The Holy Innocents
Jeremiah 31:15-17; Revelation 14:1-5; Matthew 2:13-18
In the name of the Father and of the ☩ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
When the magi arrive at Jerusalem, and Herod learns that they’re looking for the newly born King of the Jews, that text says “[Herod] was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him” (Matt. 2:3). At first, that causes a bit of confusion. We get why Herod would be upset. A newborn King is a threat to his rule. But why would that affect all Jerusalem? Why would everyone be troubled by this?
But then you hear our Gospel lesson today, and now you know. This is why. These are the sorts of things Herod does when he’s troubled. He turns his unbridled rage toward the insignificant town of Bethlehem to slay their most vulnerable. The Church calls them the “Holy Innocents.” They are the first martyrs of the New Testament, the first buds of the Church formed upon the branch too early, killed off by the frost of persecution.
We don’t know who they were or how many baby boys perished that day. I don’t know why, but scholars love to debate that point. How many were there? It doesn’t matter. Either way, this is a horror. And the mothers refuse to be comforted. Of course, they refuse. That’s even what Jeremiah foretold, “Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more” (Matt. 2:18).
We cannot fathom this. How could someone be so evil as to force children from their mothers’ arms and put them to the sword? It bothers us to our core. And what’s more, what’s striking, is that we’re listening to this at all. We have to ask ourselves, why does Scripture force us to hear it? The scene is recorded twice in the pages of Holy Writ, once in our Gospel reading, but also centuries before in the Old Testament. And Scripture is never just about giving information. It’s never just telling us history for the sake of history. So we have to ask, why give us this? And why is it that from early on, at least the fifth century, the Church has set this incident before us on December 28? They could have assigned it for anytime of the Church year, but they put it here. Today. This is what the fourth day of Christmas brings. While the rest of the world is still basking in the glow of the Holiday, the Holy Spirit calls us to the harsh reality of remembering the Holy Innocents.
The answer is simple and sobering, but here we learn not to misunderstand the meaning of Christmas.
We heard the good news from the angel that “unto you is born… a Savior” (Luke 2:11). But now we learn that the Savior doesn’t end all violence just yet. The angelic host declared “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace” (Luke 2:14). But here we learn that it’s not an earthly peace. Jesus’ birth does not usher in a time of calm prosperity and warm fuzzy feelings. Rather, the birth of Christ brings opposition and affliction. It brings this terror, not because God wants it, but because satan wars against the Church. He lashes out in rage over it all. He’s the one who brings about these horrors. Horrors that did not end with the last sword of Herod.
As terrifying as this scene is, it’s not something foreign to us. There’s no difference between this horror and that of abortion in our land. Except for the fact that however many children there were in Bethlehem, it pales in comparison with our numbers. And still comfort eludes those who mourn. But satan doesn’t stop there. He continues to attack the saints of the Church. Every time you hear of some tragedy, a suicide, a shooting, another diagnosis, another betrayal, another affair, a divorce, children who are abused, living in a broken home, people suffering a spiraling addiction, some grief, whatever it is, you hear of it, and you feel it. It’s like a fist is clenched around your heart. It constrains you.
And yet, that is precisely why the one babe of Bethlehem escapes in the night.
The evil we see in our text, the anguish of this fallen world, mothers who refuse to be comforted, that is precisely why you have Christmas. This must not be misunderstood. The horror of this text is set before you today that you might know exactly what Christ has come to undo.
For although it seems as if our Lord escapes, that’s only so that He might die at the proper time. It’s only so that the babe of Bethlehem might redeem with His blood those whose blood was shed for Him. So don’t shy away from calling these children holy and innocent. Of course, they were conceived in sin like everyone else. Of course, Christ alone is the Holy One. Only He is Innocent. But in His death, Jesus makes them as He is. They die for the Christ child, so that Christ can die for them in a greater way.
So we honor their sacrifice today, and we confess that their salvation is assured in Mary’s Boy. He didn’t die only for those of mature minds, only those who have come to some age of accountability and are able to confess Him. That’s nonsense. Jesus died for the sins of the world, even the sins of the baby boys of Bethlehem. That’s what Jesus flees to secure, their salvation. And, if you notice, that’s what Jeremiah promised. The Old Testament text wasn’t just foretelling this horror. The prophet also preached this, “There is hope for your future, declares the Lord, your children shall come back to their own country” (Jer. 31:17). The holy innocents died. But they are not dead. All Herod did was send them to their reward early. They will be there at the Resurrection! And then, then Rachel’s tears of sadness will be turned to tears of joy. Then she will no more refuse to be comforted.
Well, that is the promise. That’s what Christ has secured. The unfathomable evil of our text is the whole point of our Lord’s birth. This is why Christmas is good news. It’s what He comes to undo. And the same is true for you. Jesus comes into our dying, evil world, to undo all the sadness. He redeems it all at the cross: your sins, your suffering, your mourning, the longing you have, the brokenness, the mental and emotional anguish. Jesus was not born for folks who never have reason to cry like the mothers of Bethlehem. He comes for those who suffer the assaults of the evil one.
But satan cannot have you anymore than he can have Christ. Jesus escapes here. He escapes to adulthood. He escapes in the wilderness; satan can’t get Him to sin. The people try to stone Him, but Jesus eludes them. Time and again, He escapes the plan of the devil. Until finally the devil submits to Jesus’ timing, that He might die at the cross. And then, when our Lord rises on the third day, He’s not merely escaping and outwitting satan for another time, He’s destroying the power of sin, vanquishing the bitterness of death.
For that really is the only thing that will comfort Rachael. That’s the only solution to undo the wrong committed against these Holy Innocents. It’s the resurrection. And that is the only thing that will ultimately right your wrongs. The empty grave has taken away the sting of death, but we still feel it in this world. We still wait for the resurrection, when those who refuse to be comforted will finally be comforted, when all violence and horror will cease, when we will see the peace on earth the angels proclaim.
Our eyes don’t see that just yet. Which is why the Lord, Jesus Christ, bids you to come. He dries your tears here at this rail. He tempers your grief and calms your hearts with the peace and comfort of the Sacrament, that you might leave today with the assurance that satan is overthrown, death is defeated, all horrors of this world, and of your own life, are undone. You’re just waiting for the Resurrection.
But you’re not just waiting. Because until that day, you are given to be the voice of Jeremiah. He preached that Rachel’s children would return to her. That death will be no more. All suffering will cease. Christ is born for this. And that is the only true comfort to be found in a broken world. That’s what calms your aching heart while you wait for every horror to be undone. And that is also what you must learn to speak to one another. That’s what you must preach to yourself. This is your witness in a weary world. You’re not here to get through life without suffering, but to handle your own suffering with the thrill of hope in the resurrection.
That’s why we have this text. That’s what struggling children of God need to hear. The tears will end. Your comfort is assured. Satan might continue to bring all the horrors to bear, but satan be damned. Christ is born for this. Christ is Crucified for this. Christ is Risen for you.
In ☩ Jesus’ name. Amen.
The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.
"If God is for us, who is against us?" 