“Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Rise, take the Child and His mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the Child, to destroy Him.’ And he rose and took the Child and His mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. … Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.“
(Matthew 2:13-15a, 16-17 ESV)
This story used to make me feel uneasy. “Why did God save His own Son but not the other babies?” I wondered. It seemed … unfair, somehow. Unjust. Was God playing favorites?
Years later I realized that in fact, Jesus did not get away safely. The final baby of Bethlehem also died at the hand of a king named Herod—thirty-some years later, as an adult. And it wasn’t a quick death by the sword but the long-drawn-out agony of crucifixion.
But even that’s not the real point, is it? Because out of all those babies and toddlers, Jesus is the One who came into this world on purpose to die. He gave Himself into death on purpose, for all those babies and for us as well. And then He rose from the dead, just as He will raise those children—and us as well.
We Pray: Lord, overcome the darkness with Your light. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
* Does this story make you feel uneasy about God? Why or why not?
* Some call those children the first martyrs for Christ. Would you agree?
* How does Jesus help you cope with the darkness of great evil?
Advent Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Originally published in The Lutheran Hour on January 4, 2024
Used by permission from International Lutheran Laymen’s League, all rights