A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children

 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him."  When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son."

Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.  Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:

"A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted,
Because they are no more."

Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child's life are dead."  Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.  But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there.  And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee.  And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be spoken by the prophets, "He shall be called a Nazarene."

- Matthew 2:13-23

Yesterday we read that after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?  For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."  When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.  So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:  'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.'"  Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.  And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also."  When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.  And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him.  And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him:  gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him."  When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son."   Egypt is the place where Israel once took refuge.  My study bible says that as Joseph of the Old Testament once saved God's people by bringing them to Egypt (Genesis 39-47), now Christ's stepfather Joseph finds safety for the Savior in Egypt.  It is likely that the gifts of the magi paid for this journey.  "Out of Egypt I called My Son" (Hosea 11:1) refers first to Israel being brought out of captivity.  In the Old Testament, "son" can refer to the whole nation of Israel; Jesus fulfills this calling as the true Son of God by coming out of Egypt, His life in some sense bearing His people.

Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.  Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:  "A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."   Herod the Great was known as a cruel ruler even in times when rulers were routinely ruthless.  Here Herod's cruelty was prefigured by Pharoah, who in an attempt to destroy the power of Israel, my study bible says, commanded the death of all the newborn Jewish boys (Exodus 1:16, 22).  Jeremiah the prophet records the people of Jerusalem being led away into exile (Jeremiah 31:15).  On their way to captivity, the people passed Ramah near Bethelehem, where Jacob's wife Rachel was buried.  In Jeremiah's prophecy, he saw Rachel, moved with compassion from the grave, for the fate that had befallen her descendants ("her children").  Here Rachel is once again weeping for her children.  My study bible notes that this shows the saints in heaven have awareness and compassion for those yet on earth.  The slaughtered children (called the Holy Innocents) have been historically regarded as saints and martyrs in the Church.  Just as Rachel was told that her children would return from exile in Babylon (Jeremiah 31:16-17), so Jesus will also return from exile in Egypt.

Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child's life are dead."  Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.  But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there.  And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee.  And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be spoken by the prophets, "He shall be called a Nazarene."  Herod the Great died in 4 BC, according to historical records.  The date of Christ's birth by tradition begins the way we count years; our current AD (Anno Domini, or "year of the Lord" in Latin) or CE (Common Era) calendar is therefore off by four years.  My study bible says that Augustus Caesar banished Archelaus for his cruelty in AD 6.  This cruelty was revealed as a warning to Joseph in a dream; hence he detours to Nazareth in Galilee.  Galilee was governed at this time by Herod Antipas, another son of Herod the Great.  Herod Antipas is the one who will have John the Baptist killed, and will also confer with Pilate at the sentencing of Jesus.  The prophecy that is referred to here ("He shall be called a Nazarene") is difficult to identify.  It has historically been taken as a reference to the rod (Hebrew neser) in Isaiah 11:1, and to the Nazirite (Hebrew Nazir) of Judges 13:5.  It is possible that Matthew is alluding to passages in which the Messiah was despised, since Nazareth did not have a good reputation (John 1:46). 

And here we have the beginning of the life of the Messiah, the King, the one who is both human and divine, the baby boy Jesus who is also Lord.  It really doesn't sound like the story of the birth of a king as we might imagine the splendor and glory that should accompany the birth of a king!  It is an extraordinary story just taken from that one perspective, with the accompanying difficulties and dangers that set about this boy and His parents right from the start of His life.  The cruelty of kings and rulers accompanies His birth; exile and danger govern the lives of the parents and where they can live with Him in their care. Their reliance is on God; Joseph, His father or worldly guardian, is given intuitions in dreams, and warned about where they cannot go.  When Herod is dead, Joseph is given another dream that they may return to Israel.  He is warned that they cannot return to Bethlehem in Judea, so they turn to Galilee.  Everything about the beginning of this young boy's life is fraught with danger and menace, right from the start.  Even the wise men (in yesterday's reading, above) were threatened by Herod and were also warned in a dream not to return to him.  The parents do all they can to care for this special child, whom they clearly already know is special.  Again, reliance on God has told them so.  Everything in their lives -- right from the start -- is governed by faith.  These two, Joseph and Mary, are remarkable parents to Christ the baby.  From the start, they accept their roles and what it means for them.  Let us note that the truth about this birth must remain confined.  They do not shout about it from the rooftops.  The wise men come from the East, for they know Christ has been born -- and this is the one way that Herod became aware of the birth and aware of the Christ.  The religious rulers know nothing about the fulfillment of the prophecy of His birth.  With the danger present, moving into exile and coming to settle in a town that is not his own, Joseph clearly must keep this secret, just as he resolved, when he found that Mary was pregnant, that he would not make a public example of her, as he was a very just man (Matthew 1:19).  These parents live by their faith.  They do not have the "courage" that might come from a great public reception, or popular following or belief, or any of the comforts that might accompany such a tremendous occurrence.  They have their faith.  Sometimes our own faith lives demand that we keep something quiet.  We do not seek the fanfare of the world for an act or an achievement.  We keep quiet about even a blessing we may have received.  Life for Jesus will not be a simple affair of public acclaim, nor an easy one "fit for a king," as we might think in our imaginations.  It will not be "magical" as we think of magic in some popular understanding.  This, instead, is a life of faith.  It is one filled with the glory and blessings of God that will be shared with the world, but it demands quiet, and discipline, faith, and love.  These are the conditions we find with this Child.  Let us remember that as God may nurture our own faith lives, humility is the greatest asset.  We don't expect magic, but we do have faith and love.