I truly believe that the birth of Jesus Christ provides you with an “either/or” experience. It will either start you on an intimate journey with God that will never end, or it will leave you stalled at the stable because your life with God never began. Whether your life with God never begins or never ends all depends on one thing—how you respond to Jesus.

If you refuse to surrender to Jesus as the Lord of your life, you will never experience the intimacy with God He intended for you. However, if you make Jesus the Lord of your life, then you will begin a journey with Him that never ends. Again, it depends on you—on whether or not you surrender to Jesus as Lord.

This “either/or” experience is lived out in the biblical drama of two contrasting lives—Herod the Great and Mary, the slave of God. Due to Herod’s refusal to surrender to Jesus as Lord, his intimate journey with God never began. Yet because of Mary’s surrender to Jesus as Lord, Mary would experience a journey with God that never ended.

Though Herod and Mary never met, I want you to see their lives side-by-side. In Herod, I want you to see a life that missed so much with God and why. And in Mary, I want you to see a life that began an amazing journey with God that never ended. Above all I want you to come to the place where you realize you can either have Herod’s experience in life or Mary’s. It all depends on how you respond to Jesus.

HEROD THE GREAT:
The Intimate Journey That Never Began!

Let’s begin with Herod the Great. He steps on to the biblical stage in Matthew 2. Verses1-18 capture the true character of the man—impressive, ambitious, and spiritually dead.

1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler
who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.”

The biography of Herod the Great is a fatal tragedy that’s never been learned. You may be reliving it, or you could point to a family member, friend, neighbor, or co-worker that unknowingly is fulfilling the same tragedy. Like Herod, unimaginable masses have come face to face with the opportunity to surrender to Jesus Christ as Lord. Instead, they surrender to three other lords.

The Lord of Image
Early in his life Herod discovered the power of creating and maintaining an impressive image. However, this would be his spiritual downfall. He would see maintaining his image as more important than experiencing intimacy with God.

Herod was born in 73 B.C. His father was the procurator of the region. After Herod celebrated his 25th birthday, his father placed him as governor magistrate of Galilee. When he abused his authority, he was summoned by a counsel that planned to fire him. Yet Herod had other plans for the counsel. He planned to impress them with his image.

Herod was a tall, handsome young man with an athletic build. He appeared before the counsel ornately dressed and surrounded by an entourage used to frame and mat his impressive image. And, Herod’s plan worked. Those determined to oust him were intimidated by his impressive image and changed their vote. In that moment, Herod recognized the effects of a powerful image and used it to his advantage.

No group understands the power of image more than students. It starts in elementary school and reaches its peak in high school. Even if you are no longer a student, you can still remember the importance of image. The popular image had power, and if you had it, you did everything you could to keep it. If you didn’t have it, you did what was necessary to be associated with those who did.

Among today’s students there are different looks among different groups. Yet regardless of the group or look, if maintaining your image is more important than having an intimate life with God, you are reliving the first act of Herod’s tragedy. If you continue to make your image your lord, it will lead you to an even greater problem—the problem of surrendering to the lord of ambition.

The Lord of Ambition
For the students who made image everything in high school, your first semester in college can be frustrating. The group you worked so hard to impress has scattered. The campus where you now walk is larger. Your peers couldn’t care less about your image in high school. Instead, they now focus on getting ahead of you and everyone else. It’s all about taking the lead on an impressive career. Just as image became the lord of your life in high school, ambition can now become the lord of your life from college on. It is the story of Herod being recast for a different generation.

Herod and his brother Phasael were soon promoted by Hyrcanus, the ruler, as “ethnarchs.” They literally ran the affairs of the country and were responsible to the Roman authorities.

During this time, a man named Antigonis, of the royal bloodline of Israel, led a rebellion trapping Hyrcanus and Phasael. Herod fled to Rome for help. He found Mark Antony who presented him to the Roman counsel as a Jew who was a friend of Rome. They unanimously appointed Herod king of the Jews, and sent him back with forces to recapture Jerusalem.

Supplied with Roman troops, Herod surrounded Jerusalem. After waiting five months, Herod recaptured Jerusalem, killing Antigonus. During this time Herod married Mariamme, a Jewish princess of the royal bloodline. This was purely a political move which would hopefully cause the people to accept him as king.

