2000 years later, it can seem almost pedestrian to hear the story of the coming of the messiah. Christianity is, at the moment, the largest religion in the world with over 2 billion adherents. It can be easy to forget that there was a time when this news was brand new. I want to take some time to examine and contrast the responses of two men, Herod and Joseph, to the news of Jesus and see how each response reaches forward to us today.
A Short Profile
Herod the Great was installed as King over Judea. His placement was controversial as he was an Edomite, and most Jews did not recognize him as a legitimate ruler. While on the throne, he oversaw great architectural projects and was an apt administrator, however his rule was marked by terror, obsession, and insecurity. These traits led to the murder of three of his sons, one brother-in-law, and the most beloved of his 10 wives.
Joseph, by contrast, was a simple carpenter who, because of his lineage back to King David, had a legitimate royal bloodline. His life is marked by obedience, courage, and protection of the weak and vulnerable.
These two men could not have been more different, and their responses to the arrival of the messiah put their differences on display.
Herod’s Response
As soon as the wise men appear before Herod with news of the messiah, Herod recognizes the threat to his own power. In fear, he calls together the priests and scribes to determine where the messiah will be born. Finding the location is Bethlehem, he immediately begins plotting. He sends the wise men on their way and asks that they return with information so that he “may pay him homage.”
But Herod’s request is a ruse. He has no intention of paying homage to the child who is an immediate threat to his power and position. He would rather see that child die, in fact he would commission the death of many children, so that his comforts and prestige may be maintained.
Joseph’s Response
By contrast, when Joseph receives news that Mary is pregnant by the Holy Spirit, his response is not to remove the child, but himself. While there are multiple ways of understanding Joseph’s response, I find St. Thomas Aquinas’s reading most compelling: Joseph understood what was happening and recognized that he was unworthy of close proximity to the miracle within Mary, who had become the Mother of God (theotokos).
Thus, his response comes from a place of humility. I believe this is why God immediately sends an Angel to reassure Joseph of his place in the plan of God. It is because Joseph was willing to remove himself in order for God’s plan to progress.
Bringing it forward
While I grant that both of these men are real historical figures, I suggest that each is also the embodiment of two distinct spiritual patterns of being. It would be easy if we could say that some people reflect the pattern of Herod and others the pattern of Joseph, but reality is more complicated than that.
In Herod, we see a person clinging on to the things of this world in order to maintain his kingdom-of-self. This spiritual pattern requires that the other must be sacrificed so that the self may be elevated. This message is pervasive in our modern American culture.
In Joseph, we see a person willing to step away from the love of his life in order that she and her child would be protected. This spiritual pattern seeks to sacrifice oneself so that the other may be elevated.
In ourselves, when we’re being honest, we see each of these patterns battling for control because every day we must choose how we will live in response to good news of the Messiah. The Herod pattern is present in many of our deepest temptations and must be fought against. The pattern of Joseph must be intentionally crafted through grace, humility, and obedience to God through Christ.
This requires reflection, repentance, prayer, and worship to be ongoing practices in our spiritual life. Digging out the roots of our Herod-like tendencies may require the help of a trusted counselor, confessor, or spiritual director- looking back into our own histories and seeking God’s grace to heal our wounds. In that process of healing and growing in our Union with the Lord, we will see our own interior life begin to be re-patterned into the likeness of Christ.
Take some time to reflect on your own spiritual patterns and bring them before the Lord. Allow Him to enter into those places of discomfort and bring healing and restoration.
