Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. (Matthew 2:16)

I wonder if Jesus' parents ever told Him the story of all those babies that died in His place? I think they must have. As His parents, they must have wanted to shield Him; but they also knew that God had sent Him into the world with a job to do, and keeping back information wouldn't help Him.

And being a human being like us, he must have felt grief—and horror. He must have been troubled by it, and for more than one reason—because Jesus would share those babies' fate, after 30 years' delay. He knew the cross was coming. And He knew what it would be like.

But He knew one other thing, and that made all the difference. Jesus knew that, by going through with His own suffering and death, He would rescue all of us from the power of evil. Through His resurrection, He would break the power of death over every human being, all of us who trust in Him as our Savior.

And now that Jesus has finished His great work, we have comfort—not just for us, but for all who belong to Him. The babies of Bethlehem will rise again, just as we will, on the day when Jesus returns. And we will rejoice together, adoring Jesus, who gave Himself for all of us. (See Romans 5:12-21.)

WE PRAY: When grief and horror overtake me, Lord, be with me! Amen.

Reflection Questions:

* How old do you think Jesus was when they told Him this story?

* How do you cope with the horrors in the news every day?

* How do you find help in Jesus when you are facing loss, illness, or even death?

Advent Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Today's Bible Readings: Genesis 10-12    Matthew 4

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