Matthew 2:13-23
In 2010, when my son was nine years old, I spoke with great prophetic wisdom.
He had just come home from school and was standing in our hallway, swinging his lunch bag as if he might throw it toward me in the kitchen. The bag had a heavy ice pack in it, and since I was standing with my back to several glass-fronted cabinets, I said, “don’t throw it; you’ll end up smashing this glass.” His face bore the impish grin of one liberated from seven hours of school, and he launched the bag over my head and, of course, right through the glass. His smile turned into an expression of panic and despair that his father was so utterly right. I don’t remember what I said, but I’m sure it was some version of “I told you so.” Not a great moment for either of us.
Biblical prophecy is much more serious, though the people it’s directed toward don’t typically listen to it either. In Matthew 2:13-23, we hear of three separate prophecies that explain why Jesus escaped to Egypt, why Herod murdered the very young children of Bethlehem, and why Jesus lived in Nazareth. The doubting Thomas in me feels like Matthew is trying a little too hard to explain why a crucified carpenter’s son is the real Messiah, and how he could have come from Egypt, Bethlehem, and Nazareth all at once. It feels a little like the mental contortions people sometimes employ to make the predictions of Nostradamus work.
But prophecies serve a different, better purpose than providing cryptic messages that none of us will probably understand or act upon. They remind us of the faithful and purposeful nature of God in the grand sweep of history and in the minutiae of our daily lives. They remind us that, even though we will miss the signs, God has a plan and will stay faithful to us.
If these short days and long nights get you down; if you miss someone due to distance, conflict, or death; if all the pretty lights and comical sweaters of the season only magnify whatever pains you feel, remember that when the days are darkest, that’s when we can expect God’s greatest work. Prophecies are promises and reminders that hope is always right in front of us.
Questions for Reflection:
- How do you feel in the aftermath of Christmas? Do you feel renewed in faith, relieved that the chaos of the season is over, or something else?
- How do you feel about biblical prophecies? Do you find them strange, hopeful, revealing?
Prayer:
Lord of Hope, you have promised us that you will bring comfort to those in despair and light to those in darkness. Remind us of the promise of Christmas so that we can move through even the dreariest of days with the confident joy that comes with your grace. Amen.
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