Herod was a terrible person. We know it from the Bible (Matthew 2); history records his evil deeds. He’s been the bad guy of the Christmas story for a long time. Though thousands of years have passed, we can still learn from his notorious ways. Make that what not to do.

When the wise men came to Jerusalem asking about the king of the Jews, Herod was quite upset. Matthew 2:3 reports he “was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.”

Herod sat on an embellished throne of his way or the highway. He had no room to share with anyone else, no matter what the prophets had foretold.

“And all Jerusalem with him” meant “if Herod wasn’t happy, nobodywas happy.” He wanted two things: to remain on the throne and the location of the newborn king. He didn’t care at all to cause suffering for either.

If we are not careful, we can let the heart of Herod seep into our daily life.

One day just before Christmas, I became terribly upset about a non-family situation. You wouldn’t have known it unless you looked at my eyes. Beneath the surface brewed a smoldering furnace of anger. It burned in my chest.

I pondered why I was so irritated. After a few moments of reflection, it came down to me wanting my way about a particular situation. Sounds sophomoric, I know, but it’s true. My anger blazed over my own self-importance: my way was better.

It just so happened I was studying about the wise men that week. (God sure does speak through His Word.) Move over, Herod. There I sat on a throne of my own. I was convicted, shook my head at my stupidity, and prayed for forgiveness. As a follower of Christ, there is only one Who has a right to sit on the throne of my heart, and it’s not me.

The “and all Jerusalem with him” stood out again. When we are upset, it affects others. It clouds our vision and keeps us from acting sanely/ wisely. We need to deal with it before it deals with us.

Herod completely missed Jesus and pursued a life of destruction. He lied to the wise men and killed all the babies in the Bethlehem area. If Herod had allowed Jesus to enter his heart and life, his story would have been completely different. He could have searched for and found Jesus. He could have worshipped Him as Lord. Instead, Herod made himself a god and was only self-serving.

Thankfully, we won’t be doing as much damage as King Herod, but a self-absorbed attitude can cause us to lie to ourselves and kill the joy of those around us. Philippians 2:5 encourages us to have the same mindset (the same attitude) as Christ. Some versions say, “Let this mind be in you…” I like that!

We can have a heart like Jesus—not Herod. Instead of troubling our Jerusalem, let’s point our Jerusalem to Him.