The wise men didn't know it at the time, but the reason King Herod asked them to give him information about Jesus was not so he could worship him, but so he could eliminate this perceived threat to his power. God warned the wise men about Herod's bad intentions, so they slipped out without being noticed. Herod is disappointed, but doesn't give up easily. Instead he casts a wide net and kills all the babies in Bethlehem. This terrible episode is known as the slaughter of the innocents. The Christian church has honored these unknown babies by considering them the first Christian martyrs. They didn't make choices that led to dying for their faith like most martyrs we think of, but they still died in some way for the sake of Christ. It's a sad story and sadder still that fear and faith still can lead to death. Let's pray and work for a day when innocents will no longer be slaughtered.
God bless,
Sam
Matthew 2:12-18
12And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. 13Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, 15and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”
16When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. 17Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: 18“A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.”
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