Jesus is never neutral.

And another thing!

On the first Sunday of Christmas, it is traditional for the church to do a Lessons and Carols service. There are a few reasons for this. We love to sing Christmas carols. The clergy are tired. Also, no one really wants to hear the story of the Slaughter of the Innocents, which is often the gospel appointed for that Sunday. Here it is, Matthew 2:13-23:

13 Now after [the magi] 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 E

gypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 Then Joseph 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 magi, 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 magi. 17 Then what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 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.” 19 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, 20 “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.” 21 Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling 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. 23 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 Nazarene.”

It's a hard story. Parents shouldn’t have to lose their children. Violence shouldn’t come for Jesus this early in his life. Why does this happen?

Jesus is never neutral. Even as a baby, his existence is religious and therefore political. Herod is one of the first to see what Jesus means for the world. Even though Herod is not too far from death, he will not risk having his power brought down by God. Jesus doesn’t need to be a threat to Herod. That isn’t what he came for. But Herod knows that anyone preaching who might preach allegiance to God can lead people away from full allegiance to anything that isn’t God. Herod knows that he is not God. Before the child can even make a full sentence, Herod tries to eliminate the risk.

God doesn’t cause this slaughter. God doesn’t kill babies. The prophets foretold what would happen, but that doesn’t mean that it is God’s will. The prophets knew the depths of human sin, as much as they knew the goodness of God’s love. They knew that the Messiah would suffer, because that is part of what it means to be unpopular and misunderstood in this world. It wasn’t part of the plan, but it was a logical side effect of the plan.

Herod and his paranoia bring this violence to Bethlehem. He sends soldiers to kill the children of the people he is supposed to protect and govern.

By the providence of God and the obedience of Joseph, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph escape in time. They seek safety in a foreign land until God tells them that it is safe to return home.

What was good news for all people—what IS good news for all people—also brought out the worst in some people. Through no fault of their own, the first to suffer for the sake of Jesus were the families of Bethlehem.

There is no tidy conclusion, no moral to this story. This is senseless, stupid, pointless violence and grief. This is just one more example of why this world needs a Savior.

For the fact that God has saved us, even from our own evil, we give thanks and praise. For the mothers and fathers of Bethlehem, weeping for their lost children, we remember and we pray. For the parents, children, and friends of those lost to stupid, senseless violence in our own time, we can yet preach peace and share the hope that we have because of Jesus.