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Then 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. (Matthew 2:16)
This question used to trouble me: How could God allow these little ones to die when His own Son was safely on the way to Egypt?
Logically it makes no sense to blame God. Herod is the one who did the evil, not God. But saying that never helps. It’s as if we expect the Herods of this world to behave that way, so when they do, we just grieve and move on without surprise. But not with God. We expect good from Him. And when we see horrible evil happening, we cry out in shock and blame. It isn’t logical, but it’s human.
I only got over this when I realized that in fact, God didn’t save Jesus from death. He postponed it. The last baby of Bethlehem died too—betrayed, flogged, nailed to a cross 30 years later. And He did it for the other babies—and for me—and for you.
Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection is the only way I can bear the horrors of the world. Because Jesus is God Himself, and He chose His path deliberately—not to save Himself, but to rescue all of us from evil, at the cost of His life. He loves us that much. If that is what God’s heart is like, the Herods of the world will never win. Jesus lives and reigns forever. And because of Him, we too will live.
WE PRAY: Lord, when horrible evil happens, save us! Amen.
Reflection Questions:
- Do you have trouble watching the news?
- Why do you think both ends of Jesus’ life are marked by horror?
- How do you lean on Jesus for help in evil times?
Advent Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
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