The Holy Innocents, Martyrs - December 28, 2025

Praise to you and peace from God our Father, from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Magi told Herod that a king of the Jews has been born.

They were speaking about the promised Messiah, the coming Savior.

And when Herod heard this, he was deeply troubled. He was a king who held on to his power.

He did not want any kind of rival king to overtake him. So he would not allow

this child to grow up and to become king.

Herod learned from the Jewish leaders that the Messiah King was supposed to be born in Bethlehem.

And in his fury, he made a dreadful decision. He ordered that all the babies

in Bethlehem, two years old and under, would be put to death.

He did this in the hope that perhaps maybe he could destroy Jesus, who the Messiah King.

Herod sent soldiers to Bethlehem, and there innocent blood was shed.

How many children died? We don't know for certain. But if Bethlehem was a town

of about a thousand people, then perhaps maybe 15 to 20 boys died.

Each one was a child, each one was loved, and each one was taken from the arms of a grieving mother.

We cannot help but think about the millions of children who have died by means of abortion.

They too were innocent, not because they were sinless, but because they did

nothing wrong to cause their death.

The innocent children of Bethlehem died on account of Jesus.

Though we don't know their names, they are worthy of honor.

And for this reason, the church has set aside this day, December 28th,

to commemorate them as martyrs.

And since this date falls on

a Sunday, we gather together to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Innocents.

The colic for today tells us that the martyrs in Bethlehem showed forth their

praise toward God, not by their speaking, but by their dying.

They are called innocents because they did not deserve this death.

They died because of Christ.

This event, to be sure, is not a joyful one. Someone might ask,

why hear a text like this so soon after Christmas?

Or others might be thinking, wondering whether it is appropriate so close to

the celebration of Christ's birth to talk about such dark and unpleasant things.

And yet, these children are in heaven and their mothers are now with them.

God called them to himself. He rescued them from every evil unto each everlasting life.

And scripture speaks about them in the book of Revelation, our second reading from chapter 14.

It talks about them as children who stand before the throne of God singing their praises.

Quote, In their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless.

Before the throne of God. That's why we call them innocent.

There are also times when mothers experience an unexpected loss of a pregnancy

through miscarriage or stillbirth.

They grieve and mourn the loss of their child, and yet here too there is comfort

in knowing that their child is with our Lord and their mothers will see them in heaven.

Was the slaughter of the innocents in Bethlehem characteristic of Herod?

Yes, it was. It was not out of any kind of character.

History tells us that this act was consistent with really who he was.

There was a church historian that said that Herod killed one of his ten wives.

He killed her mother, her grandmother, and three of her sons.

He also killed over 300 people who sided against him.

And so, all in all, Herod killed a great number of people within his own royal

family and his citizens.

We think of Stalin, Hitler, Tauce Young, and many others who created atrocious

acts of violence as well.

Herod was a monster. The Roman emperor said it's better to be Herod's pig than his own son.

With a reputation like that, it should not surprise us that Herod ordered the

murder of 15 or 20 boys there in Bethlehem with the attempt to destroy Jesus.

This was not an aberration. It was clearly in keeping with who he was.

Why? Why did Herod do such thing to kill the children in Bethlehem,

the members of his own family, and even his own citizens?

Why did God not stop Herod from killing these innocent boys in Bethlehem?

Why does God not stop evil today?

Why is there a desire to abuse power?

Why is there a willingness to destroy innocent people, whether in the womb,

by murder, or by assassination?

Why is there evil in our world today?

To many of these questions, we kind of humbly say that we really don't have

the answers, don't fully know the answers.

God's ways are not our ways, and his thoughts are not our thoughts,

and we don't know why he allows certain things to happen,

but we are not called to place God on trial. God, why you this? Why that?

God is not the source of evil, and he is not the one to blame.

Rather, we are called to trust in him, even though we don't understand things.

We are called to believe in him, that he remains in control,

even though we don't understand it, even though we cannot see why,

and that he works all things according to his good and gracious will.

On the last day, justice will be administered.

Those who do evil acts and refuse to repent and who reject the gospel will suffer

eternal punishment in hell.

Justice will be administered on the last day.

Yes, Scripture does give us answers to some of these questions.

Why is there an abuse of power? Why is there a desire to kill innocent people?

Why is there evil in the world?

The answer is because of sin, because of original sin, because of what Adam

and Eve did in the garden.

We live in a fallen world, and this world will never be perfect.

