Out of Death, There Is Light

Holy Innocents

December 28, 2014

Matthew 2:1-18

Out of Death, There Is Light

†

In the name of the Father and of the † Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

I.

Herod was a king of small little country called Judea. He ruled over the Jews. He was allowed to rule by the king of the Roman Empire, the Caesar. As long as he toed the line with the Romans, Herod could do what he wanted. It was like being prime minister of Denmark. You have power, but you try not to upset the Americans.

Herod was not a politically correct liberal European ruler. Herod was cruel, clever, and rational. He did was right for himself. So when the Magi appear from the East and ask where to find the King of the Jews, Herod is worried. Like many others Herod assumes that Jesus came to push him off the throne.

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 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."

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 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. "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: " '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.' "

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 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."

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. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 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.

And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. . . . 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. (Matthew 2:1-12, 16)

King Herod did the right thing for himself. He'd get the address of what he thought was his future rival. Then he'd send in an assassin to quietly murder Jesus. This surgical strike against Jesus seems likely as we watch how sweetly and secretly he manipulates the Magi, "Please tell me where Jesus is so I can go and pay my respects, too."

II.

Note the contrast between his initial pretend concern with his later loss of control. His outburst led to the open murder of a score of babies boys and toddlers. This violence can only be described as pure evil. Let make sure we're clear on what pure evil is. Pure evil is simply the love of yourself that is out of control. Most of the time our narcissism is held in check. But when we don't get our way, look out. And the more power we have, the worse the damage will be.

King Herod had some power and he used it to murder innocent little children and brought unspeakable suffering to many families. Today we might speak of this dead boys as collateral damage, a term that doesn't pass along the horror of this dark deed.

III.

Darkness is always trying to put out the Light of the world. In doing so, it causes pain and suffering. But here's the promise: The Light has conquered the darkness and it will never be put out.

Jesus is the Light. He came into the world to save us from darkness:

I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. (John 8:12)

I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should stay in darkness. (John 12:46)

Herod tried to put out that Light, but he failed. Whenever darkness comes to extinguish the Light, it will fail. We trust in the Light. Even though we are by nature dark, Jesus came to take us into Himself, into the Light. And by His Word that creates light out of darkness, we will remain in His Light.

Our trust in Christ doesn't take away or lessen the pain of the dark deeds that we have committed or the ones committed against us. But our faith does change how struggle with evil. For example, there are many who have murdered babies with an abortion. These parents will carry this darkness with them their whole lives. But in Christ, they flee for refuge from their sin and find mercy in Him.

For us who have never murdered, we consider our hatred of others and our grudges and our secret murders of our hearts. And in Christ, we flee from from our sin and find mercy in Him.

Light exposes sin. And our Light, the Light of the world, exposes our darkness, so that He might have mercy on us and bring us the warmth of forgiveness for all our sins.

Christ Jesus came into the world

to save sinners—

of whom I am the worst.

Alleluia! Amen.