12)
We all know the "do not steal" and "do not lie" part of things. But again, perhaps we're more like the villains than we like to admit. "Do not deceive one another". Are you somebody who deceives? Who tells half-truths? Who tells your side of the story only, to get people on your side?
God calls us to be radically honest. Radically real. Not full of falsity and deceit.
Paul told the early Christians to stop lying: "But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator." (Colossians 3:8-10)
Let's be reminded today of the seriousness of this. Maybe you've got a little secret you're not sharing with somebody. Maybe today you're telling a little lie just to cover yourself up.
Living Authentically for Christ
Herod was a liar. Don't be a liar, friends. Come clean. Tell the truth, be honest.
I think worst of all, was that Herod was lying about his interest in God. He was pretending to be a worshipper of Jesus, but his lifestyle really didn't match what he said. Of course, he was doing it for very bad reasons, but I think some of us claim to be Christians, we say that we are, and yet often our lives don't match up to our words.
That verse in Leviticus we just read, said "Do not swear falsely by My name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD" (Leviticus 19:11-12). This is what God is talking about. Don't swear falsely by My name. Don't claim My name as yours, falsely, while you live apart from Me.
A classic villain move is to convince people you're good, only to turn away from them when you have what you want from them.
This is not the way for us. A false Christianity is not for us.
A passionate, God-centred, holy life is what we are called to.
Don't do the Herod thing of spouting false words to get your way.
Herod pretended to be interested in Jesus, but his life didn’t match up. Is that a little close to the bone?