Is it possible to fear a baby?

Almighty God became a baby that we might not fear him; he condescended to us that we might love him, because, who doesn’t love a baby? Babies are disarming: they make us happy when we see them, causing us to make unintelligible sounds and to kiss them on their foreheads. Tragically though, there are some who actually do not love babies and even fear them. Take the so-called King Herod the Great* for example.

King Herod was afraid of a baby. Herod, he Roman-elected puppet king of the Jews was completely petrified when Magi came to Jerusalem, asking for “He who has been born king of the Jews.” An impostor to the throne of David, grasping for power, does not like to hear such things. Herod was not even a Jew; he was an Edomite. This is interesting because he probably knew of a certain prophecy from the Torah that would give him cause for alarm:

I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not nigh:
a star shall come forth out of Jacob,
and a scepter shall rise out of Israel;
it shall crush the forehead of Moab,
and break down all the sons of Sheth.
Edom shall be dispossessed,

Numbers 24:17-18

A star followed by the Magi, a king rising—Edom dispossessed. And the baby was born in Bethlehem, the City of King David? Herod felt threatened and ordered the slaughter of countless innocent Bethlehemite babies to eliminate the compition. This is a man who murdered his own family members when they “got in the way.” (And later he was dispossessed. Sin and death no longer have any power; the kingdom of Jesus Christ is established forever!)

The Holy Innocents at the time of Christ lost their lives for him and so are considered the very first martyrs. Today is their feast day.

Today, unfortunately many women are lied to and convinced that a baby would get in the way of education, a career, and plans for the future: they are afraid and threatened and lose sight of love. And so the slaughter of innocents continues to this day. But the abortion industry has no real power; it will be utterly dispossessed.

Jesus came to us as a little child and as a little children are we to go back to him. May the God who experienced the first stages of human development in his mother’s womb, guard all the unborn and born children from the dangers of abortion, abuse, and neglect brought on by fear and a refusal to love.