THE LOST BOYS
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been
tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage, and he sent and killed all the
male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or
under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men. 17
Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,
wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be consoled,
because they were no more.” (Matthew 2)
Somewhere
in the middle of the heavenly host, assembled around the Throne of God and the
Lamb, one angel leans forward and whispers to an archangel, “… who are those
little boys in that new balcony? … there
are a couple of dozen of them, smiling, and waving their tiny hands at the
King! … but, who are they?!” The archangel hushed him, and whispered, “…that’s
the Bethlehem Balcony…”
Down
below, in time and space, a couple dozen heart-broken mothers meet in a support
group they call the “M.O.B.” – mothers of Bethlehem. One of the mothers, Hannah, clears her throat
and begins the meeting, saying, “… it has been several years now, but I cannot
close my eyes without seeing the soldiers kicking open doors – the screams, the
crying babies, the helpless distress …”
Another, Ruth, breaks in, “…it must
have been how the mother of Moses, Jochabed, felt, waiting for the Nile
crocodiles …”
Sarah angrily interrupts, sobbing, “…
yeah, but her boy was saved; mine was smashed against the wall by that brute
soldier …”
The room falls into a hushed
silence filled with quiet sobs. Elizabeth
hesitantly broke the silence,
whispering, “I heard that one got away?!
They did not get them all?”
Anna added, “I remember them; they
came for the census that Herod had…”
Several mothers, in unison, spit on the floor at the mention of the name
of Herod.
Naomi cried, “I remember that
demon, Herod; he even killed three of his own sons – what a mad man!”
Anna continued, “…but, I remember
them; they came down from Galilee, and stayed for a while. Their baby was born in the stables. Bethlehem was full of outsiders that week and
the only inn was full. They stayed for a
while, even after most folks went home – new baby delayed them, I guess?! The shepherds still talk about that baby.”
Miriam interjected, “…yeah, those
Magi showed up, left, then came the soldiers!”
Sarah angrily added, “…yes, their
baby was the one Herod was looking for – something about ‘king of the Jews’
like Micah the prophet said? All I know
is that he is the one that got my baby boy killed! And, I even bought some tables that were made
by that carpenter; Joseph was his name?!”
The angel continued to stare at the
new balcony in the Throne Room. He could
not fathom the joy and laughing coming from the alcove. Then he watched as the Lamb stood and waved
back to the boys. Then, the Lamb arose
and was in their balcony, holding them and singing to them! They had a special, unexplainable bond.
On a trip to Jerusalem, decades
later, Sarah met a quiet, serene lady and questioned, “…you are her!? You are the mother of the boy Herod wanted to
kill? But, he killed my boy – and yours
got away! It is so unfair! My baby died so that yours could live?! It is so unfair!”
Mary, sadly, but excitedly said, “No,
my son died so that you can live; let me tell you about my son, Jesus”
Sarah gasped, “…your son was the
one they took to Golgotha?!”
Mary sat and explained the whole
story, remembering and rehearsing what Isaiah had said so long ago! Sarah cried; but, it was a new cry, a cry for
joy over the risen King!
Sarah went back to Bethlehem and
joined the group of believers there. One
Sunday, she donated a table which she had bought years ago, from the
carpenter. “Please take it and use it
for the Eucharist table,” Sarah pleaded, adding “I bought it from Joseph, years
ago. I had two, but I sold the other one
to some fellow in Jerusalem who wanted it for his upper room…”
And, somewhere in Heaven, the boys
lost in Bethlehem smile in peace and purity and perfection. And, their Brother smiles back at them.
