Seeds for 04/24/2023 - Matthew 2:13-18
Scripture: 13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
18 “A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.”
Observation: Let’s start here: Today’s text is a troubling one. Upon reading, we have many more questions than can be addressed in a short reflection and without the aid of much more and deeper study.
At least one thing Matthew accomplishes by including this story is insisting that we do not look away from this tragic episode.
So, what do we observe? What does Matthew want us to see?
For one thing, God’s foreknowledge of an event does not eliminate authentic human freedom and responsibility. God warns Joseph in a dream to flee to Egypt for a time to escape Herod’s murderous action. Later, we see Herod’s anger at being outwitted by the Magi lead to his order to kill.
Herod’s response to the situation is a window into human pride and jealousy. His pride is damaged because the Magi outwit him, with the help of intel from a divine dream. He is jealous because the Magi called Jesus the “King of the Jews,” a position he wanted for himself. He isn’t looking forward to the coming of the Messiah with joyful anticipation and hope. This is something he dreads because it means he’ll be off the throne in order for Jesus to occupy it.
Yet Herod’s scheming does not thwart the plan of God for the promised Messiah.
Devotionally, what this tough story evokes for me is reflection on how we—any of us—respond to the arrival of Jesus. Give Herod credit for this: He understands that neutrality is an nonsensical reaction to the reality of Jesus. His rejection of God’s Messiah is extreme, but Jesus rightfully belongs on the throne. Receiving Jesus into our life means laying down our claim to the throne.
Application:
Where do you struggle to cede the throne of your life to Jesus?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, sometimes I want you on my terms. Help me release my hold on the throne of my life to your wise and loving rule. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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