– Today’s Community Scripture – 1/2/2025

Herod, when he realized that the scholars had tricked him, flew into a rage. He commanded the murder of every little boy two years old and under who lived in Bethlehem and its surrounding hills. (He determined that age from information he’d gotten from the scholars). That’s when Jeremiah’s sermon was fulfilled:
A sound was heard in Ramah, weeping and much lament. Rachel weeping for her children, Rachel refusing all solace,
Her children gone, dead and buried.

                              Matthew 2:16–18 (MSG)

– Reflection:

               Outwitted

Sounds like the name of the latest best-selling card-playing family board game. Being outwitted in the Roman world at the time was a form of shaming others because of the level of status you were at in life or the power you had in the community. It was used to socially control and shame those without. So it is odd here to see this word used to describe something that happened to Herod, a man of great power and influence. When the Magi chose to go home by another way, his fury at being shamed in this way caused his violence to rage. At the beginning of Matthew’s gospel, Herod turns violent when outwitted. Fast forward to the end, and we will run into this word again.

– Where do we go from here?

These texts in the Word are always so hard in the weeks after Christmas and as a new year begins. We want the comfort and joy to continue, and instead, we are faced immediately with the impact of Jesus’ birth on the empire. Even as a vulnerable baby, the effect of Jesus on the world threatens the powers that be. Herod had a hit on Christ as a child. God told Joseph to take his family to Egypt and stay there. True listening is rare, but reading how distinct Joseph’s level of trust was is very refreshing and simple. Who in our world today is being outwitted by the powers that be? Who is being scorned or laughed at? Jesus invites us to stand up on their behalf instead of turning to violence as Herod did.

– Our Prayer for Today

Father, help us see those who are mocked and scorned in our world today. May we find pathways beyond violence to share the peace, hope, and freedom from shame that Christ offers. Amen.

Coach Arthur Poston Jr.
Focused Development Organization
Middle School Coach