The world Christ was born into was not a rose-colored world. We left off yesterday with three wise men showing up to bring gifts to the newborn king. It is easy to glamorize this part of the Christmas story and view it as a baby shower full of worship of sorts. But it wasn’t. Let’s not forget why those wise men were sent by Herod. Herod was using them to find the newborn king in an effort to rid the world of our savior.
Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, 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.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, Out of Egypt I called my son.” – Matthew 2:13-15
Joseph. Meditate on all Joseph has been through at this point. Suffering would be an understatement. He isn’t rich by earthly standards. He finds out his soon to be wife is with child. An angel convinces him to still marry her. Then he has to pack up and travel to Bethlehem because of a census, only to get there and not have a place to stay. His child is born under less than the best circumstances and now he is being told to flee a king who wants to murder his child. What a weary world to be living in!
Joseph does flee to Egypt out of the jurisdiction of Herod. What is Herod’s action at that time?
Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. – Matthew 2:16
Joseph and Mary and their newborn, who just happened to be our savior, were living in the same tension we live in today. We are weary. We are stuck in the not yet of Christ’s return and surrounded by death, destruction, and grief. Never before have we faced an age where news and trauma travels so fast and is so available. We see school shootings, bombings, genocide, tornadoes, disease, loss, etc. Are you weary?
Yet Jesus fulfilled the prophecy so that we may live one day where there are no tears and no sorrow. God’s plan was not thwarted, despite an evil Herod. For this we rejoice! Jesus fulfilled the prophecy and died for us. And though we may suffer, His promises ALWAYS hold true! How do we respond to that? The Weary World Rejoices!
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. – Romans 5:3
We can find joy in evil and suffering by knowing that the newborn Herod sought to kill overcame death so that one day, we will no longer suffer in this weary world! That is the good news that brings joy at Christmas!
Family Activities
Is there anything in this world right now that scares you?
How does the story of Christmas take away the fears in the world?
