Scripture: St. Matthew 2:16-18 (NKJV)
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was
exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who
were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under,
according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. 17 Then was
fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying: 18 “A voice was
heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for
her children, refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”
Devotion
King Herod tried to use the Wise Men to locate Jesus, that he might eliminate
this threat to his throne. But when that plan failed, Herod flew into a tirade.
By now Jesus was about a year old, so Herod ordered all male children in
Bethlehem less than two years of age to be slaughtered (just to give himself
some cushion). But Joseph was warned by an angel to flee that night and escape
to Egypt.
Bethlehem was only a two-hour journey from Jerusalem, so it’s reasonable to
assume the Magi arrived in Bethlehem on the same day they’d spoken with Herod.
It’s also very possible they left Bethlehem that same night and headed back
east, just as Joseph, Mary, and the Christ Child would be departing west for
Egypt. By morning the Magi and the holy family were simply gone, heading in
opposite directions. No one in Bethlehem could tell Herod where anyone was
because no one knew. Everyone—the whole entourage, the whole Nativity set—was
simply gone.
But there were still those who remained. “Then Herod, when he saw that he was
deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to
death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts,
from two years old and under…”
You might say the little ones died that day for no other reason than they
“resembled Jesus” as baby boys 2-years-old and younger. We call these boys of
Bethlehem the “Holy Innocents,” not because they were holy or innocent on their
own, or by the way the tragic way they died, but because they were victims of a
slaughter aimed not at them, but at Someone even more innocent: Someone without
sin, Christ, our Lord.
The Lutheran Herald is a publication of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of
North America. These daily devotions are authored by the bishop, pastors, and
deacons of the diocese. Daily posts are provided by The Reverend Jeffrey A.
Ahonen.
_______________________________________________
Sermons mailing list
[email protected]
http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
