In the Days of Herod...
“In the days of Herod, king of Judea…” These are the very first words of Luke’s narrative of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Do not skip this. Luke wants to tell us something very important as the story begins. What is it? Why does he begin his narrative by telling us that Herod is on the throne in Judea?
Questions to Consider
Which Herod was this? What do you know about him?
What do you know about the kings of Judah (Judea)?
What is Luke trying to tell us as the story begins?
Take a moment to consider these questions before reading on.
Which Herod Was This?
This was Herod the Great, and this is the only time he is mentioned in Luke. (The other Herod, who killed John the Baptist and participated in Jesus’ trial, was his son.)
Luke’s readers would’ve known that Herod the Great was not ethnically Jewish, but was an Edomite (Arab). His father, Antipater, had converted to Judaism in the 2nd Century BC. Herod was a Roman citizen, and it was through his close associations with Roman caesars and officials that he received all his political appointments, including governor and tetrarch of Galilee.
When a civil war broke out in Palestine, the Roman Senate made Herod “king of Judea” and gave him an army to go squelch the rebellion and rule over Judea on their behalf. So Herod was a puppet king for Rome. He was not Jewish by blood. He was cruel and suspicious. Matthew’s account of him trying to kill the infant Jesus is right in line with what is know about him historically.*
What is a King of Judea Supposed to be?
Luke’s readers would have known that the true king of Judah (Judea) must be descended from the line of King David:
"Ought you not to know that the LORD God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt?"
[God told David] "And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever."
After David died, his son Solomon sat on the throne. After Solomon came a long line of kings who got progressively more evil, leading the people away from the One True God and into idol worship.
Though some of the kings of Judah did turn the people back to God (like Josiah), eventually God brought judgment on the people and their kings by sending first the Assyrians, and finally the Babylonians (Nebuchadnezzar) to conquer them and drag them off into exile. They eventually returned from exile, but a king no longer sat on the throne of Judah.
Many leaders rose up among the Jews after the exile, but none were called “king” until Rome found it convenient for Judea to have one.
What is Luke telling us by beginning the story with Herod on the throne?
The story of Luke opens, then, with a “king” on the throne of Judea who is not a king from the line of David, and not even an ethnic Jew. He is a puppet for the Roman empire.
Though the Jews have returned from exile and rebuilt their city of Jerusalem, they have endured all kinds of violence as different regional powers have fought to control the land they once possessed for themselves. The current power is Rome, and the “king” that is supposed to rule over them is no Jew, but a puppet of their Roman oppressors.
- Luke is letting us know that the throne of David is empty, waiting to be filled by the true king. As you read Luke 1-3, notice how Luke makes it clear that Jesus is from the line of David, coming to fill this empty seat as the final king who will reign forever and fulfill God’s promises to David.
- Luke is letting us know God’s people are oppressed, waiting for a Deliverer. As you read Luke 1-2, notice the promises of salvation and deliverance for the oppressed. Imagine how these promises fell on a people who sat under a cruel foreign occupation in their own promised land. But is the salvation that is coming a deliverance from Rome, or is it something else entirely?
Luke is a masterful storyteller. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he has carefully crafted this narrative to help us see Jesus in all His glory. When he mentions someone, like Herod, in passing, take note of it and ask yourself, “Why does Luke mention this person here? What does he want me to see?”
These questions will open up the deeper riches of this book so you can see it for the masterpiece that it really is. Enjoy the feast, and let it fuel your worship of the One True King!
*To find out more about Herod the Great, check out: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Herod-king-of-Judaea
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