Craig Breismeister
December 30, 2007
Matthew 2; 13-23
"Slaughter of the Innocents/Exile in Egypt"

Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord had appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him’. Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I have called my son.’

When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children around Bethlehem who were two years old or younger, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:

‘A voice was heard in Rahmah
Wailing and loud lamentation
Rachel weeping for her children
She refused to be consoled, because they are no more.’

When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.’ Then Joseph got up and took the child and his mother to the land of Israel. But when they heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, "He will be called a Nazorean."

Thesis: Today’s reading illustrates two of our primary tendencies when we feel threatened. As first world Christians we are not colonized by imperial forces in the same manner as first century Palestinian Christians and Jews. While the particulars of empire change over time, the empirial project remains the same; it is the domination and colonization of our hearts and minds for the benefit of a few. Such domination and colonization keeps us in fear and in a scarcity mentality. The antidote to empire remains the same for us as it was for folks in Biblical times. The antidote is to act out of a lived experience of God’s abundant love. A love that cannot be bought sold or manufactured. Operating out of this mentality is truly in opposition to the established order. Theologian Ched Meyers calls this Radical Discipleship. It is the choice to follow the path laid out by Jesus marked by love. The choice to reject fear and the hard heartedness that fear and hopelessness cause. It is the choice in a secular world to trust in God and let love and hope be your primary value.

First century Jews expecting a savior found support for that hope in the scriptures. However it was not clear in what form the savior would arrive. Some expected a king, greater than all other kings, sitting on a throne, commanding a great army. Others expected a prophet calling the Jewish people to repent. Still others, expected the savior would be a priest sent to save the people through proper interpretation of the scriptures.

For the Community that the Gospel of Matthew was written Jesus was the fulfillment of scripture; he was priest, prophet and king establishing a new heaven and new earth ushering in an era where God reigns, an era where fear and death are overcome. For First World Christians like ourselves the scripture lesson less important as a fulfillment of prophesy as we are already convinced of Jesus’ legitimacy. The more salient lesson to be taken from this text is that it illustrates two very human reactions when our established order is threatened. Like the Holy family we can flee, or as is often the case we act violently as Herod’s men did. This happens in our interpersonal relations as well as our international relations. The fight or flight instinct is deeply etched in our Biology. Each of us individually is guilty of these same reactions. Which option we choose is based on how much power we have. They are so much a part of our nature that we cannot imagine a third way.

Human beings are remarkable creatures. Our established orders vary from individual to individual and can be pretty miserable, yet we can be so invested in keeping it because fear of the unknown is worse than the level of suffering we have grown accustom to. It is in this way that we allow our partners to treat us badly. We say to ourselves “things could be worse” with a bit of resignation in our voice. It is this type of mindset that allows our politicians to ignore us and act the opposite of our wishes in many circumstances. We throw up our hands in futility. It is as if we expect our politicians to take bribes and get caught in ethical scandals. Corruption is the new established order. We figure that democracy is flawed but the alternatives are much worse.

Though the time of the Roman Empire has fallen and the European colonial empires have too, it is tempting to believe that the imperial project has ended. Yet, the imperial project is still alive. It has merely changed shape. In essence the forces of empire are attempting to keep us busy, tired, distracted and devoid of hope so that they can consolidate and secure power. The collaborators of empire operate out of a position of intense distrust of humanity and God. The community organizer Saul Alinsky outlines a similar dynamic in his book Revellie For Radicals where he says there are two types of people in the world, those who love people and those who don’t. I am not a fan of such over simplifications but it certainly gets people riled up and I feel discussion is good. Such a construction illustrates the essential nature of the agent of empire in that he or she lives in fear of other people, thinking that humanity is essentially bad. Such a person is operating out of a mentality of scarcity rather than a theology of abundance. In it’s own right the position of domination is a position of fear and it becomes a prison making receiving and giving love impossible.

Fear keeps us reactionary, on our heels and not thinking clearly. We become scared and look for something to reassure us. We vainly attempt to look for reassurance from worldly things yet worldly things have to be given or bought and can be taken away from us. Into this void of fear come leaders with surface level analysis of problems. Attacking symptoms of rather than their route cause. We are a tired people as well, exhausted from working all the time to pay off college debt for some, mortgages for others. Exhausted from racing from school to soccer practice and then to tutoring, all in an attempt to give our kids the most opportunities but making us exhausted in the process. The imperial project is still alive and well but for first world Christians the forces of empire are those forces that are colonizing our mind. Consumerism, fear, militarism, and racism and xenophobia. The forces of empire are those that distract us from our primary duty as radical disciples of God. That duty is to love God and love our neighbor as ourself.

In a world where we the primary models are fight or flight as was illustrated in the scripture today God shows us a new way in the form of Christ Jesus. Every year we are reminded of the radical vision of God. A radical vision that turns all of the worldly perceptions of power on their heads. A priest, a prophet, a king all in the form of a powerless baby born in a manger. A child who would grow up to face the forces of evil and in his death free us from their control of us.

This is not a naive worldview but rather it is a confession of faith. It is a radical vision of the way the world ought to be. It is a radical vision of the way the world could be if we let the transformative love of God guide us.

Closing: The scripture today illuminates our human condition and our essential nature of our existence as spiritual beings remains the same. The particular manifestations of empire attempting to colonize our spirit change over the course of time yet we experience the same loss of hope if we give in. When our limited control is threatened we often choose to flee like the Holy family or become collaborators with the forces of empire by resorting to violence. The core symptom of that existence is fear. For Christians our salvation, the solution to the problem of empire lies in the salvific sacrifice of Jesus. Through his life, teachings, healing, death and ultimate resurrection Jesus taught us that the powers of the earth have no dominion over us and that freedom come from life in right relationship with God. Amen.