A Time to Rejoice, A Time to Weep

”After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born. “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet: And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah: because out of you will come a leader who will shepherd My people Israel.” Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find Him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship Him.” After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was — the star they had seen in the east! It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed beyond measure. Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.“ (Matthew 2:1-12 HCSB)

While the holidays are a time of joy and celebration they are also a time of lament, sadness and loneliness for many. When family and friends gather to rejoice and celebrate we are painfully reminded of those who are missing from the celebration. For many widows and widowers, the holidays are a time to struggle with the loss of their spouse and to come face to face with the loneliness that relentlessly haunts their joy. For others, they suffer the loss of a child, grandchild or someone else dear to them and the holidays only exacerbates their ongoing pain.

The Christmas story may be seen as a time of celebration and rejoicing in the gift of God’s Son into our world, but we often forget that it is also a time of weeping and remorse. Last week we looked at Luke’s account of the shepherds and the angelic announcement of the Messiah’s birth. This week, we jump to Matthew’s account and the arrival of the Magi from the east to Herod’s court searching for the newborn king.

Matthew tells us that sometime after Jesus’ birth, a group of “wise men” or Magi unexpectedly arrive in Jerusalem searching for the child. They had seen His star and came seeking Him so they could pay homage and present gifts to Him. Matthew seems to be making a point that foreign (Gentile) emissaries recognized the signs of His coming while Israel’s own Chief Priests and Scribes did not. Those who should have known didn’t and those who shouldn’t have known did. It gives us great insight into Matthew’s view of the state of spiritual affairs in Israel, at the time.

When Herod heard of the Magi’s arrival and their search for the newborn King of the Jews, “he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.” While Herod is known as Herod the Great, he wasn’t necessarily considered great because of his fantastic leadership skills, social programs and compassion for the people but mostly because of his massive building programs funded through taxation of the Jewish people. The temple in Jerusalem was known as Herod’s temple – if that gives you any indication of his narcissistic traits.

When Matthew mentions that Herod was “deeply disturbed” by this turn of events and all of Jerusalem echoed his concerns it is due to how any king might respond to this news. Herod has been informed that a new king has been born because the Magi observed a celestial event signaling his birth. He assembles the chief priests and scribes and asks them where the Messiah would be born and they inform him of Micah’s prophecy: ”Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; One will come from you to be ruler over Israel for Me. His origin is from antiquity, from eternity.“ (Micah 5:2 HCSB)

Herod asked the Magi the exact time the star appeared then he sent them to Bethlehem: “Go, search diligently for the child and then report back to me, so that I too can go and worship Him.”

Matthew then tells us that the star led the Magi to the house where they found the child and His mother. They fell before Him, worshiped Him and presented Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Then God warned them in a dream not to return to Herod, so they returned to their own country (probably Syria – Magi is a Babylonian word) by a different route.

Everything in our story, up to this point, has simply been setting the stage for what happens next. Joseph is warned in a dream about Herod and his search for the child and his desire to destroy Him. He’s told that there’s no time to waste, they must get up and get out of Judea and they must flee to Egypt. So, we have another Joseph (and Israel) being sent into exile in Egypt. Sound familiar? Matthew is setting us up to view this story as a second Exodus. He tells us that these events fulfill the prophecy of Hosea: ”…out of Egypt I have called My son.“ (Hosea 11:1 HCSB)

Herod soon realizes that he has been outwitted by the Magi and he flies into a rage. This is why all Jerusalem was disturbed along with him when they heard about the king’s state of mind regarding the story of the Magi searching for the newborn Messiah. Herod orders that all of the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under to be slaughtered. He’s great, isn’t he? Some scholars question the facts surrounding Matthew’s account because this massacre isn’t recorded in any historical records. However, Bethlehem was a small town and the number of children in and around Bethlehem at that time would no doubt have been small.

