Why did Herod order these killings? Entrenched in his power yet well aware of the multiple Jewish prophecies about a coming Messiah who would topple all worldly powers, Herod feared the baby Jesus greatly. Having been told by the Magi (the so-called "wise men") that a new king (Messiah Jesus) had been born, he set out to ensure that this Messiah would not end his reign in Palestine.
What is a king to do? Simply, slaughter all potential enemies. And that is precisely what Herod did. Not wishing to take chances, he decreed that all children in Bethlehem two years and under be killed. It was a thoroughly brutal act, a despicable act of a tyrant so desperate to retain his throne that he was willing to eviscerate an entire generation of children.And for all this, Herod failed to kill the baby Jesus. Having been warned by God in a dream to flee Bethlehem, Joseph had taken the family to Egypt. Unfortunately, however, the damage had been done: thousands of other babies lost their lives.
We wonder why God allowed it, we wonder why Jesus eluded it, we wonder at the murderous lust of a frightened king. We shiver at the evil in a human heart. And we try to look at the bigger picture, the larger vision. God in our midst can be a most fearsome thing. We do not know what to do with a God who appears among us. We can embrace him, we can reject him. Or we can try to kill him.
But as countless rulers through the ages have learned, usually, we cannot kill God. We cannot erase him from our heart. If God has really come, if God has really visited us in the form of a human being, baby or not, we are helpless to change it. We can only believe.
And if we do not believe, we will eventually see that we cannot legitimately believe in anything else before us.
Love the little children.
No comments:
Post a Comment