THE CHRISTMAS STORY IN MATTHEW’S GOSPEL — 4Matthew 2:16-18Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying: "A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted, Because they are no more." [NKJV] Whether this story was historically true or not, it seems to relate to what we know of the later character of Herod, who went from being known as Herod the Great to Herod the Wicked, even having some of his own children murdered. It is therefore completely believable that Herod would want to have the infant Jesus killed, seeing Him as a threat to his power. A number of aspects of Matthew’s Gospel mirror what the Old Testament tells us about the life of Moses, and it could appear that Matthew is conducting a public relations exercise to show Jesus’ story in the same light as the revered figure of Moses. I believe that this is a spiritual picture f the pursuit of the Evil One, who will spot at nothing — destroy, infect and dissemble; bring despair, anxiety and delusions to kill the Christ in us before that seed of everlasting life gets a hold and builds holy ground. Aristotle said “Give me a child until he is 7 and I will show you the man”, although presumably he did not say or write it in English, and there is an essential truth in that. A good deal of who we each will become is formed in our early years, and those early influences undoubtedly predispose us to faith or not. Our Lord knows this and — as those that are His are chosen from before the beginning of time — ensures that we flee into Egypt, out of harm’s way, until we have His seed growing in us. I know from my own experience that the faithful influence of my mother in early years particularly, shielded me from a lot of Satan’s snares. I had it easy compared to some, but we can be thankful that the Lord loves a challenge and brings many to faith whom Satan had thought his own. The road may be long and tortuous — with much lamentation weeping and great mourning, but The Lord will have His way. “MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS”JEREMIAH 31:15-17 NKJV Thus says the LORD: "A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted for her children, Because they are no more." Thus says the LORD: "Refrain your voice from weeping, And your eyes from tears; For your work shall be rewarded, says the LORD, And they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope in your future, says the LORD, That your children shall come back to their own border. “The Coventry Carol” — Anúna A HOLY COMMAND: Oswald Chambers on Love |
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