Hello my friends,

Given the news we Americans woke up to on February 28th about our country directing military strikes against Iran, I wanted to invite us to think about a comparison I have been thinking about from Matthew's gospel for more than a decade now about those in power in our country today.

Recommended Resources

​-Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth by Richard J. Foster. This book is one of the books that I remember changing me in a profound way. It had such an impact on how I saw spiritual practices that I could never see prayer, fasting, and meditation in the same way again. I have so enjoyed the work by Richard Foster that it inspired Rebecca and I to name our son Foster. If you haven't yet read it, I encourage you to do so. It could be a wonderful companion to you in this season.

​-Anger Secrets Podcast Because of things going on in the world, I have found it more and more difficult to deal with the anger it produces in me, especially when I feel so helpless to make a difference about very real injustices. In an effort to make sure my unresolved anger doesn't bleed over into my closest relationships, I went looking for a resource that could give me practical advice. I have found the Anger Secrets podcast to be very helpful in helping me navigate this tension and so I thought I'd share it here as well in case anyone else would find it helpful too.

-The Politics of Jesus: Rediscovering the True Revolutionary Nature of the Teachings of Jesus and How They Have Been Corrupted by Obery M. Hendricks Jr. I know I have recommended this wonderful book before, but I continue to read it and reference it during this time and consistently find it helpful. I think you would too.

​-The Structure of Hope. I wrote this article almost a year ago now and I still find it speaks to how I am navigating hope today. Many people have written to me about how helpful and practical they found this article, so given recent events and the topic of today's newsletter, I thought I would share it again here as well.

The Violence of a Threatened Throne

In Matthew 2:3, we read a small yet haunting verse: "When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him."

This verse has come to mind time and time again over the last decade as the political landscape has unfolded the way it has. This verse is a moment pregnant with meaning, revealing the bigger picture of the context surrounding it. The Magi had just come from the east and had asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Then we read that Herod found this news disturbing and when Jerusalem saw that he was disturbed by this news, they were all disturbed as well.

This dynamic reveals how the fear of losing power by the ones who hold it ripples far beyond the throne room. Herod’s worry was not simply personal anxiety. It was perceived as a political threat to his dominion and because his authority was rooted in coercion and fear, his distress translated into terror for the people of Jerusalem. The Greek word Matthew uses to describe both Herod's "disturbance" and how all in Jerusalem felt is "tarassó", which means, "to strike one's spirit with fear or dread." Herod dreaded losing his power. The people under him understood that when a king who rules through fear is disturbed, violence and suffering often follow.

Herod proved these fears to be true. When he perceived even the promise of a new king, the news of an infant, he ordered death and the most vulnerable paid the price (Matthew 2:16). This is the pattern of every regime that guards power above life: when threatened, it lashes out, and the least protected suffer most.

A Modern Disturbance

On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched a coordinated military campaign of airstrikes and missile strikes against targets in Iran. The operation has been described by officials as “major combat operations” aimed at dismantling perceived threats from the Iranian regime and accelerating regime change. The president framed the move as an effort to defend American interests and support freedom for the Iranian people, while stating that some Americans may die as a result of these actions.

This escalation followed a build-up of tensions and the collapse of negotiations intended to limit Iran’s nuclear and missile programs. Iranian authorities and allied nations have condemned the strikes as unjustified aggression, warning of humanitarian, diplomatic, and regional consequences.

At the time of this writing, the full scope and human cost of the strikes is still unfolding, and I cannot confirm specific casualty figures beyond what press agencies and state media have begun to report. Multiple reports note explosions in Tehran and other cities, but independent verification about civilian deaths, including the tragic hits on civilian infrastructure, is still limited.

What is clear is is that military strikes such as this and those taken towards Venezuela that do not have documented and explicit authorization from Congress raise profound constitutional and moral questions. While many see the need for the corrupt and abusive regime in Iran to be opposed, the U.S. Constitution grants Congress, not the president alone, the power to declare war. At least one senator publicly criticized the action on that basis and urged that the decision should have come with congressional authorization.

Herod’s Shadow and the Fear of Power

When King Herod was disturbed, Jerusalem was disturbed not because people shared his fear of a child king, but because they understood the consequences of a ruler afraid to lose control. They knew that the violent clinging to power ends with innocent people killed, families shattered, and the marginalized crushed.

In our time too, when leaders pivot from constitutional restraint toward unilateral displays of force, the disturbance spreads. It does not stay in political chambers. It reaches families, communities, and the vulnerable around the world. We have seen this in the use of immigration enforcement and the military in American cities and in the 17-page draft executive order being circulated by the president's allies designed to seize federal control over the 2026 midterm elections, citing unsubstantiated claims of foreign interference.

