CONNECTING POINT: What's All The Fuss?

Communities, large and small, have been turned upside down for various reasons, including political unrest, crime, natural disasters, economics, and more. Word travels fast, whether living in the 1st century or the 21st century; that’s the nature of humanity. However, technology seems to have enabled this to occur at lightning speed today.

If you’ve ever thumbed through the Bible, particularly the first four books of the New Testament, a reader quickly recognizes that the earthly ministry of Jesus turned communities upside down. Word of mouth traveled fast, being that Jesus performed various miracles that touched the lives of physically or emotionally hurting people. However, the miracles were not the sole reason for crowds gathering around Jesus; His teachings were understandable, simple, and practical. The common Jew didn’t have to be concerned about religious legalism or social status; all were welcome to hear Jesus.

Two factors were present in Israel: excessive rules and tradition of Judaism and the heavy hand of Rome, whose army occupied the land. Allow me to focus on the latter.

When a country’s homeland is invaded and overtaken by a foreign power, residents’ lives are adversely affected. In this case, Rome brought about heavy taxation of the Jewish people. This burden made life for Jews miserable. Disobedience was not tolerated at all, and Jews suffered through physical beatings, property confiscation, imprisonment, and more. Any word of a Jewish uprising caught the attention of Roman soldiers, who quickly conveyed that concern to higher command. The boot and sword of oppression were on the backs of Jewish men, women, and children.

In this context, Luke records some important details, “Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. But Herod said, ‘I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?’ And he tried to see him.” (Luke 9:7-9).

Herod was perplexed and even threatened by the fuss. Some historical key background about Herod the Tetrarch: He was the son of Herod the Great and ruled over two territories: Galilee and Perea. This is just the beginning of a continuous relationship between Jesus and Herod, the junior. The following is the pervading principle from the text: Some “seekers” have notorious motives, but God’s plans supersede them. The “Simple Gospel” and the “Church” cannot be stopped.

One not-so-distant reminder that attests to this principle includes the attempts on Christ’s life at birth by no other than Herod the Great. Fast forward roughly thirty years, and it is Jesus who was alive and Herod the Great who was six feet under.

The day before the crucifixion, Herod finally had the pleasure to meet Jesus and did so in a hubris fashion. “When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased because, for a long time, he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform a sign of some sort. He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer,” (Luke 23:8-9).

Those who plotted against Jesus, the religious leaders, Roman authorities, and even the crowd antagonistic towards Christ cheered His demise, but what they did not know was that this was part of God’s omniscient plan. All this fuss was God’s perfect plan unfolding in history so that the Savior of the World could conquer sin. No one can thwart the hand of God. Amen!