Kronos Over Kairos: Herod Knows His Math.

As we spend this week reflecting on the challenge of recognizing God's opportune time (kairos), today we'll look at Herod.

Herod was highly bound to kronos time. He was concerned with his temporal position as king, and was extremely disturbed at the visit he received from the sages of the East who were searching for the newborn King (see Matthew 2).

We are told in Scripture that the wise men were warned in a dream not to return to Herod... and, Joseph was warned in a dream to take his family to Egypt because Herod intended to kill the child... and these men all obeyed in the kairos moment presented to them. What was the kairos message? Get out of town. Get away from Herod.

The wise men left town by a different route than the one they used to get there.
Joseph took Mary and the Christ child, and left town during the night to flee to Egypt.

Apparently, a significant period of time went by before Herod realized the wise men had left town... and this is where the math comes in. Herod remembered the information he had gotten from the wise men, and from that data he was able to calculate approximately how old Jesus might be. Then, he made the cruel decree to kill all boys in Bethlehem, and in the surrounding communities, who were two years old or less.

In the celebration of the advent of Christ, almost unnoticed, lies this background story of all the families whose young boys were killed as Herod sought to prevent a new king from challenging his turf- his irrelevant, puny, worthless turf. There may be some of you who, this Christmas, are dealing with memories that are difficult and painful. Some of you may be dealing with situations that, in light of eternity, are irrelevant, but they must be dealt with because we're still living here on this earth.

It's not easy. But can I ask you, in the midst of the challenges, to keep your eyes open for God's opportune time? I'm praying for myself that I will be present and aware when He presents a kairos moment. This Christmas, I pray the same for you.

I love you my friends, and yes, I love you my enemies. Merry Christmas.

Love,
Genise