Christmas in Chaos II

In the aptly named Nightmare Before Christmas, Jack Skellington aims to take over Santa’s role as the ultimate gift-giver. His entire life has been dedicated to creating horror-filled Halloween displays that scare children, but he’s willing to try spreading Christmas cheer. Unfortunately, his skills and inventory only allow him to give children severed heads and monster snakes under the Christmas tree. He can never be an appropriate Santa Claus, and his attempt at it is tragic.

Genocide is never an appropriate way to start a Christmas story, but this one tidbit is overlooked in the birth of Jesus. Jesus’ origin story is profound wth political ramifications and war crimes that would merit his birth a tragedy.

Herod, a name that is consistently tied to evil, eliminates every baby boy from Bethlehem, hoping to squash the birth of Jesus, the Chosen King of Israel. While Mary, Joseph, shepherds, and the wisemen are celebrating the true king over the world, a narcissistic king is hunting babies.

It’s important to remember the genocide of Bethlehem in Jesus’ story because it represents truths about who the real King of the World is.

  1. Jesus was chosen by God, before the beginning of the world, to be the perfect king. Herod was put in place by diplomatic Romans.
  2. Jesus’ purpose promises healing for the sick, food for the poor, and good news for the captives, while Herod was living off the selfishness of the land.
  3. When evil feels threatened, it resorts to treacherous and traumatic acts. When Jesus is threatened, he gives up his life for the sake of others.

Jesus’ birth and purpose make evil do heinous crimes, but that goes to show you how bad we need him to reign in our lives.

Figure it Out:

16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

18 “A voice is heard in Ramah,
    weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
    and refusing to be comforted,
    because they are no more.”[d]

Matthew 2:16-18

  1. Circle any words or phrases that are significant to you. What makes them important?
  2. Is it comforting that God prophesied this was going to happen in Jeremiah? Why or why not?
  3. Why do we live in a world with such tragic use of power? What does that say about our need for Jesus as king?