A Tale Of Two Kings

McDonald’s does not make most of its money from hamburgers as is commonly thought. The reality is that they make most of their money from an unlikely place. While most know them as a restaurant, in truth they are also a real estate company. Their biggest profits are from the land they own where franchises are built. Truly, things are not always as they seem.

It is the same with the birth of Christ. When Jesus was born there was already a king over the land. Herod was powerful, wealthy, and cruel. He was extremely paranoid, even fearing his family and friends. He had vast armies, a fortress, and personal guards. Yet, he had little peace, and his unrest made him even crueler. In the end he tried to end the life of the newborn king.

On the other hand Jesus was born in a small town with little notice. From the outside these two men could not have been more different. One a powerful ruler, the other born to be king. Indeed, things are not always as they seem.

We each must ask though, which king rules our lives? It is all too easy to be like Herod. Patience runs thin during the a stressful work week, families are often toxic, chores are often overloaded, and busy crowds can seem unrelenting. In those moments we can easily be more like the selfish ruler, losing our temper, fearing rejection in our smallest moments. and behaving in shameful ways.

Turn on the news for a few minutes and it is clear which king makes the headlines. In a world where if it bleeds it leads, grace and peace can seem a universe away.

The gospels give Jesus another name, Emmanuel. We don’t need to know Greek or Hebrew to understand the meaning of the name, Matthew tells us, the name means “God with us.” That is the difference that makes all the difference.

Because the promise goes far beyond that, he is not just with you, he is within you. As Max Lucado put it, while he was a baby inside of Mary, “he is a force inside of you.” And what you can’t handle, he can, and he is within you.

Paul himself would call his indwelling presence a mystery, the greatest mystery of all time. He not only came to dwell in our midst, but to literally live inside of the temple, the temple which is you and me.

Indeed, things are not always as they seem. The gospels are not not the story of a baby, but the story of a king. Not a king like any other, but the King of the Universe. And the true gift is he lives in us, so in all things, we can have peace. There is no greater gift.