Brief synopsis of the readings: Returning to Isaiah we read about how Jerusalem rejoices in the light that has replaced the darkness. This light attracts nations and kings; also wealth, gold and incense. Matthew’s Gospel recounts the arrival of the magi in Jerusalem. They meet with Herod and ask where they can find newborn king of the Jews. This troubles Herod who consults the chief priests and scribes. They tell him that prophecy foretells that the Christ (the anointed one) will be born in Bethlehem. Herod then shares this with the magi and instructs them to return to him after paying homage to this infant so that he, too, can worship him. But once in Bethlehem, after paying homage to Jesus, the magi have a dream that tells them to return to their home by another route.

Most people read today’s Gospel and think about those who sought the infant Jesus to bear him gifts and in past years that’s exactly what I’ve done. But the more I looked at the Gospel the more I grew fascinated with Herod and his role. While I love a “good v. evil” story, we find relatively few stories about Jesus going against evil. Many of those who clashed with Jesus in his ministry were simply misled or stubborn or closed minded. They had been raised with certain beliefs and were loath to abandon them when they meet Jesus. Sadducees, Pharisees, Scribes, and other learned Jews often sparred with Jesus but they didn’t have evil intent. On the other hand, today we read about someone who was truly evil: Herod.

As an aside this wasn’t the Herod who ordered the beheading of John the Baptist or was instrumental in the crucifixion of Jesus. Today’s Herod is normally known as Herod the Great while the other Herod was Herod Antipas. It’s important to note that both of them were Jews who cooperated with the Roman occupiers, and as a matter of fact, owed their living to Rome. Many Jews, then and now, saw them as sellouts.

Regardless, we can see Herod the Great as an evil man. The Gospel tells only the story of his encounter with the magi and their dream to avoid him on their return. But I think we all know that their quest frightened Herod enough that he ordered the murder of all Jewish boys aged 2 and under. As I’ve said before, as a Jew Herod may have claimed to await the Messiah. But in reality he feared that the Messiah might undermine his wealth and position. His story has touched us so deeply that we have called his young murder victims the “Holy Innocents.” He understood that the magi sought the Messiah and he believed that by killing all the male babies he could thwart God’s plan of salvation.

The idea that he could use genocide to outsmart God sounds incredible when we think about it. But it speaks more to his fear than his stupidity, recognizing that they are not mutually exclusive. Only someone as desperate as Herod would honestly believe his plan would work. Simply put is shows the exhaustion of evil.

Herod employed 2,000 soldiers as bodyguards. Today 3,600 men and women comprise the U.S. Secret Service; they provide protection not only for the President but ex-Presidents, their families and dozens of other leaders. They also fight counterfeiting and other theft of currencies. Clearly needing 2,000 soldiers to protect one person showed Herod lived with a great deal of fear for his personal safety.

But evil is exhausting for another reason: You can never really know who you can trust; if your greed and hunger for power causes you to spend your life looking for ways to take advantage of others you know that others are doing the same to you. I’m a big fan of the British writer Jeffrey Archer and he writes well about strong characters, both good and evil. The good guys work hard, often at great personal risk, to keep the peace and preserve justice for all. The bad guys cross and double cross everyone, including each other. They make agreements with people they don’t like or trust and they spend much of their time looking over their shoulder. This lack of trust begins as a defense and eventually becomes a way of life.

Not only is that not our way, it’s an awful way to live. Imagine having a thirst for power so overwhelming that it pushes away all our relationships and causes the person to look on everyone with suspicion or contempt. Jesus tells us to love our enemies and we find that difficult but imagine not being able to trust our friends.

Alas, being someone who claims to be religious does not protect anyone from this. We can think of Jim Jones and and the Peoples’ Temple or David Koresh and the Branch Davidians but it goes beyond that. I once worked for a pastor who battled alcoholism. Before I worked for him he was confronted by his staff and they persuaded him to go for treatment and he did. But when he returned to the parish he systematically got rid of everyone who confronted him. By the time I arrived the congregation had shrunk by about a third and the staff he hired was selected solely to ensure he would never be challenged. He had become a master at pretending to care about the parish while making certain nobody got too close to him. Suffice it to say I didn’t last long.

We read about people like Herod and we’re clear that evil has chosen the wrong path. At first glance it may appear that he is more powerful than Jesus and his parents. He’s certainly more powerful than the magi. But in the end the magi return home in the knowledge that they paid homage to the savior of the world. Joseph and Mary were able to spare their child from Herod’s death sentence by fleeing to Egypt. And Jesus saved the world.