Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”
Matthew 2:13
This vignette at the beginning of Jesus’ life illuminates the horrific nature of evil more clearly than any other part of the Gospel, except the Crucifixion. Is this even a Christmas story? The whole course of history declares humanity’s need for a Savior. Yet, God’s plan for salvation has not been, and cannot be, thwarted.