The Holy Innocents, Martyrs (Feast)
When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. (Matthew 2:16)
King Herod was a volatile man. Whenever rumors surfaced that someone was plotting to overthrow him, he flew into a rage and ordered the immediate execution of the conspirator—even if the rumors were untrue. Among those who suffered this fate were three of his sons and one of his ten wives. So it would not have been at all out of character for him to order the killing of a few dozen children in Bethlehem.
What was behind Herod’s anger? Why did he move so swiftly and ruthlessly against innocent children? Probably fear. When you live by the sword, as he did, you sense deep down that sooner or later, that sword will come for you. So you live under a cloud of paranoia, fear, and dread.
That’s the funny thing about fear: it often hides behind other emotions like anger, hurt, apathy, or anxiety. Sometimes we don’t even know it’s there! For example, we may overreact to a young child’s misbehavior because we’re afraid that their acting out is a sign that they will have a hard time in school. We may take offense when it’s not warranted because we have a longstanding fear of rejection. Or maybe we decide not to try to reach out to a hurting friend because we fear that if we do, we will fail.
Our fears probably won’t take us as far as Herod’s fears took him. But there are plenty of other ways fear can harm us and the people around us. More than anything else, they can convince us that there is no way out. We can feel so bound by fear that we can’t even imagine a life free of it. But it is possible. All things are possible with God.
You don’t have to be ruled by fear—especially hidden, buried fear! Take some time today to ask Jesus if there are some unacknowledged fears in your life, and then see what comes to mind. If you detect something operating under the surface, ask him to help you. You might not feel any different at first, but don’t give up—keep asking!
“Jesus, I don’t want to live in fear. Set me free from all that binds me!”
1 John 1:5–2:2
Psalm 124:2-5, 7-8
