Matthew 2: 13-18

Matthew 2: 13-18

In the Jeremiah 23 entry, and a couple of others, we noted that one of the big jobs of the Messiah would be to take over the government.  Earthly kings had shown again and again that they couldn’t be trusted to lead well or fairly or justly; so God was coming to put the whole business of government under new management.  That’s very good news for most of us, but bad news for a few: namely, those unjust, unfair, or ineffective current governors.

I think it’s fair to say that Herod is one of those bad governors the Old Testament prophets hand in mind.  He seems to have an inkling that his time is coming to an end, but he’s not going to go down without a fight.  It’s hard to know what to say about the staggeringly cruel and horrific action he’s willing to take to preserve his own power.  I don’t know whether it makes it better or worse to know that this slaughter of Bethlehem’s children is actually entirely in character for Herod: he became king by marrying a princess and then assassinating her entire family, and eventually the princess herself; and he executed several of his own sons who either plotted against him or were framed for doing so.  Mass murder is practically workaday policy for Herod.

For understandable reasons, this episode is often edited out of the Christmas story.  A fadeout after the third king puts the frankincense at the feet of the smiling baby makes for such a good ending.  But the truth is that the child in the manger isn’t really the end of the story; it’s just the beginning of the end, as they say.  Sure, there are angels, and shepherds, and good-hearted foreigners, and faithful old men and women celebrating the arrival of a good, new king.  But there are also bad, old kings who are digging in their heels; and there’s a lot of costly fighting ahead to finally dislodge that old regime.

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