Matthew 2:16-18 - a forgotten passage

Matthew 2:16-18 is often a forgotten passage in the preaching series of many churches. It speaks of jealousy, of rage, of murder, of grief and of sorrow. Somehow it just doesn’t seem to fit with the joyful and peaceful picture painted for the rest of the season. Indeed many churches may skip past Matthew 2:16-18 and end their festivities with the wise men bowing in worship before the baby king, presenting their gifts of eschatological significance.

The story told in Matthew 2:16-18 is a black mark in the history books of the small city of Bethlehem.

Bethlehem lies just a few miles south from the mighty city of Jerusalem, in the southern portion of the Judean Mountains. It would have been a quiet and safe city to live in, where everyone knew everyone; a place where children could play out safely in the streets. Bethlehem would have been a friendly and peaceful city, surrounded by hills filled with sheep.

Yet one day, everything changed.

Matthew 2:16-18 -A day of great tragedy

It was a tragic day, an awful day, a day that would have shaken the town for centuries. Matthew 2:16-18 describes the mass murder of all boys under two years old who lived in Bethlehem and its surrounding areas. The scene is almost unbearable to imagine. The city of Bethlehem would have been shaken to its core. Rivers of blood and tears would have flowed through its streets. An entire community would have been united by grief.

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The 7km journey would have taken roughly 1.5 hours to walk from Jerusalem to Bethlehem.

The context of Matthew 2:16-18

The horror story begins when three men (some accounts call these men ‘Magi’ or ‘kings’, other ‘sages’, and still others ‘wise’) with a fascination for all that’s astrological and astronomical, arrive at the gates of king Herod’s palace in Jerusalem. They proclaim that they have seen a star in the sky that announced the arrival of a new king of the Jews, whom they have come to worship.

King Herod,was disturbed by the news. By this time it seemed that something of a frenzy had been created by the news throughout Jerusalem (Matthew 2:3). Herod called anyone that he could think of to help him understand what was happening. His advisers informed him that an ancient prophecy (written in 8BC) foretold of a king being born in the city of Bethlehem; one who would rule over all Israel.

In a bid to trick the magi, Herod pointed them in the direction of Bethlehem. Herod asked the three wise men to find the new king, and when they had offered gifts of worship for themselves, to come back and tell him what they knew. Herod claimed that he too wanted to go and worship, but he actually had in mind to kill the new born king.

The three wise men did find the king and offered their gifts, but as they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they fled back to the east. Joseph, the earthly father of the new king, Jesus, also had a dream. In the dream he was warned to flee Bethlehem for the safety of his family.

Matthew 2:16-18 - Led by jealousy, anger and envy, Herod killed all boys under two years old

When Herod realized that the three wise men were not going to return, he became absolutely furious. In his anger he ordered that all the boys in Bethlehem under two should be killed.

Although the good news is that Jesus escaped, the reality is that thousands of infants were un-necessarily slaughtered. Mothers and fathers lost their sons, sisters their brothers, and grandparents their grandchildren.

This part of the gospels is surely a most devastating and horrifying story of grief and sorrow.