| Matthew 2: 13-18 |
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The Flight to Egypt
13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “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.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” Herod Kills the Children 16 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. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: 18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, |
Left behind in Bethlehem
In the first half of this reading we God’s protection, and in the second half we see what God was protecting them from. However, while in the first half God was evidently present and near to Mary and Joseph, in the second half God hardly seems visible at all. Instead suffering and evil seem to triumph as a small village mourns the death of perhaps 10-30 boys aged 2 and under.
It would have been clear to Mary and Joseph that God was in control, that He knew what He was doing, and that it was in their best interests to be obedient. However in Bethlehem we see a people weeping and wailing, refusing to be comforted, and who probably didn’t understand the story they were part of.
I’m sure we would much rather have an experience like Mary and Joseph. To be hearing God’s voice clearly in our lives, to be trusting and obeying without hesitation and to know God’s protection from harm. Perhaps the reality is we feel more often like the people left in Bethlehem, overwhelmed and confused by the suffering in our lives and the evil in the world. Of course, we know that God is sovereign and will one day make all things new as this worship song says:
One day You’ll make everything new, Jesus
One day You will bind every wound
The former things shall all pass away
No more tears
One day You’ll make sense of it all, Jesus
One day every question resolved
Every anxious thought left behind
No more fear
When we all get to heaven
What a day of rejoicing that will be
When we all see Jesus
We’ll sing and shout the victory
(Matt Redman/Eliza Hewitt)
Annemarie