More than the other three gospels, Matthew is concerned with carefully showing that Jesus is the fulfillment of prophecy. He uses the word fulfill more than any of the other gospel writers. Our gospel text this morning is the story of the aftermath of Christmas, and contains three such fulfillments. The first is a text from the prophet Hosea that says: "out of Egypt I have called my son." In Hosea the text points to Israel's exodus from Egypt under the leadership of Moses. Matthew adds a layer of meaning to the prophecy saying that in Jesus we have the second fulfillment of the prophecy, a need made necessary by the continued disobedience of Israel after the first Exodus from Egypt.
The second fulfillment is the death of the children at Herod's command. Herod is so frightened, so enraged that a new king is born, that he orders all male infants under the age of two to be slaughtered. Again, there is a repeating of the Bible story-this horrible command is the same command issued by the Pharaoh to kill all male children under that age of two to get rid of threats to his rule.
Thirdly there is a fulfillment which again goes back to the Exodus story. Remember Moses' flight from Egypt after killing the Egyptian guard….and later of a vision telling him it was safe to return. Joseph is given such a message as well: "get up and take the child and his mother back into Israel, for those who were seeking the child's life are dead." All through this text, Matthew is setting up Jesus as the fulfillment of prophecy. For Matthew's gospel Jesus is the new Moses, and will lead the people through a new Exodus, a new deliverance.
It is the second part of the story that I want to come back to this morning: "When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise me, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under….then it 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."
This is the part of the Christmas story we often gloss over-for it is a gut wrenching and leaves all manner of questions. Nonetheless it is a story that is in here, in the beginning of Jesus' life, one that reminds us the Christmas story is not all the peace and beauty and perfection of our store displays, home decorations, holiday meals, and of course my cookies! We find reminders of that in John the Baptist, the crazy man running out of the wilderness; in poor and frightened people receiving news of God's birth; in crowded towns with no room for undesirable travelers; in smelly caves that serve as stables, littered with straw and manure. We are vividly reminded of the more difficult side of Christmas in Herod's order to slaughter the children just so he can have some peace of mind. Matthew takes great care with describing Herod's rage. Commentary on the text point out that the construction of grammar in the phrase "then was fulfilled" is neutral. This allows Matthew to demonstrate Jeremiah's scripture being fulfilled, and at the same time serve to remind us that the horrible actions are not willed by God, but are actions attributable to human evil.
This morning finds us entering the season of Epiphany. Christmas has been packed away for another year. The gatherings, store displays, presents…and full church services wait till next Christmas. Most of the world can handle that part of Christmas. The beauty and peace of Jesus' birth….candlelight and Silent Night. And that is where it ends. Most of the world can only handle Christmas Eve and wants no more after that. The celebration of God's birth is packed away…or worse, as in today's story…there is an attempt to stamp it out, for it is too threatening.
You who have come back to hear the rest of the story...to continue it are the ones who know the second verse. I have an uncanny ability to pick strange hymns. Way back when, some twenty years ago, in my first appointment I discovered this talent. Armed with all my seminary education had taught, I was careful to choose at least some hymns that were familiar-hymns we sang all the time in my home church. Then the congregations in Bridgeport and Centre Square would look at me as if I was reading from a different Bible-telling me they'd never heard of those hymns. It is a talent that has continued for over twenty years now, one that you are discovering! But all that leads to Christmas carols. They are not particularly easy musical hymns. However we grew up with them, so we sing the music easily. And we know them by heart-at least the first verse. We stumble when forced to sing from memory the second verse, and become silent for the third and fourth verses, and so on. You who know Christmas to be a year long story are those who have decided to sing the second verse. While you may not literally know all the verses to Christmas carols, you have said yes to the whole story, and not just the easy parts. You know there is challenge and cost to what we do hear. You also know that there is something much deeper gained in coming back for more. And that is what keeps and sustains us.
Knowing the second verse is what keeps us in times such as these. In these past two weeks as story after story appears about tsunami victims, I cannot but help go back some three and a half years ago to the days following September 11th. We were one of those families you saw on the news who posted messages on the internet, who pasted pictures of the missing in New York City, who toured the hospitals in hopes that we would find my youngest brother. To this day his silence is the only confirmation of his death on that day. Our experience is now linked with thousands of people who are doing the very same thing following the deadly tidal wave in Asia. The silence of my brother is joined by the silence of thousands more who will never be heard from again. Rachel's cry is echoed in their loss. The glitz of Christmas is not enough to sustain when faced by the overwhelming realities of the world. We need to know the whole story to be reminded that God is with us all the time. Not only in the peace and beauty of singing Silent Night at midnight, but also in the everyday's of our lives, no matter where we find ourselves. Knowing the second and third verses of the story also tell us that God's love for the world is enough. It is the message that while we may never know the exact toll of the tsunami's victims, God names and knows every one of them. Knowing the whole story of Christmas, God-with-us, is what keeps us from being overwhelmed in the face of such devastation.
When we know the whole story we also know it is one that calls us to respond. We take our cues for response from Joseph. Throughout the story Joseph knows the cost of following God. He chooses to marry Mary, risking the disgrace of his family name. He fights to find a place for the baby to be born. He listens to a warning dream, and then even challenges another dream telling him it is safe to return. Joseph knew that the whole story calls for a response. In the movie, City of Joy, Patrick Swayze plays a medical student confronted with the overwhelming poverty of Calcutta, India. A woman confronts him with three choices: "You can run. You can watch. Or you can commit to getting involved with compassionate response." May we, like Joseph, choose to get involved. Because the world needs to know the second verse of the Christmas story. Christmas pageantry, the first verse is simply not enough.