So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. He remained there until the death of Herod.
This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
“Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
Matthew 2: 14–15
Children’s programs.
Decorations.
Parties.
Gifts.
Santa Claus.
Too often our favorite holiday traditions hide the truths of Jesus’ early years like frosting on Christmas cookies. Only by scraping away colorful layers of fluff are the stark and frightening realities of the season exposed.
A young and very pregnant Mary riding a donkey to the strange town of Bethlehem.
Joseph walking beside a woman whose baby is not his.
An innkeeper without room in his inn or his heart.
The Son of God born in a dirty, dark barn.
A newborn lying a manger filled with hay.
Smelly shepherds gawking at the sight.
Smellier sheep bleating and creating commotion.
Once the small family is more settled, after the arrival of the Magi–visitors who recognize the importance of Jesus’ birth and give Him gifts worthy of his royal lineage–Joseph receives a warning from an angel in a dream.
“Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt,
and remain there until I tell you;
for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.”
Matthew 2:13
Joseph heeds the warning and flees with his wife and Son. They escape just before Herod, the ruler over Bethlehem and surrounding area, sends soldiers to slaughter every male child two years old and younger in an effort to eliminate a little boy he believes will one day seek to depose him. In verses like those, the dark side of Christmas is exposed.
Teen mothers.
Reluctant fathers.
Babies born into poverty.
Political maneuvering and dirty tricks.
Genocide.
Refugees fleeing for their lives.
The Light of the World betrayed by believers in His own country. Forced to beg sanctuary from strangers in Egypt until the darkness ended and the world made sense again.
In mid-November, terrorists in Lebanon and Paris committed craven acts. Not the indiscriminate slaughter of babies, but terrible nonetheless. The dark side of humanity was exposed again, tempting us to shut doors in the faces of present day refugees.
As Christians, we must wrestle with the truths of our faith as we consider how to respond to the plight of refugees forced to beg sanctuary from strangers until the world makes sense again. The questions before us are these.
Will we trust God’s promises and stand on the eternal security we have in Christ while seeking wise ways to welcome these lost refugees and share His hope? Or will we succumb to fear and abandon compassion toward the people Jesus, the Light of the World and the hope of Christmas, came to save?
