Ramah’s Lament
Read Matthew 2:16-18
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.
After realizing that the Wise Men had betrayed him, Herod was filled with rage. His anger, mingled with intense insecurity and paranoia, resulted in an act of unbelievable horror. This dark detour in the Christmas story is overlooked for several reasons. Let us consider two.
For centuries, critics have asserted there is no historical evidence for this event. Many of these critics suspect that this story is a literary embellishment meant to compare Jesus to Moses (see Exodus 1 and 2). Critics also argue that, if such a horrific thing had happened, there must exist some extra-biblical evidence to validate Matthew’s claim. We can discount this critique for several reasons. First, the absence of extra-biblical material cannot be used as evidence either for or against the historical accuracy of any biblical event. The Bible itself is a historical document used by scholars of all faiths. With numerous examples of historians validating ancient history based on a sole source, we can argue that those single sources are far less reliable than the New Testament.
Moreover, the event described in Matthew 2:16-18 is entirely consistent with what is known about Herod the Great. During Herod’s reign, he not only murdered three of his sons, he also oversaw the execution of his mother-in-law and his “favorite” wife, one of ten. But perhaps most telling of all, when Herod learned he was dying, he arranged for the mass arrest and assassination of dozens of respected Jewish leaders. He did this to ensure sufficient weeping and public mourning of his death. In this brief devotional, we cannot cover the many well-documented examples that demonstrate the consistency of Matthew’s account. Still, we can have every confidence that Herod’s atrocity against the infant boys in Bethlehem happened.
Another reason this story is often overlooked is the offensiveness of mingling the images of a brutal massacre of innocent babies with the celebration of Messiah’s birth. Scrubbing the nativity clean requires less talk of refugees, political oppression, teenage pregnancies, and infanticide. However, these are as much a part of the narrative of Christmas as are the angel chorus, shepherds, and wise men. Our porcelain nativities and church plays would never be the same if we included the full story of what happened in the little town of Bethlehem.
I often question whether our culture has lost the ability to grieve loss and lament suffering. Gone are the days when people “sat in sackcloth and ashes” or ripped their garments apart in anguish. We sanitize death. We hide it in nursing homes, hospitals, and morgues. Who wants to see the suffering of people in Majority World countries when we can celebrate the wealth and comforts of our rich and prosperous nation? Is society’s inability to grapple with suffering and grief manifesting itself in higher levels of depression, anxiety, mental health disorders, and suicide?
It’s hard to reconcile innocent children dying because of Jesus, but from Matthew’s perspective, that is exactly what happened. This stark display of sin is a reminder of our need for a Savior. Jesus’ arrival in Bethlehem did not result in the instantaneous elimination of evil. As angels sang and shepherds worshipped, all hell was breaking loose. Forces that had long controlled the kingdoms of this world did all they could to quell the coming redemption. The babies of Bethlehem became the first of many soul-piercing sacrifices in a war against our eternal separation from God. Those sweet babies would not be the last to die. In fact, the one baby Herod wanted dead would eventually breathe His last on a Roman cross. It was that death—Christ's sacrifice—that secured victory over the dark forces of sin, death, and the grave.
Maybe Christmas comes with a painful memory of loss and unspeakable grief as it surely did for the mothers of Bethlehem. You understand that sorrow, that pain because you have lived it in some way. We have done you a disservice by leaving this part of the Christmas story out. Grief and loss are embedded into the remembrance of Jesus’ birth. After all, that is the whole reason He came. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)
God of all Comfort,
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