Di Cry for Ramah

No be every part of di Christmas story dey gentle. One part dey wey we dey often skip, because e dey pain. Today we no go skip am. We go waka enter am slowly, and we no go waka comot alone.

For im palace for Jerusalem, King Herod don dey wait. Di travellers from di east promise say dem go come back tell am where e fit find di newborn king. Days pass. Dem no come. Herod understand say dem don go home through another way. And Herod, wey don spend im whole reign to guard im throne, do wetin tyrants wey dey fear dey do. Bethlehem dey only few miles go south. E be small town of shepherds and farmers. Joseph, Mary and di pikin don already comot from there, dem dey road go Egypt. Herod no know dat one.

Matthew tell am straight. Herod vex well well. E send soldiers go Bethlehem and di villages around am, and e order make dem kill every boy wey be two years old and under. E choose dat age from wetin di wise men tell am about di time wey di star appear. We no go describe wetin happen. Matthew no describe am too. E only tell us di order, and then di sound wey follow. Because when soldiers comot from small town like dat, wetin dem leave behind na one sound.

Na di sound of mothers wey dey cry. Matthew hear something very old inside am. Six hundred years before, di prophet Jeremiah don write say: dem hear one voice for Ramah, crying and weeping and heavy mourning, Rachel dey cry for her children; she no gree make anybody comfort her, because dem no dey again. Rachel na one of di first mothers of Israel, Jacob wife wey e love, wey die as she dey born pikin near Bethlehem, and dem bury her for road side. Jeremiah picture her as she dey cry over her children, di people of Israel, as enemies dey march dem go exile. Now, Matthew talk, Rachel dey cry again.

See wetin Matthew no talk. E no talk say di sorrow small, or say e good, or say everything make sense. E allow di mothers to refuse comfort. Di Bible no dey rush pass pain. But still, di words wey Matthew quote come from one chapter for Jeremiah wey full with hope. Immediately after Rachel crying, God talk: stop your voice from crying, and your eyes from tears; hope dey for your future. Di pikin wey Herod dey hunt still dey alive. E go grow. One day e go carry di sorrow of di world on top imself.

Na only Matthew tell dis story. But e fit wetin we know about Herod from di Jewish historian Josephus, wey write near di end of di first century. Josephus write say Herod order make dem kill im own wife Mariamne and three of im own sons, because e suspect say dem dey plan against am. King wey fit do dat kind tin to im own family no go think twice about one village.

Di Cry for Ramah. You go find am for Matthew chapter two, verse sixteen reach eighteen. E remind us say dem born Jesus enter real world, with real wickedness and real sorrow, and God no dey look di other side. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Where you dey see people wey dey cry today, and how you fit sit down with dem for dia sorrow?