Herod’s life at this time was consumed with the ambition of personal achievement. He submitted his life to whatever was necessary to make the next move upward. In time he would find his ambition fueling him toward emptiness—a fact well-proven by history. Charles Haddon Spurgeon wrote,

Ambition is like the sea which swallows all the rivers and still is not more full; or like the insatiable grave which forever craves the bodies of men. In all probability, Napoleon never longed for a scepter till he had gained the baton, nor dreamed of being emperor of Europe till he had gained the crown of France. Caligula, with the world at his feet, was mad with a longing for the moon, and if he could have gained it the imperial lunatic would have coveted the sun. It is in vain to feed a fire which grows the more voracious the more it is supplied with fuel.¹

I was born in Texas and grew up in Oklahoma, which made me an avid Dallas Cowboys fan (a dangerous confession, I know, now that I live in Washington Redskin territory). The early years for the Dallas Cowboys and their head coach Tom Landry could be label by one word—“almost.” Several times they made it to the NFL Championship game or Super Bowl, but never won. Finally in 1972, Tom Landry and the Dallas Cowboys experienced their first Super Bowl victory.

Not long after that victory, Ron Lee Davis was in Colorado talking with Coach Landry. After years of aspiring to win “the big game,” Davis was surprised to hear Coach Landry say his players were now struggling. Landry confessed, “The overwhelming emotion—in a few days, among the players on the Dallas Cowboys football team—was how empty that goal was. There must be something more.”²

The “something more” that leaves you empty after a personal victory is Jesus. You need to surrender to Jesus as Lord. If you don’t, then you’ll have to look for some other ambition to fill the void left by the last one. When your life becomes a series of fulfilled ambitions, be careful that you haven’t now surrendered to a new lord of your life—the lord of pride.

The Lord of Pride
Even the most prideful will unknowingly quote Jesus. Seeing their sense of focus as the key to their success, they will say, “I refused to let myself be distracted. You know, ‘No one can serve two masters’ (Matthew 6:24).” Though many see this as the secret to fulfilling their ambitions, it is also the reason for their spiritual tragedy with God. You can’t serve your image and Christ, nor can you serve your ambitions and Christ. If you don’t see this soon, you’ll also learn that you can’t serve your pride and Christ.

Herod became a spiritual casualty ofhis own image, ambition and pride. He reached his goal—King of Israel. But, it cost him his peace of mind and soul. Herod became paranoid, killing everyone rumored to be after his throne. This included several of his sons and his wife, Mariamne. Thus you can see why, when Herod heard about the birth of a prophesied king, he plotted to kill Jesus (v.16). Pridefully, he was not going to let anyone or anything take away all he had accomplished. Thus, in the final generation of his life, his pride was his lord.

There are many today who could play the role of King Herod. By your own wit, grit and charm you have been a success. Therefore, you don’t see the need to believe in anyone other than yourself. To you, to surrender your life to Jesus as Lord would be a sign of weakness. Without realizing it, you have become a spiritual Ebenezer Scrooge.

On December 19, 1843, Charles Dickens’ placed in his readers’ hands A Christmas Carol. He forever called it his “little Christmas book.” Dickens wrote it as a means to pay for his utilities that year. He never realized how the characters he created connected with who many had become. The message that a cynical, self-confident Scrooge could recapture the true spirit of Christmas captured hearts then and still does today.

This same message can be true spiritually of the image-conscious students that become the ambition-driven adults, who wind up as prideful and spiritually jaded success stories. Like Scrooge, you may have accomplished a lot on your own but have missed the true meaning of Christmas. It’s all about Jesus Christ! Spiritually, you will not experience an intimate and never-ending life with God until you surrender your life to Jesus Christ as Lord. That’s Mary’s story, and when you read her story, it’s far different.

MARY THE SLAVE OF GOD:
The Intimate Journey That Never Ends!

Whereas Herod’s life reads like a tragedy, Mary’s life reads like a beautiful romance novel. Its simple message affirms that if you surrender your life to Jesus as Lord, you will enjoy an intimate journey with God that never ends. You see this in Luke 1:26-38

26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.”

38 “I am the Lord's servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

Mary’s intimate journey with God can be explained as a life completely surrendered to Him. And if asked about her life with God, I believe she would smile and say that her rewards from God far outweighed her risks.

