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. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
“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.” Matthew 2: 16 – 18 NIV
December 28th is used to in the Christian Year by many groups to remember the Holy Innocents – those male children in and around Bethlehem under two years of age who were murdered in the interests of protecting King Herod from even the threat of competition. Given the circumstances, Herod acted in the face of the possibility of a prophecy fulfilled as opposed to simple political expedience. In that regard, his offense was not merely against his fellow creatures, but a direct assault on God’s own prerogatives. The wanton extermination of these young lives, covenant children of the Lord, was so horrific, throughout the ages it has been remembered for it’s ugliness.
It was not without precedent however. In Moses day, he, like our Lord, had to be providentially delivered from the hands of a murderous tyrant in order to survive to lead God’s people in the Exodus. Israel had been bereft of it’s children before through exile as Jeremiah laments in the verse Matthew quotes (Jeremiah 31:15) . By Jesus’ day the people had returned to the land and, in some regards, the time of exile had ended and a new era Messianic era was expected. The people expected a final deliverance to come, but Herod’s act reinforces and makes unmistakably clear ( “fulfills”) the grim reality that they are still in bondage, exiled in some cruel way in their own “Promised” land. They still needed a deliverer. We sing “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” to remember these days of grief. But Herod was unconcerned about their longings… the coming of the Messiah promised only to deprive him of his position.
Herod’s murders, an act against both God and man, demonstrated the depths to which men will go to serve themselves. Herod stands in stark contrast to the Magi who come to worship the Messiah. Herod only wishes to “worship” long enough to identify his rival and then murder the newborn King. No life is too innocent to spare if it might possibly perhaps pose a potential threat to Herod’s accustomed power.
So through history, Herod’s atrocious act is remembered, not merely in words or thoughts but by the Christian lifestyle. Since the first days of the Christian Church as shown by the Didache, abortion has been viewed as a direct violation of the 6th commandment: “Thou shalt do no murder”. The Didache reads: “do not murder a child by abortion or kill a new-born infant.” Early Christians were surrounded by pagans willing to expose their children to the elements and wild animals in order to be rid of them. They took those orphans home to adopt them as they themselves had been adopted in Christ (Galatians 4:4-7).
Nominal American Christians with their historical forgetfulness and love of convenience reacted slowly and indecisively when, in 1973, the Supreme Court followed Herod’s lead when the mainline churches were much more influential than today. We forgot ourselves and turned a blind eye as a nation to another modern slaughter of innocents. Theology professors at solidly “evangelical” and “biblical” seminaries feigned ignorance in 1973 as to whether abortion was even sinful. But the Christian Church since the time of the Apostles had immediately and always recognized it as such. We had become Herod choosing the quick solution of death to preserve our accustomed self-determination.
This is not another diatribe against women. After all, new research shows that up to 83% of abortions are unwanted and 64% are positively coerced. (See Portraits of Coercion) Of the 17% remaining, how many are the result of pervasive cultural lies that promise to “empower” women while, in essence, they “enslave” women? Lies which portray virgins as “asexual” because they have not equated their humanity with promiscuity? (See Subversive Virginity)
This is not even another diatribe against “sinners” unless, of course, we have ourselves in mind as those who are both sinners and saints (simul justus et peccator).
It is instead a call to use this day to remind those who have joyously celebrated the coming of our Christ to recognize that His coming calls us live differently than we have lived in this last generation.
Therefore this day should also be remembered as a day for us to renew our resolve to provide viable alternatives to abortion and do as our Christian ancestors did with the modern equivalent of picking up exposed babies along the roadside. That’s much more costly than simply picketing or posturing. It is time for all those who celebrate Christmas – all who have remained indifferent while naming Christ as Lord – to stop playing Herod ourselves. And to stop accusing others of being Herods when we ourselves are no better.
It is time to change our rhetoric. Some relatively obscure but undaunted Christians leaders have provided a way forward in the war of words about abortion so that we can finally speak with love as defenders not only of the unborn but of those who are – overwhelmingly – coerced into abortion.
May the Lord bless this Holy Innocents Day 2007 to our consideration of our own Herod-like tendencies. May He give us grace to repent and behave as Christians ought. May we have God’s help to rescue the little ones who are killed for the sake of expedience and deliver those mothers as well who are coerced and deceived into believing that their only way out is through the death of yet another innocent.
Image: “Slaughter of the Innocents” by Ghirlndaio Domenico (see full view here)
