I don’t usually make resolutions at the New Year. They seem to be an exercise in futility that I choose not to waste time or brain cells on. This year is not exception. However, I close to that by deciding to try and limit political statements on my blog.
I know, I know…you’re all disappointed that my wit and wisdom won’t spend a lot of time in the political arena. But, let’s be honest. Today’s political culture is really low-hanging fruit. Plus, it has become far too divisive. That’s one of the main reasons that I decided to leave social media. My heart draws me toward unity, not division.
There are times, though, when there is an overlap.
This is one of those.
Yesterday the Church celebrated Epiphany. That’s commonly the day when we tell the story of the Magi who travelled from Persia to Bethlehem in order worship the new King of Israel. They brought their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. You know the story.
There is part of the story that doesn’t get so much fanfare. It’s this part of the story that is very political. It’s this part of the story that I want to address.
The Magi saw something in the stars that piqued their interest and imagination. They realized that something big had happened about 1,000 miles to the West. A star had arisen that signified a Royal birth. A King! Now, I don’t know if they saw new stars pop up every time that a king was born somewhere in the world. But, Matthew recorded that this time, there was a star that caught the eyes of these learned people.
The Magi decided that it was time for a road trip. They packed the family caravan, (not Dodge), and headed toward Jerusalem. After all, Jerusalem was the nation’s capital. Where else would you look for a king?
When they got to Jerusalem to pay homage to the new born king, they were met with crickets.
“New born king? Here? Uhhh…we better check with the king. You know. The one that’s currently sitting on the throne.”
So, the folks in the court went to the king, a guy named Herod the Great. He had a healthy ego. And, a healthier case of paranoia. Herod was not a king from any of the possible royal lines of Palestine. He was a puppet king installed by the Roman Senate. It was a reward for his support of Rome in one of their wars. So, when the Magi show up with a story about a king, one who was actually BORN king, and not merely appointed, he got nervous.
He put on his best political face and asked the Magi how they knew about this new king. The Magi told him about the star. So, Herod asked his own experts about it. They explained how the old stories told about how a king would be born in Bethlehem. This king would save his people.
Herod deeply troubled by all of this. And, because Herod had a reputation for being a bit unhinged, violently so, the text states that all of Jerusalem was trouble with him.
Anyway, Herod told the Magi where to find the new king. He also requested that the Magi return to him after they found him. Because, of course, Herod would want to go and bow before the one person on the planet who could take his crown away from him.
This is where the story that winds up on Christmas cards comes in. The Magi get to Bethlehem and find the child. The cards usually show the Magi standing with their gifts around the Jesus lying in a manger. There are shepherds and angels and nice barnyard animals around. Of course, there is a star above with rays that shine down around the scene. Everything is so pretty and nice.
What we don’t talk about, though, is what happened next.
Because the Magi went to Jerusalem and informed Herod the Paranoid, then went back to Persia without swinging back through Jerusalem, Herod lost it. Matthew recorded that Herod sent his Death Squads to Bethlehem with orders to kill every male child under the age of 2 years. Although there is no independent source that tells us about this, what the Church now calls the Slaughter of the Innocents, it is something that would be totally in character for Herod. Herod, about whom Caesar Augustus is reported to have said, “It would be better to be one of Herod’s pigs than one of his sons.”
The scripture that you’ll never find on any Christmas card tells of this:
“Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet
Jeremiah:
A voice was heard in Ramah,
wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be consoled, because they are no
more.
–Matthew 2:17, 18
Fortunately, Jesus’ dad, Joseph, had a dream and took Jesus and his Mom to Egypt where they lived as refugees.
Ok. So where’s the part about politics?
Let’s use some contemporary terms and see if it doesn’t help clear that up a bit.
The Child, Jesus, was the one who Herod wanted to kill. Only, he didn’t know that for certain. So, he ordered all young boys killed. Brian Zahnd has put his finger on how this might be better understood by those of us in the 21st century, “modern day kings and kingdoms have sanitized it with the Orwellian term ‘collateral damage’.”
Collateral damage. We’ve all heard of that. You know, when a drone takes out a wedding celebration when they only want to hit one person.
Herod was a frightened tyrant who was the puppet of Roman tyrants. As such, he only understood crushing power. He also knew that if he didn’t act with power, he would likely be eliminated by it. So, he crushed the children of Bethlehem.
Things haven’t really changed since then. There are still cowardly tyrants who care not a whit for anything but their own hold on power. They accept “collateral damage” as the price of doing business.
But, followers of the original “Boy who lived” are not like that. We must choose, as Zahnd wrote, “between the sword and the cross. We have to decide if we’ll pledge our allegiance to the Empire of Power or the Empire of Love, but we can’t do both.”
That, my friends, is why this story is political.
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