Matthew 2:13-18

When the magi had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.” Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. He stayed htere until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, Out of Egypt I called my son.

When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi. Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet: A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be consoled, since they were no more.

I have always been intrigued by the Feast of the Holy Innocents. These were Jewish children, none of whom knew Jesus. In any case, they were far too young to appreciate who Jesus was and what He meant to the world. They did not offer their lives of their own free will out of faith in Jesus. How could they? The oldest of them was no more than two years old. They were murdered because of the paranoia of an unrighteous king, who feared the advent of a righteous king. Yet, the Church raises them up as martyrs for Christ.

What does that say about how salvation through Christ works? To me, it says that God saves, and He’s not too particular about whom He saves, or the catagories to which the saved belong. God saves whom He wills to save. It is not for us to question His motives.

I recall once in my youth group a discussion about whether or not God hears the prayers of Jews. This was following some controversy over a Baptist minister at an inter-faith gathering of some sort, protesting the opening prayer by a rabbi by declaring that God does not hear the prayers of Jews. In our discussion, there was one young man who agreed with the Baptist minister. But one young man made what I think was an astute insight: God hears the prayers of whomever He wants.

Just so, God saves whomever He wants. That the Holy Innocents, who were Jewish children who did not know Jesus and did not willingly die for Jesus, are raised up as Christian martyrs, is testimony of God’s mercy, and the wideness of His mercy. There is an old theological principle: the Church is bound to the sacraments, but God is not bound to the sacraments. In other words, the sacraments are what Christ has given to the Church as instruments by which His grace is poured out. As such, the Church can only extend God’s grace by means of the sacraments. But God is not bound to the sacraments. God can extend His grace to whom He wills. It is not for us to question His motives or His methods. He is God; we are not.

No matter how big we think God is, I promise you, He’s bigger still. No many how deep we believe God’s mercy goes, He’s mercy is deeper still. No matter how free we imagine God’s grace to be, His grace is yet more free.

Be Christ for all. Bring Christ to all. See Christ in all.