Massacres of the innocent

In his birth stories, gospel writer Matthew

gives us the terrible tale often called

The massacre of the innocents.

It seemed plausible at the time,

this callous brutality ordered

by a despotic monarch

for the sake of maintaining his rule.

Only in more recent years

have historians asked the question;

did it really happen? They point to

a shortage of corroborating evidence,

along with the Moses story,

and the need to solve

the Bethlehem and Nazareth conundrum.

Traditionalists, of which there are a few,

point to the character, or lacking,

of Herod the Great, a ruthless tyrant

who would brook no limits

in his pursuit of power.

No doubt he was capable, as have been

countless kings and rulers since.

In the last hundred years

there has also been no shortage;

dictators who have cruelly

oppressed their own people,

tribal leaders who express their hatred

with guns and machetes,

presidents and Prime Ministers

who have declared bloody, high-tech war,

on the slimmest of pretexts.

Not many may have dared

to directly target children,

but it is the children who have borne

more than their share of suffering.

Historical considerations aside,

it is good that this Christmas text reminds us

how the little ones, the innocent, the weak

and the vulnerable, have so often

paid the price for the wealthy and the strong;

and still do.

© 2010 Ken Rookes
And a new one for the coming weeks.