It will always have evil.

And so there is a Herod, so to speak, out there committing a lot of evil,

but there is also a Herod, so to speak, inside each and every one of us.

Scripture calls him the old Adam, or a sinful nature.

A sinful nature is an enemy of God. It destroys all that is true,

good, and beautiful. It wants to get things its own way.

It hurts other people by their words and actions, breaking the fifth commandment.

It is driven by pride, a lust for power, and a disregard for life.

Jesus says that out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder,

adultery, sexual immorality, theft, and slander.

These things come out of the heart.

Therefore, we pray that God would give us the ability to see our sin, to repent of it.

God is gracious and merciful because of the cross in the open tomb.

In Christ, there is forgiveness of all our sin.

And so as a forgiven sinner, as baptized children of God, what are we to do?

We are to speak the truth of the gospel, the truth of the scriptures.

We are to speak against the abuse of power, whether by a governing authority or by abusive husbands.

We are to speak against the killing of an innocent in the womb.

We are to uphold life, the life that God has given to us and others and even

a child. we are to uphold marriage and family according to God's design.

We are to care for the needy, the abused, the unwed mother.

We are to be merciful, kind, and forgiving toward one another.

In the gospel, there is healing for sinners, and there is hope for those who grieve.

Even in the mercy of persecution, we should pray for our enemies.

We should pray that they come to repentance and faith in Christ.

It's also our prayer that others may see Christ in us.

What did God do in response to the evil of this world? He sent his son.

And Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary there in Bethlehem.

God's plan was not that Jesus died by the hand of Herod, but by the hand of Pilate.

God's plan was not that Jesus perish by Herod's sword, but by the cross.

God's plan was not that Jesus die as an infant, but as an adult who fulfilled

the law of God perfectly and in our place.

And so an angel appeared to Joseph and warned him that Herod was seeking to

destroy the infant child.

Joseph was told to take the child and his mother and go to Egypt.

And they did. And after Herod died, the angel told Joseph that it's all right

to go back home, and so they went back to Nazareth.

Joseph did what God told him to do.

Joseph protected Mary and the infant Jesus. us.

We pray for strong fathers who

are like Joseph, who will lead his family according to the word of God.

Earlier, God called Israel out of Egypt, rescued them from Pharaoh and slavery in the days of Moses.

But as time went on, Israel proved to be unfaithful.

Now God calls his son Jesus out of Israel, out of Egypt, I mean, and Jesus is faithful.

Jesus does what Israel failed to do. Jesus is Israel reduced to one.

Jesus is a new and faithful Israel. He is the obedient son to his father.

Jesus was spared from Herod's sword only to die later on Pilate's cross.

Jesus escaped Herod, but Pilate crucified him.

And there on the cross, Jesus was the atoning sacrifice for our sin.

He died for us and in our place.

The children of Bethlehem were innocent. They did not deserve the death that they received.

And so also Jesus was innocent. He really doesn't deserve the death that he

received, but it is as if he had our sins and the sins of the whole world upon him,

He died in our place. The children of Bethlehem shed their blood on account

of Christ, but Jesus shed his blood for us.

He took our place under God's judgment against sin, and he paid the full penalty for our guilt.

So what did God do to address the evil in the world?

He sent Jesus to be our Savior.

What God is really like is not based on the evil and the suffering that we see around us.

Rather what God is really like is when we look at the cross and we look at Jesus

and there on the cross Jesus bore all the sin all the evil of the world and he died in our place.

There we see a God who loves us, a God who suffered for us, and who suffers with us.

And on the third day, Jesus rose again. He defeated our enemies of death and

the devil, and because Jesus lives, you too shall live.

As we journey toward heaven, the road will be rough.

In this world, we will face trial and tribulation.

We will endure hostility from an unbelieving world.

Things in this world will not be perfect. But take heart.

Jesus has overcome the world.

He paid for our sin. The devil is defeated, and heaven is open for you and for all who believe.

On and one day, by God's grace, we will see our loved ones again,

those who have gone on ahead of us.

Therefore, there is nothing to fear.

Neither Herod, nor Pilate, nor tribulation, nor persecution,

nor any kind of suffering will separate you from the love of God,

which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So as you journey to heaven, may God give you grace to persevere.

May his word and the Lord's Supper today strengthen and nurture your faith in Christ.

And may you be comforted in the promise that Jesus is with you always,

even to the end of the age.

Amen. Please stand.