Things weren’t going so well for the Administration of King Herod the Great in 4 BC.  As soon as one scandal was buried by the articulate and politically-savvy Herod, another would crop up.

Herod had earlier survived an impeachment trial in Egypt, held by the joint court of Roman General Mark Antony and Egyptian Queen Cleopatra.  The King was charged with murdering his chief political rival during a vacation at Herod’s Jericho estate - a swimming pool “accident”.   Yes, Herod actually had a swimming pool built in the desert.

According to Herod, he and his rival were innocently engaged in horse play in the pool, when Herod “playfully” held the other politician under the water a little too long.  With no witnesses or evidence to the contrary, he was acquitted. 

Speculation abounded that Herod had “cut a deal” with Antony and Cleopatra.  Sure enough, within a short time, the Roman general and Egyptian queen revolted against Imperial Rome, with Herod the Great’s forces in full support.  The rebels lost, and Herod was back under suspicion, this time for treason against Caesar Augustus. 

If Teflon had been around at the birth of Christ, Herod would have been known as the Teflon King of the Roman Empire.  He got off scot-free.  Nothing could bring this tyrant down, and he made sure of it by just plain killing anyone that threatened his reign. 

When he now received word that some of his fellow Jews were acknowledging the birth of a future king in a small farming community outside Jerusalem, he ordered every male child under the age of two in the vicinity to be killed, to make sure his successors wouldn’t face a challenger in the coming decades.  The murder of the innocents turned out to be one of his final acts.

       

His son, Herod Antipas, was no better.   When an “extremist” religious leader, John the Baptist, called attention to the incestuous sins of the continued Herod dynasty, John’s severed head was soon displayed on a silver platter for the amusement of the crown.  Political leaders didn’t sit still for moral criticism in those days anymore than now.  But the ancient version of “slash and burn” politics wasn’t just a figure of speech - it was literal.

The point of looking at Herod’s dynasty is to gain a little perspective on where we are this Christmas season in America.  Herod, in spite of his power and ruthlessness, is remembered today only as a historical footnote to the birth of Jesus Christ.

Those who held all the political powers of earth in their hands - Herod, Antony and Cleopatra, Pontius Pilate, Caesar Augustus - are now just dusty recollections in the annals of history.  Their trials and tribulations, scandals, victories and defeats, are now the near-exclusive domain of historians, all but erased from the consciousness of the world that is so important to politicians of all ages.   

What remains vividly alive from that day?  Only the worldwide recognition of that Child born in a manger in the obscure village of Bethlehem, outside Jerusalem.  A Child who never sought an earthly crown or kingdom.  A Child that instead created a Kingdom of the Spirit, Which can never fall or be conquered. A Child who simply spoke the truth, regardless of whether it was politically prudent or popular, and Who was eventually killed because of it.  

This Christmas we are coming out of a tumultuous and historic federal and presidential election cycle.   Many conservatives like me and the solid majority of voters in our district and state are deeply disappointed in the outcome, and greatly concerned over the impact those results may have on the future of our nation. 

The new administration will be sworn in this January under a cloud of controversy, as a result of the continuing revelations concerning the alleged scheme by the Governor of Illinois to sell President-elect Obama’s seat in the U.S. Senate, and the seemingly never-ending discoveries of ethics violations by embattled House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY).

We are simultaneously facing what may be the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression, under a new, untested political landscape in Washington in all branches of government.

But there’s a valuable lesson from Herod the Great in 4 BC to all of us in 2008.

Two thousand years from now, do you think any of this will matter?  What will survive? The Kingdom of the Christ Child will still be there. All this will be past and forgotten.  

As Americans gather together with our loved ones for the holidays, let’s keep that in mind, and allow this celebration of the birth of the Messiah to remind us of what really matters in the long run.       

Merry Christmas.