Whose Kingdom?

Standing out on the top of the Herodion you can literally see for miles.  It is only one of many impressive structures that Herod built during his reign, but it is also the only one that bears his name.  As you can see from the picture, it towers over the landscape.  The hill it is perched on, however, is artificial, a fitting irony.  Herod took the top half of a neighboring hill and used it to build up this one.  Inside the structure, you are again overwhelmed by the impressive nature of it.  There is one tower in particular that stands apart from the rest.  It is 18m in diameter, for those of us in the States that is close to 54 feet.  Archaeologists suggest that this massive tower would have been several stories tall and would have served a number of purposes including protection.  The Herodion is indeed an incredible architectural achievement.

As I said, however, there is a bit of irony in this structure.  The land of Israel is marked with a number of monumental structures that were built by Herod the Great.  The Herodion is one in a long list of engineering feats that includes things such as Caesarea, a constructed harbor which used underwater cement (in the first century BC no less), the Temple Mount, the fortress at Masada, and various others.  All of these things were done because Herod wanted to make a name for himself.  He was building up his kingdom and his legacy.  Every building was yet another attempt to secure his place in history.  Yet despite all of this, history remembers him mainly as a villain and a puppet.  His entire kingdom belonged to Rome.  If they chose they could simply depose him and appoint another.  In fact, that is exactly what happens to one of his sons who takes over the rule of Jerusalem.  His kingdom was an artificial one just as the hill that he built this structure on.

Unfortunately, kingdom building seems to be a symptom of the human condition.  We're so busy trying to make a name for ourselves, trying to leave our mark on the world, that we often do so to the detriment of others without much thought.  The west is constantly critiqued as being materialistic and consumer-driven.  Guilty as charged.  On my way out of the country, I had to essentially unpack my entire carry-on.  It took quite a while to say the least.  The security agent and I laughed a bit about it until she finally asked, "Why do you have all this stuff?"  A just question, one that has no suitable answer.  I've unwittingly fallen into the same trap as Herod.  I've built up my own kingdom, falling in line with the rest of my society in pursuing material things, wealth, and status.

To the southeast about 3 miles away lies another settlement which is considerably more modest, yet perhaps far more significant.  It is the town of Bethlehem.  This is where Jesus was born, where God came to Earth and took on flesh.  Today, Bethlehem lies in one of the Palestinian territories.  It is wrought with the same poverty that was undoubtedly present at the birth of Jesus.  It is a stark contrast to the riches that must have been present at the Herodion.  Yet only one of these kingdoms continues on today, only one of them continues to shape the world.  Our professor posed the question throughout the day, "Whose kingdom are we building?"  Herod's kingdom with all of its lavishness has fallen away, yet Jesus who was born in a feeding trough has built a kingdom that will stand forever. 

I would wager I'm not alone in building up my own kingdom.  I'm sure many can look at places in their lives where they have promoted themselves instead of following Jesus' example.  Unfortunately, there is a great danger in building up our own kingdoms.  Herod is the perfect example.  We read about his edict to kill the children under the age of two in Bethlehem in scripture, but that is only one instance of his tyrannical reign.  He slaughtered his political rivals on the Cliffs of Arbel.  He killed several people close to him including one of his wives because of his paranoia regarding conspiracies along with many other atrocities.  Now certainly we don't carry out our kingdom building to this degree, but we still carry it out at the expense of others.  We buy up the latest gadgets not thinking about the plight of those under the living wage who built them.  We blissfully use up natural resources despite the impact that it has on the ecosystem.  We compromise our integrity for the sake of a small advantage over someone else on the corporate ladder.  The examples are endless.  Yet Jesus calls us to more.  Jesus was aware of the plight of the poor, not just because he saw it but because he experienced it.  He identified with them and trumpeted their cause.  When tempted with power, riches, and fame he turned them down choosing to worship God alone.  When he had the opportunity to tear others down, he sought to build them up.  Jesus built a different kind of kingdom.  Set when the world acquired power through violence, Jesus created a new kingdom through peace.  It is His kingdom that has endured throughout the centuries and it will be his kingdom that will endure until he returns.  So whose kingdom are we building?  Are we building ours at the expense of others, or are we building his to their empowerment?