“And He will be called… Prince of Peace.”
We read those words from Isaiah 9 every Advent, and they land soft and comforting—like warm light on a winter night. But Isaiah didn’t write them in a peaceful moment. He wrote them into chaos, fear, war, and political collapse. And into that storm he declares: A child is coming… and His rule will bring real pea
But here’s the thing about peace: not everyone in Scripture understood what it truly meant.
So for a moment, let’s imagine a conversation—a contrast—between the Prince of Peace Isaiah saw coming… and someone who thought he already understood peace, but didn’t.
Herod: “Peace Is What I Control.”
Herod the Great had a definition of peace that looked impressive on paper: massive building projects, economic growth, order enforced by power. A kind of forced calm.
He believed peace was the absence of threats.
So when whispers came of a child born King of the Jews, his version of “peace” suddenly cracked. A baby? A star in the sky? A question from wandering scholars?
Herod’s peace was so fragile it couldn’t survive a rumor.
He clutched control.
He tightened his grip.
He did the unthinkable—because fear always twists false peace into violence.
Herod teaches us this:
Any peace built on control will eventually crumble under the weight of fear.
Jesus, the Prince of Peace: “Peace Is What I Give.”
Now picture the contrast.
No palace.
No armies.
No fear-driven decisions.
Just a manger, a mother, and angels announcing “peace on earth.”
Jesus does not maintain peace by eliminating threats—He transforms peace by entering the world’s brokenness and absorbing its chaos.
His peace is not fragile; it’s fierce.
Not passive; but restorative.
Not enforced; but embodied.
He doesn’t clutch power—He lays it down.
He doesn’t silence threats—He redeems enemies.
He doesn’t demand calm—He brings healing.
If Herod preserved peace by tightening his fist, Jesus brought peace by opening His hands.
Isaiah said, “Of the greatness of His government and of His peace there will be no end.”
Real peace is not something you hold together; it’s something God holds together.
And Here We Are, Second Week of Advent
Between Herod’s panic and Christ’s presence is a question we must face during this season:
Which version of peace do we trust?
The one built on control…
or the one born in a manger?
Which do we honestly identify with more?
You see, Advent invites us to choose again. It invites us to dig a bit deeper, and reflect on our own personality archetype and patterns we fall into when the tides begin to rise and the pressures on.
Questions for Your Heart This Week
- Where am I clinging to control and calling it “peace,” rather than trusting the Prince of Peace to hold what I cannot?
- Am I holding on with a ‘Herod’ like grip? How can I loosen this false understanding of peace?
- What would it look like for Christ’s peace—not my preferences, not my need for certainty—to guide my reactions, relationships, and leadership this week?
May His peace—full, fierce, and everlasting—meet you on the road to Christmas.
-Pastor Scott.

