The Massacre of the Innocents and When Power Refuses to Concede.
13 Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, 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.” 14 Then Joseph[a] got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”
16 When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men,[b] he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men.[c] 17 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:
18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,
wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.”-Matthew 2:13-18 NRSV
Advent and Christmas are reminders that we worship a God who turns the world upside down by journeying and being with the oppressed, the marginalized, the grieving, the lonely, and the depressed. The one chosen to birth God-was a young, poor, brown/black skinned Palestinian, on the margins of society. Some of the first people to be told about Jesus’ birth (at least in the gospel of Luke) were shepherds.
One would expect God to be born to those at the seat of power, not to a poor, unwed, teenager. One would expect God would be wrapped in the finest of linens and born in the most luxurious palaces. And yet Jesus’ birth is painted as the extreme opposite of the type of birth one would expect for an earthly king.
Jesus’ birth is a sign that the status quo built on oppression would be overturned. Jesus’ birth is one that would challenge the powers that be and ushers. Even Matthew, whose birth narrative of Jesus differs significantly from Luke, still paints Jesus’ birth as one that has major implications for the imperial power. After all, why would King Herod want him dead, if he posed no threat to the established powers that be?
As Christians, we take hope in the promise that comes from Jesus’ birth: that God not only journeys with the marginalized and oppressed but that God promises to usher a new world where such oppression is no more. But even as we hold onto that hope, we know that those in power, will not loosen their grip so easily.
In Matthew, Jesus’ birth-something that we now celebrate as a night of hope and joy, was marred by Herod’s order to massacre baby boys two years old and younger. A time celebrating God’s inbreaking into the world, is filled with the cries and screams of mothers whose children were brutally ripped from their arms and killed.
As we celebrate a God who came to turn the world upside down and to end oppressive systems, let’s remember that individuals and institutions of power, will never silently and happily relinquish their power and willingly allow for the destruction of the very status quo that benefits them. They will fight to the bitter end to prevent the good news of a world without violence and tyranny, from being realized.
While we are holding onto hope that God will reward our attempts to continue advocating for justice for an end to institutions of exploitation and subjugation, we need to remember the many innocent people who die before that time comes to pass.
We hold onto the promise and hope of Christmas while mourning the pain and destruction that occurs as a result of a society unwilling to truly embrace the Good News. Because for those in power, for those who benefit from systems of subjugation, white supremacy, war, the turning upside down of our world is NOT Good News. God coming to earth in the form of a poor, helpless baby, is terrifying news.
We see this dynamic of violence and suppression continue to today-even amongst those who call themselves, “Christians.” We see it in the continued execution of unarmed Black and brown people by state agents, we see this in the continued state obsession with war-making, in the refusal of the government to provide an adequate and sustainable safety net to care for the poor and marginalized. We see this in the brutal treatment of refugees and immigrants. We see this in denominations and congregations that continue to refuse to ordain women and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
King Herod’s reaction to the notion that a new king was born (whether or not this story is “historically accurate”) is true to human nature. Whenever injustice is called out and fought against, those who benefit from said injustice will do everything in their power to resist change. And in some cases, that involves the deaths of innocents. These lives need to be grieved, honored and remembered. Those who caused their deaths need to be held accountable.
We hold onto the hope of God’s incoming kingdom, we keep working to create a more just and equal world, and we hold close those killed by the status quo.
note: I also want to acknowledge that Matthew's portrayal of God in this story is problematic. God warns multiple people except for the women whose children are going to be massacred? But that will be a discussion for another time...
