Wonder Of Advent #35

A Costly Testimony

Read: Matthew 2:13-18

A cry was heard in Ramah—weeping and great mourning.

Matthew 2:18

SIMEON TOLD MARY a sword would pierce her own soul. He was pointing to the Cross, of course, though Mary’s soul was surely pierced every time her son was castigated by religious watchdogs or the politically insecure. But Simeon was also pointing to a dynamic that would begin to play out in the days and months ahead. Sometime in the first year or two of Jesus’ life, when Herod found out that the magi had not become the spies he wanted, he was furious. And the Nativity story took a dark and disturbing turn.

The massacre of the innocents in Bethlehem is hard to understand. Why did the sovereign God who protected Jesus by sending the holy family away not also protect the infants of the town? Why, when Herod wanted to eliminate the competition, did God not simply eliminate Herod—or at least bind him, frustrate him, incapacitate him, or send him on a long, distracting journey? Why didn’t God direct the magi away from Jerusalem in the first place? These gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh were a wonderful act of worship, but they cost a lot more than the magi would have wanted. Why did children have to die?

Scripture doesn’t give us answers, though many have asked similar questions about atrocities throughout the course of history. What we do know is this: The world has been in rebellion against its God, and the spirit of the world will oppose whatever he does to redeem and restore his creation. For all its warmth and assurances, the Christmas story is really a major offensive in a cosmic war. It’s the spiritual realm’s version of the Normandy invasion, only more monumental. It had to happen, but it would be hotly contested by a despot trying to hold on to power. It would provoke the enemy’s rage.

Even so, it was worth it. The testimony of the magi and even the testimony of Herod’s fury give us a glimpse of spiritual realities that we need to see. Surely in that other realm, where light is always shining, the children of Bethlehem now know that their lives, given as part of a campaign to break the darkness, speak throughout the ages. Their blood exposes the enemy. The cries of their mothers convince us that it’s worth anything to step out of this hideous rebellion and into the Kingdom of light.

Prayer

Lord, may I never become confused about whose side I’m on. This rebellious world, no matter how much it dresses itself up, is full of hatred and pain. Your Kingdom is true and beautiful—and forever mine. Amen.

REFLECTION

What role did the slaughter of the innocents play in the eternal scheme of things?

Further reading: Isaiah 61:1-3

Then woe is me, poor Child, for thee

and ever mourn and say

for thy parting, nor say nor sing,

“By by, lully, lullay.”

“COVENTRY CAROL,” ENGLISH CAROL