As Christmas approaches this year, I am reminded of the contrasting themes of power and vulnerability.
The Christmas story opens with the words, “In the days of King Herod.” Herod was a ruler known for his violence and fear, relentlessly clinging to power. He executed his wife, her mother, and three of his own sons because he suspected them of threatening his throne. Later, after hearing rumors of a child born who might one day be king, he ordered the execution of young children. Herod embodied a familiar model of leadership, grasping for power, prestige, and security at any cost.
Set against him is a very different kind of king. This one was born in vulnerability, far from wealth or status. He grew up living simply and spent much of his life wandering from village to village, teaching and demonstrating a radically different way of being in the world: love your enemies, care for the vulnerable, welcome the outsider, value doing what is good and right over following rules, live generously, bring healing to the hurting, and honor the overlooked.
Herod became just one more cruel ruler among many, his life largely forgotten in the pages of history. But the life and way of this other king continue to echo across the centuries. Many invoke his name; far fewer live by his way, and most who do will never be noticed or celebrated. The way of Herod is fearful, grasping, destructive, and fleeting. The other way is generous, life-giving, healing, and enduring. It is in this quiet and overlooked direction that we find hope for the world.