Today’s scripture: Matthew 2:16-18 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Keith Phillips):
Matthew uses a distinctive formula when pointing back to the Hebrew scriptures (aka “prophecies”) for his validation of Jesus’ life: “This took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet…” Interestingly, five of the eleven times Matthew does this are in the infancy narratives (chapters one and two), accounts which are in none of the other Gospels; and they include one (2:23) which simply does not exist in the Hebrew Bible as we know it.
None of these “prophecies” in its original setting means what Matthew uses it to mean in the life of Jesus. Matthew uses this formula to affirm his steadfast belief that God’s hand is at work in the given situation. I do not deny that, but sometimes we might get confused, believing that a particular incident was the will of God, planned an eternity beforehand to demonstrate that Jesus is God’s beloved Son.
To believe that with regard to the massacre of the Holy Innocents is a horrible, blasphemous mistake. I say without reservation that it was not God’s will that Herod kill the boys of Bethlehem. Although there’s no historical evidence that it happened, the murders of the children certainly was consistent with Herod’s character.
So what are we to make of this account?
I read The God Box by Alex Sanchez not too long ago. I rarely read novels and less rarely read novels written for teens and young adults. But a friend who is helping me to grow spiritually recommended it, and I recommend it, too. In the book, a gay Christian high school student, Manuel, moves to a new town and is open about his sexual orientation. Just as I thought he and his best friend, Paul, might get together, Manuel is beaten within an inch of his life by two other students using a tire iron.
It reminded me, of course, of Matthew Shepherd. And then I thought of what’s going on in Uganda where their parliament is considering passage of a death penalty law against homosexuals. And then I thought about the one out of four girls and the one out of six boys who are sexually abused in this country. And the term “Holy Innocents” took on contemporary meaning for me.
Matthew uses this episode to remind readers that Rachel (the women of Israel) wept when her descendants (their children) were taken into captivity (Jeremiah 31:15). Faced with Herod’s cruelty, mourning was about all that could have been done as the boys of Bethlehem were massacred. We, on the other hand, can work to raise consciousness of such travesties, especially those committed to LGBTQ youth around the world, and work to seek justice.
The next words of Jeremiah’s prophecy read: “Someday your children will come home from the enemy’s land. Then all you have done for them will be greatly rewarded. So don’t lose hope. I, the Lord, have spoken” (Jeremiah 31:16, 17).
Thought for the day: O Lord, may I never forget that evil abounds in this world, but your grace abounds even more. Let me be an instrument of your justice and of your peace, with my hope always in you. Amen.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.