We don’t discuss politics much with children, or at least those who taught me the Christmas story as a child did not; I remember being somewhat confused by how Herod could be king if Jesus was king.
The fact is Herod was a sham king. He was not from the royal line of David; in fact he was not even fully Jewish. He had cooperated with the conquering Romans, who preferred to keep up the appearance of ruling through a local leader. He was a cruel man: he executed some of his own children, and did not hesitate to murder every little boy in Bethlehem in his attempt to eradicate Jesus. His son (also named Herod) beheaded John the Baptist, and went on to play a role in the mock trials that ultimately sent Jesus to the cross.
When the Romans put a sign over that cross reading “King of the Jews,” the false king must have thought it was over for good. He could not have been more wrong! The book of Acts gives us “the rest of the story”: Herod goes on to face the judgment of God, but Jesus, the one born “king of the Jews” is still alive, and the word of his reign is gaining strength. Come, let us worship the king!