Sermon text: Matthew 2:13–18
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
Today is the Festival of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs. This is the day that the church remembers the children of Bethlehem who were killed by King Herod, when he ordered the slaughter of all the male children in Bethlehem who were two years old and under, in his attempt to kill the Christ child. That was a day of great grief and lamentation in Bethlehem and in Ramah — the voice of weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, because they were no more.
Our text this morning is Matthew chapter 2, verses 13 through 18. The angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream, saying: “Rise, 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.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod.
Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.
It’s a brutal text. It’s a hard text. And it’s one that makes us confront the reality of evil in this world. Herod is the very picture of the tyrant: the one who will stop at nothing to keep his power. He was so afraid of losing his throne that he was willing to murder innocent children.
But the irony of the text is this: Herod, in all of his power, was powerless against the child. Herod had the swords, the soldiers, the armies. But God had the angels. And God warned Joseph, and Joseph fled to Egypt by night, and the child was safe. Herod could not touch Him. Herod could not stop Him.
This is the story of two kings: Herod, the king who kills to keep his kingdom, and Jesus, the King who dies to give His kingdom. Herod’s kingdom was built on violence and fear. Jesus’s kingdom is built on the cross and the empty tomb. Herod’s kingdom is gone. Jesus’s kingdom remains forever.
And the Holy Innocents: they are martyrs. They died for Christ, even though they did not know it. They are the first martyrs of the New Testament. And they are with the Lord now. They are safe. They are home.
This is the comfort for us, too. We live in a world where Herods still rage. We live in a world where children are still killed, where the innocent still suffer. But we know that the child of Bethlehem is the King of kings, and that He has conquered sin, death, and the devil. And we know that, in Him, we too will conquer.
The text says that Rachel was weeping for her children, and she refused to be comforted, because they were no more. But we know that they are not “no more.” They are with the Lord. And we, too, will be with the Lord. For Christ has risen from the dead, and He has promised that all who believe in Him will live, even though they die.
This is the hope of Christmas. Not that the world is a safe place — it isn’t. Not that evil doesn’t exist — it does. But that God has come into this world, in the person of His Son Jesus Christ, to save us from sin, death, and the devil. And that, in Him, we have the victory.
May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.