The Slaughter of the Innocents

Matthew 2: 13-18

The Escape to Egypt

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.”

^{The slaughter of these children presents a gruesome picture, one that begs the question of how far fear and hatred will go.  Yet in our own day, countless children die unnecessarily from hunger, neglect, "ethnic cleansing", and yes, sadly abortion. Children are helpless and suffer at the hands of those capable of caring for them. Whatever we can do to support organizations such as FEED THE CHILDREN, might not solve the problem, but can help to save a few lives.  May this reading today prick our consciences and move us to their aid, even in a small way.}

^{Bro. Rene}