This is not simply political critique. It is a theological truth embedded in Jesus’ life from its very beginning. When power is exercised out of fear, out of domination, out of self-preservation, it yields death.

Herod ordered the massacre of children because he believed his rule was threatened. When nations wage war to reshape governments far from home, and when leaders make unilateral decisions that could ignite wider conflict, especially while disregarding checks and balances, there are real human lives at stake. It disrupts both international and domestic safety. Our response must be guided by conscience, truth, and a deep love for neighbor, not by the desire for spectacle or assertion of dominance.

Our Call in a Wilderness Moment

The comparison to Herod is not designed for partisan scoring. I have simply found the comparison helpful and very relevant throughout the last decade. I believe it points to a deeper spiritual and moral pattern. A pattern where those in power are motivated primarily by fear of losing influence rather than by a commitment to justice and peace, a commitment to the vulnerable under their power.

Jesus was born under the shadow of that fear. The early church lived under rulers who feared its radical message of peace and equality. And throughout history, empires have repeated the same tragic pattern. If anyone should be familiar with that pattern, it should be us.

Yet Matthew’s narrative also contains a way forward. In that same chapter, an angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream, directing him to flee to Egypt and then return when it is safe. God speaks and God protects, not by worldly power, but by divine wisdom and care. I have to believe that God is still speaking and protecting today.

For those of us who see these events clearly, we are disturbed, as every faithful heart should be, but we must not fall into despair or hopelessness. Tactics like this from the powerful are used to do just that, strip us of any hope and force us into apathy. We must remember that Jesus was not delivered by force, but by obedient faithful love. We remember that the cross itself was a confrontation with empire, and that the risen Christ remains Lord over every earthly throne. It is that kind of faithful love that will have the last word.

A Way Forward

In the days ahead, many may feel powerless. Many may feel afraid. But Scripture calls us to act, not in fear, not in violence, but in courage anchored in love.

We must engage in nonviolent protest against policies that perpetuate injustice and war. We must raise our voices against systems that disenfranchise and harm the vulnerable. We must use our economic power wisely such as boycotts and other forms of collective nonviolent action when such measures uphold justice and protect life.

We do not advocate violence. We advocate accountability, transparency, peace, and a return to constitutional restraints on the use of military force. Our voice matters. History shows that sustained, principled, nonviolent collective action has immense power to disrupt authoritarian drift and to protect the vulnerable we are called to love.

The King Herods of the world are going to act like King Herod. The question is, how will we respond? May it be through faithful, self giving love in all the ways we can.

Prayer

Lord of all nations,
You who spoke light into darkness and life into death,
Hear our prayer in these troubled days.

When rulers are disturbed by fear,
you call us to steadiness of heart.
When violence is chosen over dialogue,
you call us to courage, to peace, and to justice.
When decisions are made in public offices far from the vulnerable,
you call us to stand with the least among us.

Give us wisdom that is not captive to power.
Give us voices that do not bow to fear.
Give us courage to love our neighbors
both near and far as you have loved us.

Protect those in harm’s way.
Comfort the families of the suffering.
Turn our hearts from violence toward reconciliation.
Strengthen our souls to stand firm in nonviolent witness,
and to act on behalf of those without a voice.

Jesus, Prince of Peace,
May your kingdom come,
and your will be done
not by the sword,
but by love, truth, and mercy.

Amen.

Now I'd like to hear from you! Did you find this helpful? What thoughts came to your mind as you read? Feel free to respond to this email and share your thoughts with me. I look forward to reading them. A Lent Day Devotional: I wrote a daily devotional in hopes to provide a companion for people seeking to follow Jesus through the season of Lent. There is also an audiobook version. You can read more about both below: $20.00 When Love Gets The Last Word: A Lent Devotional Each day of this Lenten devotional will focus on a portion of scripture and invite us to reflect on our lives and our... Read more Get it now! ​ $20.00 Audiobook: When Love Gets The Last Word. Each day of this Lenten devotional will focus on a portion of scripture and invite us to reflect on our lives and our... Read more Get it now! ​ Ways to support: If you'd like to support this project, you can do so through one-time-gift of any amount you feel is right. You can also subscribe through a $5/mo, $15/mo, or $25/mo. Several others have also asked for a recurring gift option that is different from the ones offered here, like this one. If you'd like me to set up a different option for you, please just send me an email with the word "support" in the subject line. As always, I really want to thank all of you for reading and for all the ways you support me and this project every single week. I'm thankful for the ways we are building this together and hope it creates a lasting, positive change in our world along the way! I sincerely appreciate you all, Ben Remember, you can now view this and all previous newsletters as well as invite friends to join through this link: https://benjamin-cremer.ck.page/profile.

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