Читать книгу With My Eyes On Jesus - Dale Goldsmith - Страница 7

Matthew 2:16: When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, 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.

Context: King Herod the Great, supported by Rome to keep the peace in Jewish territory, was in no mood to allow the newborn “king of the Jews” to get in line for the throne. To eliminate the competition, he resorted to a scorched-earth slaughter of babies. Joseph, Jesus’ father, was warned about the danger in a dream, and escaped with Jesus to Egypt.

Meditation: Babies are vulnerable: SIDS, genetic malformations, colds that turn fatal, domestic accidents, famine, war—we have seen and read about all these disasters and more, and we know they are real. Jesus began his human experience in a vulnerable way and at a bad time: as a baby and in the midst of political turmoil.

This is an ugly story, full of unconscionable violence, motivated by corruption, oppression, selfishness, and deceit. It’s the kind of story we still hear. Every day. The gospel reporting on the beginning of Jesus’ mission should include the now familiar warning—“viewer discretion is advised.”

The message is clear. Jesus is the Christ—God’s “assigned one” to be the king of God’s people. The unholy alliance of Roman power and its political lackey in Palestine will have none of it. Herod takes immediate and dramatic measures to attempt to remove Jesus, the Christ, permanently from the scene.

Rather than try to overlook or forget this murderous attack on Jesus and God’s will, isn’t this a moment to decide? Do I accept citizenship in Herod’s kind of kingdom, or do I hold out for the kind of kingdom Jesus came to proclaim, to model, and to live and die for?

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for coming to us by running risks that we would never be able to run to get to you. Amen.

Today: Is there something concrete I can do for small children facing the cruelties of a political world?