They go to the current ruthless ruler, who rules over the conquered people of Israel, and put him on notice that a new king.....the rightful King of the Jews....has been born. Could you tell us the way? We have every reason to believe that Herod was oblivious to the prophecy and its intersection with history that was taking place right under his nose. Hey King...the real King has been born!
Matthew then says, "and Herod was nervous....and all Jerusalem with him" Of course everyone was nervous because when Herod ain't happy, heads roll. In the end, it was the heads of all the innocent boys age 2 and under who were living in Bethlehem at the time. The Magi had provided Herod with a nice window of time even if they couldn't point out the specific prophecy fulfilling child.
So Herod killed them all. All the male children younger than two....all but Jesus who escaped in the night to flee to Egypt. This bloody episode concludes with this haunting quote
"a voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud lamentation.
Rachel weeping for her children
and she will not be consoled
for they are no more" Matthew 2.18
Oh yes, there are places in the Church where this story is called the Martyrdom of the Innocents, but I don't want to pretty it up even that much. When we look at the faces of the victims at Sandy Hook Elementary School....the beautifully young and hope filled faces of the children....there is nothing pretty and the grief is beyond bearing. When we glimpse the dust covered faces of children fleeing the carnage of Aleppo, there are no words. Only grief. Deep, abiding grief.
And just perhaps, a hint of why it is Jesus came to be among us.......to save us from ourselves.
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