Archaeologists believe they may have found King Herod’s tomb. I read it in the paper last week. I don’t know why it struck me as funny, but it did.

After all, Herod was the greatest, richest, most powerful man in all Jerusalem. He was responsible for building the magnificent temple in Jerusalem during the days of Jesus’ ministry. How could history have forgotten where he was buried?

Herod’s ruthlessness was legendary. He was the guy who had all the babies in Bethlehem killed when Jesus was born.

He even executed several of his own family members in order to prevent them from taking his throne. Emperor Augustus once remarked that it was safer to be Herod’s pig (hus) than his son (huios).

How can it be that his grave was lost? Didn’t anyone care to mark the spot?

While he was alive, his every move must have been documented. Paparazzi would haveshadowed his every step. Married ten times, his life would have dominated both the front page and the gossip pages of the news.

Until recently, no one knew where he was buried. Ehud Netzer, an archeologist at Hebrew University, began his search for Herod 35 years ago. In an article reported last week, members of the archeological team think they may have found the tomb. I guess we’ll know soon.

At the other extreme, there is the man Jesus. He built no cathedrals. He acquired no property. He amassed no armies. He spent most of his life in an obscure Galilean community. We would expect him, not Herod, to be the more obscure personality.

In fairness, it must be admitted that we’re not exactly sure where Jesus’ grave is either.

But this meditation is not so much about tombs as it is about influence. Whose influence was greater: Jesus’ or Herod’s?

We would expect it to be Herod. He had the power and the political connections. He had the money. He had the good life, the things to which most people aspire.

He was Donald Trump. He was Bill Gates. He was Oprah Winfrey. He was George Bush. His every move was documented, his every fancy fulfilled. But once he was gone, he was forgotten. On the front pages while alive, he is now one of history’s footnotes. His influence did not outlast his life.

Jesus’ path took an altogether different course. Outside his own small circle, few people knew his name. Secular historians hardly mentioned him. Crucified by the Romans for crimes against the state, he should have been forgotten along with all the other would‑be Messiahs of first century Judaism.

And so it would have been, were it not for an empty grave–the fact that changed the course of history. For while Herod’s magnificent temple was destroyed before it was 50 years old, the kingdom which Jesus established through his obscure life, death and resurrection, is still alive and well.

Steve leads an informal home bible study in the heart of Cave Creek. All are welcome. For information, call (480) 510‑9518. Or, to read more of his writing, visit stevegilbertson.blogspot.com.