The Holy Innocents – 28 December

Feeling threatened by reports of the birth of a “king”, Herod the Great ordered the slaughter of young boy children in the region of Bethlehem (Matthew 2. 16 – 18).

This incident may remind us of a similar event when the Israelites were slaves in Egypt. The people thrived and many children were born. So many that Pharaoh felt that soon the Israelites would become so prolific and strong that if they joined with the enemies of Egypt, Pharaoh would be overthrown (Exodus 1. 7 – 10).Pharaoh ordered that all male Israelite children be killed at birth (Exodus 1. 15 – 16, 22).

In both instances the plan failed.

The wise men did not report back to Herod to give him details of the whereabouts of the new king. They could sense that Herod did not want a possible rival to his power to survive. Ironically, Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt to safety and later made their home back in Nazareth, a good way from Bethlehem and Jerusalem.

The midwives in Egypt during the time of slavery feared God and refused to kill the baby boys. They made clever excuses and, when Moses was born, his mother and sister worked together on an ingenious plan first to hide the baby and then, when he was discovered, they very astutely offered help to care for him.

In the episode of the “flight into Egypt” there is allusion to a verse in Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31. 15):

Thus says the Lord:
A voice is heard in Ramah,
lamentation and bitter weeping.
Rachel is weeping for her children;
she refuses to be comforted for her children,
because they are no more.

This text is possibly not relevant since it is part of Jeremiah’s prophecy from God that God will restore the people and bring them back from exile in Babylon.

And the prophecy continues (Jeremiah 31. 16 – 17):

Thus says the Lord:
Keep your voice from weeping,
and your eyes from tears; for there is a reward for your work, says the Lord:
they shall come back from the land of the enemy; there is hope for your future. says the Lord:
your children shall come back to their own country.

Perhaps on this day our thoughts may turn to all the innocent young children in the world today,  many of whom are neglected, in need of a good home and long for the love of a family. Others are suffering from malnutrition, preventable disease, a shortage of clean water, physical, mental and psychological abuse, lack of basic medical care, inadequate or non-existent education, forced labour, the consequences of war.