“When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. ‘Get up,’ he said, ‘take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.’ So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.’ When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: ‘A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.’” (Matthew 2:13-18 NIV)
This is a part of the Christmas story that rarely, if ever, is talked about. And I understand why. The killing of hundreds of innocent children doesn’t quite fit our celebration of the birth of Jesus. Yet, there it is. Jesus is born and innocent children die as a result. So what are we to make of this account? As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, where does this story fit?
It seems to me the version of the Christmas story we hear year after year is a sanitized one. It contains the beauty of God’s Son coming to earth, but omits the realities of the world into which He came. That world, as it is today, was ruled by Prince of Darkness. The coming of Jesus was a grave threat and, with Herod as his instrument, he did his best to eliminate Him without regard to innocent life. In the Nativity, we see the stark reality of the Enemy. He is ruthless, uncaring, and merciless.
The birth of Jesus was God’s invasion of enemy territory, and the response gives us an understanding of what we believers are up against. As Peter wisely observed, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (I Peter 5:8 NIV) As he sought to devour Jesus, so also does he look to devour us, if not physically, then spiritually.
Sometimes we approach the Christian life with the same naivety as we do the Christmas story. It’s all beauty and wonder. Yet we do so at our peril. And this, I think, is where the story of Herod’s massacre fits. It reminds us of the ruthlessness of our enemy. He never has played nice and never will. His aim is to destroy the work of God and he couldn’t care less who he harms in the process.
Today, let this part of the Christmas story remind you of the reality of the battle you joined when you decided to follow Jesus. But never forget you are on the side of victory. Just as the enemy was unable to devour Jesus, he will not be able to get his ruthless teeth into you unless you let him.
© Jim Musser 2011
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