Over the next few months I am leading a Bible study on the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) through the awesome women’s ministry at my awesome church. This is my second time through this portion of the Bible in the past year, and I am EXCITED.

Thanks to this study, I’ve been spending more time in the early portion of Matthew than I usually do outside of the holidays. Reading about Jesus’ birth outside of the focus of Christmas helped me to see things I’ve never noticed before. The first of which is that Jesus was born into a land of CONFLICT.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king… (Matthew 2:1)

Matthew chapter 2 introduces Herod the King. This Jewish Messiah King is born  into a land with a sitting King. And while Jesus was born in the royal line of David, Herod wasn’t even a true Israelite – he is a pretender to the throne.

What happens when God’s authority, God’s right to rule comes into a place where there’s a sitting ruler, a pretender to the throne? Read more