When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.
Matthew 2:16 NIV
Killing the Innocents
A Sri Lankan father who survived the mass murder of his family in Canada said he returned home from work this past March to find his wife and four young children had been killed. Dhanushka Wickramasinghe, 34, was also attacked but managed to subdue the suspect. Police in Ottawa discovered the slain family at their townhouse in the Barrhaven suburb after responding to emergency calls. Responding officers then found the bodies of Mr. Wickramasinghe’s wife, 35-year-old Darshani, and their four young children: seven-year-old Inuka, four-year-old Ashwini, three-year-old Ranaya, and two-month-old Kelly.
***
I was speaking recently with our African director who is Kenyan and lives in a very challenging neighbourhood in Nairobi. Over the years, I’ve watched that part of the city grow quickly but I was shocked to hear that it has become a centre for the human trafficking. I asked my friend what they are doing about that, and he told me that they are asking the Lord to open up doors to those who are involved in this horrific crime so they can share the love of Jesus with them. He said, “only Jesus will transform their hearts and change the trajectory of their lives and those they are abusing.” Sadly, what is happening around the world today is nothing new. Matthew 2:16 tells us, “When Herod realised that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.” Followers of Jesus are called to be hands, feet, and heart in our world, where the spirit of evil Herod is still present.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley