I had never really noticed it before: The jarring juxtaposition.
The joyful arrival of the longed for Messiah—and Bethlehem’s massacre.
When Herod learned of the birth of this supposed new King—and threat to His throne—and took action, ordering the death of all the baby boys of Bethlehem.
I can scarcely imagine the scale of such loss. The grief and unbearable pain. The broken hearts and shattered lives.
They had been promised the Messiah. And now He was here! What excitement. What anticipation. They worshipped Him with awe and wonder, awaiting the joy that had been promised.
Instead, they got a massacre.
“How can this be?” They must have wondered. ”This isn’t the way things were supposed to happen.”
And two thousand years later we utter the same lament. Experiencing life in a corrupt and fallen world—sickness, hurt, betrayal, loss, death—our faith slowly fades or disappears altogether.
Yet the joy that was promised—it was never supposed to be a quick fix. And the Christian life—it was never promised to be an easy ride. Nevertheless, our present troubles, inevitable though they are, do not nullify the cross—nor its future hope.
“For the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross” (Romans 12:2). And for the joy set before us, we must endure too. Trusting in faith that the joy WILL come.
“But me, I’m not giving up. I’m sticking around to see what GOD will do. I’m waiting for God to make things right” (Micah 7:7, MSG).
Whatever you’re suffering through this Christmas season, be encouraged. Persevere. For that baby in the manger became a man on a cross and gave a weary world cause to rejoice once more.
“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning” (Psalm 30:5 KJV).