The Need To Be Wise As Snakes
Text: Matthew 2:13-23
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
If you want to understand politics and
leadership, there are two simple words that capture it all – power and
control.
Now, obviously, this is the negative side of
politics and leadership, for as you know, good leaders go the way of
servant-hood and suffering for those whom they lead. But those who let the old
Adam have its way? Well, with them, it is pretty easy to spot - power and
control.
Take, for instance, King Herod in our reading
from the Gospel of Matthew. When he heard from the Magi that a child had been
born – a child that was the king of the Jews – well, King Herod freaked out. He
freaked out because if Jesus was the king of the Jews, then that meant a loss
of power and control for Herod.
And so, as you know, King Herod went the way
of protecting King Herod. He went the way of protecting his power and control.
So, when he visited with the Wise Men from the East, King Herod pretended to be
just as pious and devout as they were. King Herod said to the Magi,
“Go find this child. Leave no stone unturned. As soon as you
find him, send word, and I will join you at once in your worship of this new
king of the Jews.”
Yeah, right – spoken like a crooked politician!
King Herod had no interest in laying his power and control down. But instead,
he wanted to know exactly where this child was so that he might kill the
child.
Dear friends, later on in the Gospel of
Matthew, Jesus tells his disciples to be wise as serpents and harmless as
doves. In other words, we Christians are called to be
upright and without bitterness. We are not to be the ones creating chaos in
this world through manipulation, deceit, and bloodshed. We are to be as
inoffensive and simple as possible, not calling attention to ourselves. We are
to be harmless as the doves. However, keep in mind that this does not mean that
we Christians should be foolish and naïve. Frankly, too often, we Christians
are naïve and obtuse to the problems in the world.
Sure the 8th Commandment calls us to put the
best construction on everyone around us; however, the 8th Commandment does not
mean that we are to be dumb as a doorpost - naïve to the dangers and deceit
around us. Putting the best construction on someone is simply that – putting
the best construction on them. But again, this does not mean that we are to be
fools. And so, this is why Jesus calls us Christians to be as cunning as a
snake. Keep in mind that snakes are aware of their surrounding. They know when
to retreat into their shelters to protect their head from being cut off. They
know how to move through the brush with silence. And so, we Christians are
called by Jesus to be wise to the realities of life. We are called to be
diligently aware of the threats around us. We are to be aware of the old Adam
in others.
The Magi were warned in a dream about Herod’s
thirst for power and control – that he was not so pious after all. And so,
being wise as snakes, the Magi did not return back home to the east by stopping
by to say good-bye to King Herod. They did not report the identity and
location of the Christ child to King Herod as they swung by Herod’s palace to
pick up warm homemade cookies for their road trip home. No, they left for their
own country by another road.
To the point, everyone knew how King Herod
operated. When Jesus was born, not only did Herod freak out, but the people did
too, for they knew that Herod was capable of terrible things. They knew that
his wrath could pour out on everyone.
This is why we pray for our leaders and
politicians. We know that the road breaks two different ways for those in
leadership. Either our leaders go the way of servant-hood and suffering (doing
what is right for those they lead), or they go the way of power and control
(doing what is best for themselves).
Since you and I are to be innocent as doves
and wise of snakes, we are fully aware that the old Adam often gets the best of
those in leadership. We know that the thirst for power and control is so big
that the threat of losing power and control can do wicked things in the minds
of leaders. For example, when Herod realized that the Magi were wise as snakes
and evaded him, he was enraged. Now, Herod was not a little upset, but he was
filled with boiling blood so that his wrath exploded everywhere, resulting in
him having a bunch of babies slaughtered in Bethlehem.
You see, this is the danger of being in
leadership. Once the appetite for power and control are satisfied, corrupt
leaders will go to any length to keep their power and control – even by
inflicting death upon others.
And so, what this all means is that you and I
must repent of the many times that we fail to be wise as snakes with respect to
those in leadership. This world that we live in is not a pleasant walk on a
beach but a vale of tears where mankind is infected with depravity and hatred
of the Gospel. We must repent of being foolish and naïve. We are called to put
the best construction on our leaders while also honoring them according to the
4th Commandment but not at the expense of failing to be wise as serpents. We
must always pay attention, to be cunning as a snake – awake and aware of the
times when those in leadership go the way of power and control instead of
servant-hood and suffering.
But we also need to repent of the many times
that we too go the way of power and control. You see, the thirst for power and
control is not exclusive with leaders, but it is a part of all of us, for we
love to build and uphold our little kingdoms. As it goes with Herod, it goes
with sinners like you and me. We love to put ourselves first and
subordinate others underneath us. Our sin corrupts us, and we thirst for power,
control, greed, and selfishness, thinking that these things supposedly help
build our little empires. But in the end, our little empires do not last.
We can’t take our little thrones to our graves. And regardless how powerful we
are in life, we all end up six-feet-under the ground together. Indeed, it is
easy to let our old Adam have its way and for us to try and enhance our thrones
and kingdoms by stomping on others to keep power and control. But in the end,
when we do this, we not only hurt everyone else around us, but we damn
ourselves to the pits of hell.
Lord, have mercy on you and especially
me.
Dear friends, just think if the Lord had acted
this way. That Christmas long ago, “God could have come with terrible power and
slain Herod and all like him. But if He [slaughtered] everyone prepared to put
themselves first, there would be none of us left. [Therefore, the Lord] came
the way of love, which knows that we are not made better by force. . . . Force
deals only with the outside of a person. [However,] when God came [He] came to
save us from sin. [He came to save us from ourselves. He came to save us from
our love for power and control. And as He came to save us,] He used no force
but love – love that brought Him to a stinking stable and a cruel cross.”[1]
Dear Baptized Saints, “Jesus did not put
Himself first. [He did not seek power and control for Himself.] He was there
for us. [He was there for you.] His whole life was such action of love [-
servant-hood and sacrifice for you and me]. . . . He lived the life that is
expected of us, and He died the death that was coming to us for our sin.”[2] He
did this to be our servant. He did this to be our sacrifice. He did this to
give us His kingdom. He did this to strengthen us by His power. He did this to
possess us and keep us steadfast in His might.
May Herod’s spirit of power and control die in
us today; may Christ grant us a spirit of sacrifice and servant-hood as we are
continually served by Christ in His blessed Word and Sacraments.
In the name of Jesus. Amen
[1] Norman
Nagel, Selected
Sermons of Norman Nagel: From Valparaiso to St. Louis, (St.
Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2004), 326-327.
[2] Ibid.
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