"They Shall Come Back"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“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.” Thus took place the slaughter of the boy children of Bethlehem, known to the Church throughout the ages as the Holy Innocents. These otherwise innocent children had committed no extraordinary sin, except that they had been born the same gender as our Lord.

Herod had been tricked, and he became furious. And then he sent an order and had all the male children under two in the region of Bethlehem killed. It is unclear the extent to which those two facts were connected. Given Herod's violent history, it is entirely possible that he may have had the Innocents slaughtered regardless of the word sent back by the Magi.

Herod had been tricked, and he became furious. And he unleashed his fury on those who were least able to protect themselves. For them, it was all over the instant Herod uttered his edict. They were done for. Rachel could begin to weep in Ramah, because her children were no more. The boys of Bethlehem were cut off from the land of the living. Their suffering was brief, but complete.

On the other hand, the suffering of the mothers of Judah only began with the king's rage. They were left behind to face every day the sin of the ruler of the age. They were left behind to suffer the pain and grief and agony of their children being with them no more.

The prince of the earth, seeing he had been tricked, became furious, and he sent word and had the innocents of earth put to death, as many as he could find. He sent his soldiers not only to Bethlehem and Ramah, but to the far corners of the earth. The great roaring lion set about, roaming the highways and byways, seeking the innocent and defenseless, whomever he could devour.

He sent word, not by royal decree, but by whispered insinuation and by trumpeted “liberation”. He sent out his soldiers to attack those well under two years of age. He sent them armed not with swords, but with surgical equipment and saccharine smiles. They went out not under the royal banner, but under the banner of freedom and choice and personal determinism.

The prince of this age sent out lies breathed out on the winds, telling mothers and fathers that they need not be parents if they do not so desire. It is not really a life until some later date, certainly not until it is born. It is not an issue of life and death, only an issue of the woman's right to do to her body as she chooses. Every child should be a wanted child, so if it is not wanted it should not be a child.

And so the innocents began to die. And they still are dying. The slaughter of the Holy Innocents of Judah happened in one fell swoop. The slaughter of the innocents of this age happens daily, behind closed doors, in sanitized surroundings. But it is still slaughter. The children are still gone. They are no more. Rachel weeps for those who are lost, who are no more.

Thus says the LORD:
“A voice is heard in Ramah,
lamentation and bitter weeping.
Rachel is weeping for her children;
she refuses to be comforted for her children,
because they are no more.”

The children are no more, but the sin remains. The damage is done, and nothing short of a miracle can undo it. The grief and brokenness are permanent.

But wait! The story does not end with the slaughter of the innocents, even though their story is complete. For there is one who escaped the murderous edict of mad King Herod. The one whom the Magi worshiped still lives. His Father sent Him to live in safety as a stranger in the land of Egypt, that His life might be preserved until the proper time.

Then, according to the purpose set out before the foundation of the world, the Father called forth the Son out of Egypt, back to the very land where the blood of the innocents had been shed in place of His own. And the Son of God increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and with men. Until He became a man, with a mouth to speak and a Word to declare.

When the time was accomplished, the Word of the Lord arose from among the people who had suffered so. He stood up and declared to them the end of bondage to sin, the redemption of their blood-debt, the restoration of the children of God. He proclaimed to them repentance into the forgiveness of sins. From the Son of Man, “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.” (Luke 7:22)

More than that, however, the Son of Man, our Lord Christ, stood up and presented Himself as the true, final, perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world. He who was spared on account of the Holy Innocents did not spare Himself from the punishment due for their sins, nor for any of the sins of any of the children of man. He was offered up on the cross, His blood was shed, His life was taken, so that He might give these wondrous gifts to the children of man.

By the death of the Son of Man, all mankind is cleansed from sin and freed from guilt and shame. To those who believe on His Name, who call upon Him in faith, He has given the right to be called children of God, sons and heirs with Him of eternal life. He gives the forgiveness of sins to all, even to those who have been deceived by the devil's lies.

The story does not end with Herod, but rather continues: “ But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, 'Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.'” The great ruler of the age, the preacher of hate and wrath, died and was defeated. And the Prince of Peace, the Lord of Life entered upon the scene. He came to His own, as many as would receive Him, and He brought release from captivity, victory over sin, death, and the devil by the blood of His cross.

And He is still coming to His people today. He still offers the same message: your sins are forgiven. Go in peace. No matter whether your sin is rage and hatred, or jealousy and envy, or idolatry and murder of the innocent. No matter who you are or what you have done or allowed to be done. Your sins are forgiven. Your transgressions are covered. The true Holy Innocent has been sacrificed for you, and He lives. He has defeated death, and death no longer has dominion over you, over any of the children of God. Therefore,

Thus says the LORD:
“Keep your voice from weeping,
and your eyes from tears,
for there is a reward for your work,
declares the LORD,
and they shall come back from the land of the enemy.
There is hope for your future,
declares the LORD,
and your children shall come back to their own country.

There is hope. There is forgiveness. There is a future. The God who said “Let there be light” has shined the brilliance of His love and grace upon the whole human race. He has turned the beams of His overwhelming forgiveness and mercy upon all the dark corners, even of your heart and mind. No matter how they went, “your children shall come back.”

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.