Herod the Great had tremendous power and strength. Scholars estimate that his wealth was more than 100 times the GDP of the entire country! But his power corrupted. Herod became paranoid and killed many innocent people in an effort to maintain his power.
By contrast, Jesus had little power or wealth to demonstrate his position as king of heaven and earth. It took great faith for the Jewish people to believe that he was the promised Messiah—one who would deliver them from the powerful forces of evil.
Today, Herod?s magnificent buildings stand in ruins and most people remember him as the man who killed babies in Bethlehem. Herod made a big mark on the world while he lived, but it has vanished.
Jesus didn?t leave any palaces as a legacy, and we don?t even know exactly where he lived or died. But his humble life changed the world forever, and he brought the best kind of freedom to the world: freedom from sin. Today, nearly every person has heard of the tiny baby born in Bethlehem.
The unbelievable really happened. Jesus ended up being a greater king than Herod the Great!
