Rediscovering Christmasናሙና

Prince of Peace

Herod paced back and forth, his rage growing with each minute that passed. The wise men weren’t coming back. They had lied to him. Betrayed him. Double-crossed him. His thoughts replayed the last conversation he had with the visiting dignitaries, and he balled his fists so tight that his fingers began to go numb. In his twisted mind, there was only one thing left to do: kill them all.

He knew the location: Bethlehem. That’s where the scribes had said the Messiah was to be born. He knew the age: about two years old. The star the wise men followed had appeared in the eastern sky two years ago. He would kill all the boys, two years old and younger, in the vicinity of Bethlehem. He would destroy every last one—to make sure this would-be king would not survive the night.

A short while later, innocent children were ripped from their parents’ arms to be slaughtered before their eyes, and the ordinarily quiet air of Bethlehem was filled with the sounds of mothers and fathers crying out in anguish. Herod, of course, missed his mark. Jesus wasn’t there when the terror began. An angel had warned Joseph in a dream, so when the king’s soldiers made their way through Bethlehem, the family was well on their way to Egypt, safe from danger.

I don’t know that any of the other families in Bethlehem thought much about the safety of Jesus. Their own grief must have overwhelmed them in the days and months and years that followed that wicked and tragic night. Though I know “the Lord is near the brokenhearted” (Psalm 34:18)—and I trust he drew near to those grieving parents—whatever peace they knew prior to Herod’s massacre was shattered.

It's a strange thing, isn’t it? The arrival of the one Isaiah called the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6) ushered in such devastation. But why? Didn’t the angel tell the shepherds that Jesus’ birth would mean “great joy… for all the people” (Luke 2:10). Didn’t the heavenly host announce “peace on earth to people he favors” (v. 14)? Why didn’t God rain fire down on Herod’s palace when the first thoughts of murder entered his mind? Why didn’t he shatter the swords of the soldiers as they began their patrol of Jerusalem?

Like Jacob, many of us have wrestled with God in the wee hours of the morning trying to understand why God allows tragedies into our lives. And while Scripture doesn’t give us answers to our specific heartaches, it does tell us about God’s good heart.

You see, God’s response to Herod (or what seems like His failure to respond) is actually a measure of grace. For the time being, God would rather make sons and daughters of his enemies than destroy them. Instead of pouring out his judgment on sinful humanity, he poured it out on Christ on Good Friday. And while we wait for God to renew this world, He is waiting, too—waiting to bring his children home.

God has promised that a day of judgment is coming, and it’s a promise we can count on. On that day, Jesus, our Prince of Peace, will usher in true and lasting peace that will stretch to the far corners of the universe. In the meantime, his peace reigns in our hearts so that we can have supernatural calm in every storm (see Philippians 4:7).

As we look around our planet, we see new variations of Herod’s atrocities committed on a daily basis. Sometimes—perhaps more than we know—God intervenes, but not every time. Instead, he grieves with those who mourn and offers new life through the sacrifice of his Son. He plants a seed of hope in the lives of those who have been left devastated, for there is a new world coming where evil has no place.

Our Christmas celebrations are a reminder of the hope we have in Christ, declarations of grace and commemorations of the day when light first broke through the darkness. Someday, the Prince of Peace will bring an end to all violence, but for our sakes and—thanks be to God—for the sakes of those who have not yet heard the good news, that day has not yet come.

Thank you for reading!

This plan was adapted from Rediscovering Christmas by author John Greco. Click here to learn more or purchase your copy.