Back to Normal

Matthew 2

Christmas is coming to an end.  Back to normal.  Time to drag the tree out to the curb, put away the decorations, finish up all those holiday goodies, and settle in for a long, winter’s nap.  One thing I love to do after the stress of holiday celebrations is to come home.  Settle back down in my house and routine.  Get back to normal.  

I am guessing that is what Mary and Joseph wanted to do, too.  They had made a long journey to Bethlehem and Mary had given birth.  We do not know the details, but I suspect they were glad to get back home after that eventful night of shepherds, angels, and birth in such a cold place.  Back to normal.  Well…maybe not.  Our story in Matthew today does not paint a picture of returning to the quiet life.  Listen, with me, to our story in Matthew 2.

Our text today begins with the words, “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the days of Herod the king.”  The birth of Jesus who we call the “Prince of Peace and King of Kings,” took place in the days of Herod…who is always called “Herod the king.”  Being king was very important to Herod.  So important, he made a career out of making sure no one else became a king, too.  Although Herod did some impressive things in his career; such as building the Temple in Jerusalem, keeping peace in a difficult region of the world, and giving of his treasures to the poor…Herod became a murderous old man as the years went by.  He murdered his wife, her mother, his eldest son, and 2 other sons.  When Herod died, he ordered the most distinguished citizens of Jericho killed so someone would cry at his funeral.  Herod did not take kindly to having his power threatened.

So, when the Wise Men came to him and told him that a king had been born; Herod was “disturbed.”  That word “disturbed” is a Greek word that means something more than what we mean when we say “disturbed.”  The word indicates terror.  It is used in other places in the context of great fear: the experience of the disciples when Jesus first appeared after his resurrection, the experience of Jesus when he announced that someone would betray him, the experience of the disciples when they saw Jesus walking on water during the great storm at sea.  

And that is the image we have of Herod, too.  The story even says that “all of Jerusalem” was troubled with him…for when Herod shook in fear, everyone in his entire kingdom could feel it.  Folks knew what he did when he was “troubled.”

In the meantime, Mary and Joseph had finally been able to get settled in their house.  They had been there about 2 years when wise men appeared at their door.  Strangely dressed men from far away bearing very expensive gifts.  Herod had told the wise men to “seek diligently” for the child who would be king.  Secretly, Herod wanted to kill him.  But the wise men were visited by an angel and told to return home another way.  

Then Joseph also had a dream.  An angel told him to “Get up!”  Flee!  Herod wants to kill your son!”  So, Joseph, Mary and Jesus fled to Egypt.  They were refugees.  While they were hiding in Egypt, Herod had all the male babies in Jerusalem killed.

So, I guess, things were finally back to normal.  That strange event in Bethlehem…the birth of Jesus…has been cancelled out by the act of an angry king.  Back to normal.

This is a very troubling story, and it comes right after Christmas!  Our Scripture doesn’t answer so many questions.  The problem of human pain and suffering faces us at its stark and terrible maximum.  “Why didn’t God protect those other babies?”  That question isn’t even asked.

Today, I won’t answer that question, either.  Our story does not suggest an answer.  In the life of Jesus, as in our own lives, time marches on.  Life goes on.  Things get “back to normal.”  This story is not given to us in the spectator language of objective clarity.  Instead, this is a story in the insider language of confession.  It is a faith story.

It is a story of how God works in this bleak and barren world, always works, behind the scenes.  How does goodness survive when badness has both conspiracy and the sword?  Because God is good!  And God’s goodness is always operating behind the scenes.  God warned the wise men.  God warned Joseph.  God is active in our world, always preparing our safe passage.  There is much more to the events of our lives than meets the eye.

But even if our story doesn’t answer the question of why there is suffering…it also begs another question, “Why don’t we stop the violence?”  God didn’t kill all the male babies in Bethlehem, Herod did.  God doesn’t create the violence in our world, we do.  When will we stop?

Our story includes an image from the book of Jeremiah that takes place in Ramah.  The image is of the exiles as they left their homes for Babylon.  They had to pass Rachael’s grave.  Rachael is seen as the mother of Israel, and the exiles could hear her weeping, even in her grave.  Weeping, for her children were “no more.”  Ramah is an image of our world, and the cry we hear is the voice of our world’s weeping.

As people of faith, I share this story with you today and challenge you.  It is easy to give up and sink into despair when we hear such a story.  But that is not what the gospel calls us to do.

Instead, we are called to go, to weep or to wait.  When we are called to go, we are challenged to unsettle our settled lives, like Joseph, and follow the call of God’s voice.  Yes, it is easier to stay put…easier but not necessarily safer.  If God calls us, we are to go.

We are also called to weep.  There are many places in Scripture where the strongest of God’s people weep.  Weeping can be an act of faith.  It is so very important to not let the scorn and hatred of the world make our hearts hard and cold.  As we struggle with our suffering and the suffering of others, we are called to weep.  Just as Rachael wept, even in her grave, we are called to weep and let our pain be known.  Every person, every life counts!  And weeping for the pain in any life counts as a statement to the Herods of our world.  This pain has not gone unnoticed.  We are not afraid to shout it from the mountaintops!

Finally, we are called to wait.  Joseph had to wait in exile in the land of Egypt until Herod died before he could return home.  Sometimes waiting is the hardest thing we do in life but waiting is all we can do.  As we wait, we remember.  God is active when we cannot be…working tirelessly behind the scenes.

All these things we do with hope.  There is hope in our going.  Hope in our weeping.  Hope in our waiting.  Hope that was born in Bethlehem.  Hope that rose, even…from the dead.