But remember, small is a relative term. I live in a small city of about 35,000 people. The number of male children under the age of two in Shawnee is approximately 225. This estimation is based on the 2010 census data in which 13% of the population (31,000 within the city limits) are age 9 or below and 53% are female and if age distribution is relatively even among that age group. I would estimate that Bethlehem is probably 10-15% of that size and if the age and gender distribution are similar then that would result in about 25 – 40 male children under the age of 2 being killed in and around Bethlehem. Is that significant? Maybe not if you are a historian, but it is if you live in or near Bethlehem.

Matthew says this is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Jeremiah: “This is what the Lord says: A voice was heard in Ramah, a lament with bitter weeping — Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children because they are no more.” (Jeremiah 31:15 HCSB)

Ok, so what’s the point? What is Matthew trying to tell us and what am I trying to tell you?

The massacre of the innocent in Bethlehem is exactly why they needed this new King. The massacre of the innocent in Gaza IS exactly why we need this King! Our need for Jesus is no different now than it was when He came. We need a King who will lead us away from life as we know it and into life as God intended for it to be. Last week, I quoted from John 1: ”Life was in Him, and that life was the light of men. That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it.“ (John 1:4-5 HCSB)

In this life, we experience periods of great joy and periods of great suffering. We celebrate at birth and mourn at death, as it should be. But everything we celebrate here is but a shadow of what God intends for us to enjoy. The joy we know is muted because it is just a shadow of what we are made to experience and know. However, we tend to satisfy ourselves with less than God intends for us to know and enjoy. Why do we do this? Because to experience the JOY God intends for us to know we must abdicate the throne of our lives and grant Him that place of authority.

In HIM is life and that life is our light. Not just hear Jesus’ words and to recognize their importance and be amazed by them, but to hear His word and to fall at His feet in obedience to them. He didn’t just call us to love one another – though that’s the part we tend to highlight. First, He calls us to love God above anything and everything else in life. He calls us to obey His word and to follow Him. The world loves His teachings, until they get to the ones that say “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me… If you love Me, you will keep My commands. (John 14:6, 15)”

So, what do we do? First, we need to mourn the sin in our lives that causes the massacre of the innocent. We need to lament the sin that rules over our world that makes such atrocities a possibility and, far too often, a reality. But the sin we mourn is most often the sin of everyone else and not our own. We see the atrocities of our world but we don’t see ourselves as a part of them, contributing to them. The birth of our Savior is both a celebration and lament, joy and sorrow. God has stepped into our world to save us, but to save us from ourselves. The reason our world is broken is not because of everyone else, but because everyone else is just like me.

Second, we must recognize that an Exodus is necessary. Why? Because not everyone will mourn their sin and recognize that the world is broken because everyone in it is just like them. God has given us the freedom to reject Him and His salvation, so He must lead those who will follow out of exile and into a new place – a new heaven and a new earth. He will lead us out and then He will destroy and remake this place anew. The quote above from Jeremiah is about the people returning to the promised land, but Rachel is weeping for her children because they are returning home but to their home ruled by a foreign power. Until we recognize that is our condition, we won’t mourn and lament the condition of our lives and our world.

Finally, this new status cannot be achieved by just anyone. It can only be achieved by the MESSIAH that God has sent – His Son. However, like Herod, we are reluctant to give up our throne. We continue to look for “one more thing” that will bring us what we seek. Just one more promotion. One more achievement. One more purchase. One more change in our life that simply doesn’t change anything. Why? Because we chase after the wrong thing to give life purpose and meaning. In HIM is life and the rest is simply a shadow of what God really intends for us to have.

In closing, notice that God called for Joseph to leave Egypt and return to Israel because those who sought the child’s life were dead. But when Joseph heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in his father’s place, Joseph was afraid to go there. So he went to Nazareth in Galilee and settled there. Why? Because nothing had changed even though a new ruler was in place. Archelaus was just like his dad.

Your life won’t change either until there’s a new ruler on the throne of your life. Not another just like you, but one that’s completely different – Jesus. Weep, lament and recognize the change that needs to happen in your life – so joy can come in the morning.