Who is the Fairest?

 

He must increase, but I must decrease.

—John 3:30

We all can likely recall the wicked queen in the tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, when she stands before a magic mirror and asks the question, “Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” hoping for the answer, “You, O Queen, are fairer than Snow White.”

This kind of jealousy has plagued the human race far before this Snow White story—published by Jacob Ludwig Karl Grimm and his brother, Wilhelm Carl Grimm—ever appeared in print. In fact, the first murder in the Bible concerns two brothers vying over which of their sacrifices should receive the most favor from God (please see Genesis 4).

We find this temptation to murder, even if only hidden in the hearts of men and women, throughout history. When Saul served as king of Israel and heard the crowds shouting that “Saul has killed his thousands and David his ten thousands,” Saul set in motion the murderous plots to rid the world of this rival (please see 1 Samuel 18).

In the Christmas story, the Magi had followed the star they had seen in the sky. They had come to Jerusalem seeking the new King of Israel. Thinking that the present king might know the whereabouts of this future ruler, they stopped in the city to visit Herod and ask for a specific route.

I like the way that Angela Hunt, in her The Nativity Story, portrays the encounter between the Magi and the evil King Herod. Of course, we can’t know exactly the conversation and further discussions of the men from the East. But, Hunt’s description gives us a mental picture of the encounters. This comes from the story after their visit to the Christ Child. ¹

Melchior stroked his beard and considered Herod’s marble city. Perhaps God was warning him through the stars, or perhaps this conjunction [of stars] meant nothing. But an uneasiness moved at the core of his being, and he hadn’t liked the look of cunning he’d glimpsed in Herod’s eye.

Last night he’d seen that same look in a dream he had while dozing next to some talkative shepherd… “The one they call Herod the Great has murdered two sons and a wife,” Melchior said, picking up his reins. “I do not think he’d hesitate to kill an innocent child of Bethlehem, do you?”

Neither Gaspar nor Balthazar answered, but neither did they protest when Melchior turned his camel away from Herod’s city. They would take the road from Bethlehem to Jericho, heading east without returning to Jerusalem.

As it turned out, murderous Herod, after learning the biblical prophecy of a child, probably under two years old, had all the babies that age murdered in Bethlehem. Fortunately, as directed by God, Joseph, Mary, and the young child Jesus, had escaped to Egypt.

This sin of murderous jealousy, this wanting to be rid of our enemies, comes at us in so many tempting ways, even some that sound practically reasonable to us in our minds. Why not try to get rid of that school principal who constantly gives us a hard time? Why not get rid of my boss, in order to explain why I should get that achievement award above others? Why not exaggerate the troubles I’ve had from this or that person, so that I can look better in the eyes of my friends?

The Bible also has plenty of men and women who, because of their supernatural life of grace through Christ, have taken the route of humility, obedience, and submission to unfair suffering. John the Baptist, whom Jesus called the greatest man to ever live, came introducing our Lord. John the Baptist lived humbly and prepared the people for the Greater One, Jesus. John the Baptist spoke the words, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

During this Christmas season, let us contrast these two men and their reaction to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords: Herod on one hand—jealous, unhappy, murderous—and John the Baptist on the other hand—humble, obedient and submissive. How would our Lord have us live in our time, so that others see Him above our selfishness?

______________________

1 Hunt, Angela. The Nativity Story. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2006. Pp.177-178.