Two Voices
Day 203
October 5, 2020
“A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.” - Matthew 2:18 (quoted from Jeremiah)
Sometimes the circumstances in our lives can fill us with grief and make us feel hopeless. Things beyond our control overwhelm our sensibilities as we watch families crumble, governments in chaos, disasters strike, and disease strip away dreams for the future.
Joseph and Mary already had a difficult and challenging start to their marriage and life as young parents. The mandate of Caesar Augustus, the first Roman Emperor, forced this couple to leave their home and travel to Bethlehem for the census. Watching his pregnant wife travel the harsh terrain must have been very difficult for Joseph so close to her giving birth. And while the joy of Jesus’ birth and the visit from Magi from the East were divinely unforgettable, despair must have gripped Joseph again as news that another ruler would proclaim yet another order that would rock their family once again: all male children, 2 years old and under in Bethlehem and the surrounding area would be slaughtered.
Herod “the Great.” was responsible for killing his wife and some of his own children because he thought that they threatened his reign. So when the Magi came to see the newborn “King of the Jews,” his murderous mind immediately began to plot. But God protected his beloved Son and Jesus’ earthly parents because, like before, an angel appeared to Joseph and warned him to take his family and flee to Egypt.
But for the families of the potentially hundreds of children massacred by Herod, there was great mourning. A weeping voice rose up because there was no comfort for the distress that the people felt. What can anyone do, when despair, pain and loss grip us to the point that there is no comfort? The answer is found in Christ.
Fast forward many years: a new voice emerged. This was the voice in the desert as described in Isaiah 40:3 crying, “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.” John the Baptizer preached a message of repentance so that the people could get their hearts ready for the coming Messiah, the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. Many people received the message and were prepared to recognize Jesus when he was finally revealed. They received him as Messiah, the hope and glory of Israel.
It could very well be that among the crowds listening to the voice of John, were some people from Bethlehem who still carried the pain and grief of the loss of their children. Yet upon hearing this new voice, they were filled with hope as they exchanged their pain, the voice in Ramah, for the joy that comes when one places their faith in Messiah. For just as Jesus himself read from the prophet Isaiah, he came to:
“...proclaim good news to the poor.
...to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.” (Isaiah 61:1-3)
Pain is real. Grief is real. And there is a time for weeping and mourning. But if you are overwhelmed by being brokenhearted, if you are in mourning and grieving, remember that you have a Savior, whose power is greater than any voice of despair. He came to set us free from our prisons of darkness because He is the light of the world. Trust in the voice of the scriptures that tells us about Christ and gives us the hope that no one and nothing else can ever offer.
For more, read Matthew 2:1-23 and Mark 1:1-8