Matthew 2:16-18 The Two Ways

Matthew 2:16-18 16 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. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: 18 "A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more." Often called Childermas, Kindermord, or the Feast of the Holy Innocents, this day solemnizes the slaughter of the children of Judea by Herod the Great following the birth of Christ. It has always been the focus of the Christian's commitment to protect and preserve the sanctity of human life—thus serving as a prophetic warning against the practitioners of abandonment and infanticide in the age of antiquity, and abortion and euthanasia in these modern times. Generally set aside as a day of prayer, it culminates with a declaration of the covenant community's unflinching commitment to the innocents who are unable to protect themselves. —George Grant Key Words: Tricked, Furious, Killed, Children, Fulfilled, Weeping, Lamentation, Refused Keystone Verse: A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation. (Matthew 2:18) Bulletin