When we look at our politicians today, what do we see?  We’re pounded with stories of indiscretion, sexual harassment, corruption, undignified behavior and evil occurring all over the place. We’ve the ‘benefit’ of receiving all this juicy gossip daily – even taking precedence over a terrorist attempt in NYC.  The news media has become nothing more than sensationalism and pulp fiction at its worse.

In Jesus time, there was corruption in government, but it wasn’t restricted to politics.  The common folks of that time had better things to do than read twitter accounts, listen to tainted, one sided reports.  They didn’t care what happened in that realm.  They were too busy eeking out a living and trying to get through another day without dying.

However, there were some really bad dudes running the country at the time of Jesus’ birth.  Herod was charismatic, ruthless, paranoid and maniacal. What a guy!Born an Edomite, he was a Jew like his subjects. In his lifetime he built Judaea into a thriving metropolis. One of his projects was Masada, a heavily protected fortress.

He was one of the movers and shakers of his day, but he had a dark side. He had 10 wives, one which he killed in a jealous rage. He had two of his sons murdered, because he feared they were plotting to kill him. The man had no real.  It had been vacuumed up like someone falling into quicksand.

The Jews had been promised by the government that they could worship outside of the Roman religions, but they had to pay for the privilege. Herod taxed them heavily and used the revenue for his massive construction plans. We all know what happened when he found out that another King was born to take his place. The murder of the innocents had to be one of the most horrific events of this time period.

Yet our Savior was born and spared by God, because He had a mission for the baby, Jesus.  It was the perfect point in history for Him to be born.  The census would lead His family to the city of Bethlehem (the city of King David) to fulfill another prophecy about the Messiah’s birthplace.

King, Jesus will come again and rule with power unseen by humankind.  He defeated our greatest enemy.  He conquered death and gave all who believe in Him, eternal life.  He is a just king – a loving king – One who took our place so we wouldn’t never again suffer the chains of sin or death.

As we look at our own political scene, sin is alive and well.  The devil still roams the earth and shoots his evil darts at us daily. He lives in Washington.  He works in the everyday world as well.  He entices, lures and tempts us constantly.

When we walk with Jesus, we can be assured that He has chosen a perfect place for us.  He is our perfect ruler and He has chosen us to be part of His eternal kingdom.