A Journey of Risks
The degree of Mary’s surrender is found in verse 38. She calls herself the handmaid of the Lord. It’s the feminine form of the Greek word “doulos” or “slave.” “Doulos” in all its forms appears around 150 times in the Greek New Testament. In the twenty translations of the Greek New Testament into English only one of them stays faithful to the original word “doulos” and translates it each time as “slave.” Many will translate it as “servant” or “bond servant.” If “servant” was intended, there is a Greek word for it. It’s “diakonos.” However, when God inspired His New Testament writers to use the word “doulos,” he meant “slave.” In fact, the definitive piece on Greek word studies is a multivolume work by Gerhard Kittle. He devotes pages upon pages to each word in the Greek New Testament. When he writes regarding the word “doulos,” Kittle states that there is no need to trace history any further, for the word has never meant anything else but “slave.”³

You might wonder why I’m spending so much time explaining this one word. I don’t believe there is a better word that describes the degree of Mary’s surrender to God. As God’s slave, Mary professes to be the sole property of God. She has no life of her own save what God gives her and tells her to do. Consider her statement to the servants at the wedding in Canaan. The wedding had run out of wine. Mary takes the servants to Jesus and tells them in John 2:5, “Do whatever he tells you.”

I believe that most believers today are more comfortable being described as “servants of God” rather than “slaves of God.” A servant has more say in the affairs of his or her life than does a slave. We like that. Furthermore, if a servant doesn’t like his or her experience on the job, they can simply walk a way. We want that. However, that’s not true of us as slaves of God. As a slave of God, you can’t walk away from your surrender to God, no matter the conditions. God, your master, owns you. As a slave of God, you have no say in the affairs of your life. You simply follow every word of your Lord—even if it puts your life at risk.

Look at the risks Mary experienced early on because of her full surrender to God. You notice in verse 27 that Mary was engaged to Joseph at the time she surrendered herself to God’s plan. Not only would Mary be risking her reputation, she would also be risking her life. Her condition would give Joseph the right to have her stoned to death.

Even after the birth of Jesus, Mary’s risks continue. In Matthew 2:13-15 Joseph is warned that Herod will seek to kill Jesus. Therefore, he awakens Mary in the night and tells her they have to leave quickly for Egypt. Egypt’s border was 75 miles away, and the nearest refuge was 100 miles beyond the border. Though scripture would say, “They took flight to Egypt,” it wasn’t by plane. It was on foot. Yet without hesitation or argument, Mary and Joseph go.

Four hundred years before Mary’s journey with God, the Greek historian Herodotus made a statement that pretty well describes Mary’s life. Herodotus said, “Great deeds are usually wrought at great risks.” However, Mary could have said it this way, “Sure, great deeds usually carry with them great risks. Yet for me, my great deeds with God came from my great surrender to God. And it was my great surrender to God that produced far greater rewards than risks with God.”

One of those rewards is intimacy with God. When your surrender to God puts you over your head, out of your league, beyond your abilities, outside your comfort zone or any other phrase you would use to describe your state of risk, you will talk with God. And your conversations with God in the midst of your risk with God will enable you to learn more about God’s grace, God’s purpose, God’s power, and God’s perspective than ever before. You will know God on an intimate basis.

A Journey of Rewards
From Mary’s reaction to the angel’s message, it is evident that for Mary the rewards from her journey with God were far greater than her risks. Here are some other rewards she received.

GOD’S GRACE

In verses 28-30, the angel announces Mary’s initial reward from God. Twice Gabriel tells Mary that she has found “favor with God.” The word “favor” here literally means “full of grace.” It means what she was about to receive from God was beyond anything she could have earned or deserved. It was bigger and greater than her. It wasn’t about what she had done for God, it was about all God was going to do in and through her. She was receiving an act of God’s grace.

Ephesians 1:6 reminds us that everyone who, like Mary, surrenders yourself to God, also receives God’s grace. In fact, Ephesians 2:8-9, emphasizes that like Mary’s experience, God’s grace to you is not based on how good you have been. You can’t earn God’s grace. It’s his gift to you when you surrender to him by faith. The only difference is that Mary had the person of God within her physically—growing as a child to be born. Upon your surrender to God, you have the person of God within you spiritually—the Holy Spirit of God. What a gift of God’s grace!

GOD’S PURPOSE

Another invaluable reward Mary receives is a clear sense of God’s purpose for her life. Gabriel makes it clear by giving God’s direction for her in verses 31-33. Gabriel tells Mary, “You will give birth to a son and name him Jesus. He will be the son of God, and His kingdom will never end.”

Masses all over the word are still looking for God’s direction for their lives. Rick Warren has made that clear with his book The Purose-Driven Life. Tens of millions of copies have been sold and it has been translated in over fifty different languages. People long for God’s direction or purpose for their lives.

Do you realize that just as Gabriel was the messenger of God’s purpose for Mary, the Bible contains the message of God’s purpose for you? The Bible makes it clear that God’s purpose for your life is to know Him, surrender fully to Him through Jesus Christ, and help others do the same (John 3:16; Matthew 28:18-21).

