Matthew 2.13-end (NRSV)

The Escape to Egypt

 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.’ Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I have called my son.’

The Massacre of the Infants

 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. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:
‘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.’

The Return from Egypt

 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.’ Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, ‘He will be called a Nazorean.’ 

I am indebted to the commentary on Matthew’s Gospel by Stanley Hauerwas (SCM Theological Commentaries) for this reflection, and hope my readers it to be useful as you prepare to preach on this passage on the first Sunday of Christmas.

God’s existence is open to rational demonstration. I believe this is an important reason why Matthew’s account of the magi is included in the canon of Scripture. People can find their way to Jesus in different ways, some through amazing experiences, others in simple acts of faith like that of the shepherds, while still others need to think things through. For me, it has been a mixture of a number of things, but this rational aspect is increasingly important. The magi, in addition to thinking things through, followed a star. This adds the dimension that Paul often refers to, that God can be discerned through nature as well. Hauerwas suggests that this ‘natural knowledge’, ‘… requires narration through the stories that have been given us in scripture.’ We need the balance.

Reason alone would have suggested that a new and important king would be born in the capital – Jerusalem. The magi needed help, and it came from the most surprising of sources – Herod – the evil king, but one who had invoked learned men to be able to work things out for him. They had studied the scriptures and knew of the prophecy in Micah, and so Herod was able to point the Magi in the right direction. Human learning alone is often not enough.

Hauerwas states that the main focus of our reading – the massacre of the innocents – challenges the sentimentality that might creep into our Christmas celebrations. Jesus is born into a world where things are often very ugly indeed – where children are abused and killed – and this continues, sadly, still today.

Some scholars have glossed over this vile truth, suggesting that the victory of the resurrection makes it all worth it! But as MacKinnon suggests, this truth, which I celebrate as fundamental and beautiful, does not always give us any meaning or comfort in the midst of horror and suffering. For too long, some Christians have applied this to explain or even excuse suffering in the world with comments like: “If they have been killed, at least they will have gone home to be with Jesus for all eternity!” But this is cold comfort to the mother who has lost a child in horrific circumstances. Matthew’s account of the death of these children is stark. He reminds us that Jeremiah warned that this was going to happen – that Rachel would weep for her children and refuse to be consoled. As Hauerwas points out: ‘… The Gospel – the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus – is no the consolation for those children who are murdered and for their loved ones. Rather, those who would follow and worship Jesus should challenge to those who would harm children in any way.’

Christians need to stand up for all those who are vulnerable and be willing to count and pay the cost of doing so. Christians need to challenge all abuse, and every abuse – like Bonheoffer, Tutu, Mandela and others. As Hauerwas challenges us, Christians need to stand up to the modern day Herods but he adds that we also need to address the fear that motivates ‘Herods’ to do the evil that they do. We need to show the world another way, a different way, the way that Jesus stood for, the way of peace and justice and forgiveness and love. In a time when the world mourns the death of Nelson Mandela, it is apt to be reminded how he removed the fear of those who perpetuated evil on both sides in the apartheid South Africa, calling for justice to be tempered with forgiveness and thereby providing hope. It was this hope that nurtured peace. Hauerwas writes: ‘… the lure of love that moves the sun and the stars, the same love that overwhelmed the wise men with joy. It is that love that makes the church an alternative to the world that fears the child.’

The good news is that all Herods eventually die; unjust rulers and people eventually go, but God’s people endure, because God has made this possible through the kingdom He established in Jesus. So we must continue to fight for justice and protect the weak and vulnerable, especially children. We must stand by those who mourn the unjust loss of their loved ones and support them the best we can. We must fight for fair wages and working conditions for all people and so we need to shop responsibly, making sure that our well-being is not at the cost of anyone else.

A brief comment on the return to Nazareth …

There is no prophecy anywhere in the Old Testament that says that the Messiah would be a Nazorean! But there are references to those who lived disciplined and holy lives – the Nazirites. Jesus lived the simple and disciplined life of a Nazirite.

What is significant about Nazareth is that it was an insignificant part of Galilee which itself was not considered a ‘good’ place to be because it contained a mix of different races and classes of people, including Samaritans and Gentiles. For the up and coming Jew at the time, they would choose not to live in Galilee – it was the wrong side of the tracks. But for a base for the Gospel to reach all the people of the world, it was ideal, and because of this context, the teachings of Jesus, especially the examples he used in his parables show how it is universal. The kingdom of God is for all people, the kingdom established by Jesus would be based on different standards to the norms of the world.

Rather a rushed reflection, but I trust it will be of some use to you.

God bless you all,

David