“A voice is heard in Ramah,
mourning and great weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because her children are no more.”
Jeremiah 31:15
The “Massacre of the Innocents” is a very important and many times omitted part to the Christmas story.
The story of the birth of Christ has many miraculous and wonderful aspects that can be found in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. They contain the familiar events such as the angel Gabriel visiting Mary as a virgin. Mary’s miraculous pregnancy, the angel speaking to Joseph in a dream concerning Mary’s pregnancy, the humble circumstances of which Jesus was born, the angles, the shepherds, Simeon and the prophetess Anna’s words concerning Jesus when Jesus was being presented at the temple eight days after his birth. And sometime later after Jesus’ birth, the visit of the Magi.
At the end of these wonderful events is a very tragic part to story of Jesus’ birth which is found in Matthew 2:16-18. The New King James version of the Bible titles these three verses, “Massacre of the Innocents”, harsh words but very true to the horrible event that took place.
In order to get a better understanding of this story we need to read the verses prior to our verses of interest, Matthew 2:1-15. After reading this important part to the story of Jesus’ birth I am sure you have some difficult questions, I know I do, and of which it is very difficult to find the answers, if there are any answers to be found. Why would God allow something so horrible to happen?
King Herod’s intentions and anger was evidence of his pride, he could not permit anyone to make a fool of him, particularly some Magi scholars. The manner in which he reacted was evidence of his paranoia to not lose his prominence and power even to an infant king. This led him to kill the boy babies two years of age and under who were still in Bethlehem and the surrounding villages.
Warren Wiersbe in his commentary makes this important point concerning this horrific event. “We must not envision hundreds of little boys being killed, for there were not that many male children of that age in a small village like Bethlehem. Even today only about 20,000 people live there. It is likely that not more than 20 children were slain. But, of course, 1 is too many!”
It is clear that God knew what was going to happen thousands of years before this event took place, because verse eighteen quotes the prophecy found in Jeremiah 31:15. The questions we might have concerning this “Massacre of the Innocents” may never be answered until we are able to ask Jesus himself in eternity.
God in His omniscience had a plan to save his Son Jesus from Herod’s murderous actions because He forewarned Joseph in a dream to escape to Egypt and provided through the gifts of the Magi all that Joseph, Mary and Jesus needed to live in Egypt for the period of time that they were there.
Although God has His reasons, He does not tell us why He permitted the innocent children to perish. But we do know that this event as horrible as it is,God in His foreknowledge of the events that were to take place cautioned and provided what was necessary for Jesus and His parents wellbeing.
Pastor John
Matthew 2:1-18
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'”
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”
