Answering the Cries

By: Russell Jeffares

Have you ever cried out—perhaps after watching the evening news or hearing a list of prayer concerns—“Enough already. I’m sick and tired of all the sin and suffering!” I’ve had this thought many times, and had it again this past week, after hearing about a family connected with our church whose child is terribly ill.

There are three voices (or cries) in Matthew 2-3 that appear in response to the suffering and evil in this world. These voices certainly go together because Matthew uses the exact same structure for each in the Greek. Each one is fronted with the words “a voice.”

A Voice of Lamentation
The first voice is in Matthew 2:18: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.” This cry comes after Herod slaughters all the young children in Bethlehem. Matthew quotes Jeremiah 31, which speaks of the devastation experienced when the people of Jerusalem were being exiled to Babylon in an act of divine judgment again the nation’s sins. This first voice laments the horrific suffering and injustice in the world.

A Voice of Judgment
The second voice is that of John the Baptist (3:1-10). He is a voice crying out in the wilderness. He preaches repentance to those who have turned away from God. He also proclaims judgment against those who refuse to truly repent. “Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (v. 10). Though pointed at the religious leaders, these words should cause us to pause. Which one of us truly “bears fruit in keeping with repentance”? We all stand under judgment.

A Voice of Hope
The third voice belongs to God himself (3:17) who replies to the first two cries. To the first cry, God answers: Here is my Son. He is the new Exodus, the beginning of the restoration of all things. He has come to redeem all the suffering and injustice this world has produced. To the second cry, he points to the suffering sacrifice that His Son will make to provide righteousness for us. In a string of Old Testament allusions, the Father proclaims that His son is the promised Messiah King, Servant, and the Sacrifice.

In a world full of hurt, despair, confusion, and evil, we can rest assured that God has the answer!