Mary’s reward was receiving God’s purpose for her life. What a gift. However, God’s purpose for Mary, like His purpose for you is a clear direction without detailed plans. Mary’s purpose was to give birth to the Son of God whose kingdom would never end. She didn’t know that in taking that direction she would have to flee to Egypt till King Herod died. She’d weep at the foot of a cross watching her son die. And, that she’d pray in an upper room with 119 others, and their faithfulness would give birth to the New Testament Church.

When you surrender your life to God through Jesus Christ, you surrender to His direction for your life. You also surrender to be faithful to His purpose as His plans for your life unfold. On your journey with God, accept the reward of God’s purpose and trust that God will give you the power you need to fulfill His plans.

GOD’S POWER

In verses 34-37, Mary learns that when you surrender to God you not only receive His purpose for your life, you also receive His power to fulfill it. Listen to this important dialogue between Mary and Gabriel.

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.”

Before he died in 1988, Edward Bennett Williams was seen as a powerful man in Washington, D.C. Because of his superior skills as a lawyer, he represented the famous and imfamous alike on Capital Hill. As he was dying, someone teased him about all of his influence and power in Washington. Reportedly, he soberly looked at them and said, “Power? I’m about to meet real power.”⁴

Because of her surrender to God, Mary was about to experience real power. She knows that what God is asking of her is physically impossible. Gabriel then explains that when she surrenders herself fully to God “the power of the Most High will overshadow you.”

The Greek word for “power” in this verse is “dunamis.” It becomes our word for dynamite. Even dynamite can have varying power, so Gabriel qualifies the degree of power that will overshadow Mary. It’s the power of “the Most High.” Fifty-eight times God is given this title in scripture. Most of the references appear in the Psalms as an expression of worship. Second only to the Psalms is their appearance in the book of Daniel. Here God’s people have been conquered and transported to Babylon—a place where the culture has embraced a pantheon of gods. Yet, God wants the lives of His people to set Him apart by displaying in their everyday lives the power of the Most High God.

Even today, we live in a culture that embraces a pantheon of gods. Among the many gods we worship are the lingering gods of King Herod—the lords of image, ambition, and pride. Just as God wanted His people to show Babylon that He was the Most High God, God expects us who surrender to Him to do the same today. Filled with God’s grace we should fulfill His purpose, and in fulfilling His purpose we should display His power. And in displaying His power, people should know that the only real power in life is the power that comes from the Most High God.

Because of her full surrender to God, Mary was awarded that power. As a result, she accomplished the impossible with God.

TRAGEDY OR TREASURE:
The Choice is Up to You!

When he died on July 30, 1898, his full title was “His Serene Highness, The Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg.” Otto von Bismark was known as one of the greatest statesmen of the nineteenth century. Under his leadership as chancellor, he unified Germany. Yet after a distinguished career, one of near-unequaled success, many were surprised to hear him say, “During my whole life I have not had twenty-four hours of happiness.” During his eighty-three years of wealth, fame, honors, power, influence, prosperity, and great accomplishments, he had an empire in his hands but could not grasp one day of happiness. Sounds like the tragedy of King Herod—a man for whom Christmas never began.

Then you have the life of Mary—a young woman hidden in seedy town of Nazareth. You wouldn’t think her rich and yet she possessed the priceless treasures of God’s grace, God’s purpose, and God’s power. And because of her full surrender to God, God would perform the impossible through her. Furthermore, the treasures she received would never fade. Because of her full surrender to God, her Christmas experience became one that never ended.

As I said at the outset, I believe the birth of Jesus Christ provides you with an “either/or” experience. It will either start you on an intimate journey with God that will never end, or it will leave you stalled at the stable because your life with God never began. Whether your life with God never begins or never ends all depends on one thing—how you respond to Jesus.

If you refuse to surrender to Jesus as the Lord of your life, you will never experience the intimacy with God He intended for you. However, if you make Jesus the Lord of your life, then you will begin a journey with Him that never ends. Again, it depends on you—on whether or not you surrender to Jesus as Lord.

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[1] Charles Haddon Spurgeon, The Quotable Spurgeon, (Wheaton: Harold Shaw Publishers, Inc, 1990)
[2] Ron Lee Davis, “Rejoicing in Our Suffering,” Preaching Today, Tape 74.
[3] John MacArthur, “Slaves of Christ” (audio recording of devotion given at NRB President’s Council, September 2007)
[4] Baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent in Newsweek (July 20, 1992). Christianity Today, Vol. 36, no. 11.