Slaughter of the Innocents
Slaughter of the Innocents Relief by Abbaye Saint Pierre de Brantôme Creative Commons Share – Wikimedia
December 29, 2019, Last Sunday in Christmastide: Matthew 2:13-23
We are fascinated with the wise men. Only Matthew tells the story and he doesn’t mention how many wise men there were. How did he come up with three? I suppose three gifts require three carriers. Likewise, no names are given. But somehow sacred history came up with Gaspar, Melchior and Balthazar. These wise persons make a long journey traveling by night following a star. Only fools follow stars—well, ships at sea do. These pharaohs from the east, Gentiles, seem to know about the birth of a Savior. Jewish people living in Jerusalem know of no such person. The travelers come to King Herod with an outrageous request: “Tell us where the baby born to be your successor is to be found.”
Kings do not like to be told that their replacement has arrived. Herod assembles the priests and holy men to discern the meaning. They tell him that the birth is rumored in Bethlehem. Herod didn’t care about prophecies and such niceties. But kings are jealous of their power. Best to nip this in the bud before the story spreads. So he organized the slaughter of the innocent children. Father Walter Burghardt reminds us that the first martyrs, the first to die for Jesus, were innocent children.
Every child who comes into the world looks and behaves like Jesus. They are innocent, delightful, honest, and without deceit. And they are at risk.
These days we are into grandparenting in a big way. We invite each of you to take a close look at the little ones. After all, they are the hope of the world. And they do look like Jesus.
Merry Christmas! Good vision and joy for the New Year!
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My New Year’s Resolutions:
- I will find ways to keep in touch with a great niece who’s in a mostly male combat unit in Iraq.
- I will tell myself that the number 86, when applied to age, is an accomplishment.
- I will take the darn pills each day with thanksgiving.
- I will give thanks for Jan who day by day makes my life fun.
The Rev. Bill Cotton of Des Moines is a retired clergy member of the Iowa Annual Conference. Together with friends and colleagues, he produces the weekly sermon resource MEMO for Those Who Preach, which appears in United Methodist Insight with the authors' permission.