Christmas Hope in a Broken World | Matthew 2, Herod, and the Return of the King

Christmas often comes with pressure to feel cheerful—even when life is heavy. In this episode, Jay Strother and Brian Ball slow down in Matthew 2 to see what the story actually contains: costly obedience from Mary and Joseph, the brutal reality of Herod’s violence, and the sobering reminder that Jesus’ coming forces a decision about who sits on the throne. Rather than sanitizing the season, Matthew shows us Jesus entering a world marked by suffering, oppression, and spiritual conflict.

The conversation also highlights the Bible’s honest room for lament, drawing from Jeremiah 31 as Matthew connects Bethlehem’s grief to Israel’s deeper story—pain that is real, and hope that is deeper still. From typology and the echoes of Exodus to the promise that “the days of Herod” do not last forever, this episode points listeners to a hope that isn’t sentimental but anchored: Jesus is the true King, His authority stands, and Emmanuel means God is with us—even here.

As the year closes, Jay and Brian zoom out to the big themes Matthew has been building all along—fulfillment, identity, authority, and mission—ending with the Great Commission and the promise, “I am with you always.” It’s a timely reminder that the light has come and now shines through God’s people into a world still longing for peace.