- Dec 20, 2003
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Now when they had gone, behold, 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 going to search for the Child to destroy Him.” So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON.” Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi. Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “A VOICE WAS HEARD IN RAMAH, WEEPING AND GREAT MOURNING, RACHEL WEEPING FOR HER CHILDREN; AND SHE REFUSED TO BE COMFORTED, BECAUSE THEY WERE NO MORE.” But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord *appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said, “Get up, take the Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child’s life are dead.” So Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee, and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”
This passage combines an account of God's protection of Jesus, prophecy, and the pain of those in the Bethlehem area as Herod massacres their children.
The early childhood of Jesus was characterized by a lot of moving around, on the run from people who saw him as a threat to their own pretensions and status.
Woven into this is the guidance of angels. It seems that Joseph was a man who listened to God and was receptive to his guidance through angels who usually appeared to him in dreams. First, he accepts a pregnant Mary as his wife even though he knows that he did not father the child. Second, he moves his family into Egypt to protect them against Herod, and then when the time is right he brings them back into Israel but to Galilee rather than Judea. The center of the Jewish world and his own tribal roots and networks appear to have been in the Bethlehem area but with Herod and then Archalaeus ruling there he prioritizes the safety of his family
It is not a small thing to move country. There was a community of Jews in Egypt and many of them were exiled from the Kingdom of Herod the Great.
Included in this story is a typological echo of Israel's time in Egypt. He who was the representative of Israel echoed their history in his own childhood. Then after Herod dies there is a fulfillment of the prophecy given to Hosea 11:1
When Israel was a youth I loved him,
And out of Egypt I called My son.
The terrible tragedy of the massacre of the babies in Bethlehem is a reminder of the brutality of worldly power and its indifference to the value of human life. Herod's reputation for brutality is perfectly demonstrated in this inexcusable genocide. He exhibits all the paranoia of a dictator keen to preserve his power, whatever the cost to those around him.
Again prophecy is fulfilled in this act of unspeakable evil.
A VOICE WAS HEARD IN RAMAH, WEEPING AND GREAT MOURNING, RACHEL WEEPING FOR HER CHILDREN; AND SHE REFUSED TO BE COMFORTED, BECAUSE THEY WERE NO MORE Jer 31:15
It is clear that the powers of this world were not overjoyed at the arrival of Jesus. While he had been welcomed and acclaimed by the wise men he was not so by the indigenous rulers of Israel. Herod's family were not even Jews but rather Idumaean. Also, he was little more than a puppet king for Augustus Caesar Emperor of Rome. He accomplished great works like the temple and the port of Caesarea Maritima. But his paranoia compelled actions of unspeakable evil.
I was also intrigued by the reference to a nonbiblical prophecy here - that Jesus would be called a Nazarene. Clearly, it was in common parlance at the time but it cannot be found in the scripture itself.
I am wondering how to focus a sermon on this passage. There is the fulfillment of prophecy, God's protection from the brutal evil empire of this world and then there is Joseph listening to God and acting in faithful obedience. There is the sense that the triumph of good has never been an easy thing having to overcome all sorts of hurdles to that. The evil plans and paranoia of one king are overcome by the loving protection of God of His Son, another greater King who will become the King of all Kings.
What strikes you in this passage?
This passage combines an account of God's protection of Jesus, prophecy, and the pain of those in the Bethlehem area as Herod massacres their children.
The early childhood of Jesus was characterized by a lot of moving around, on the run from people who saw him as a threat to their own pretensions and status.
Woven into this is the guidance of angels. It seems that Joseph was a man who listened to God and was receptive to his guidance through angels who usually appeared to him in dreams. First, he accepts a pregnant Mary as his wife even though he knows that he did not father the child. Second, he moves his family into Egypt to protect them against Herod, and then when the time is right he brings them back into Israel but to Galilee rather than Judea. The center of the Jewish world and his own tribal roots and networks appear to have been in the Bethlehem area but with Herod and then Archalaeus ruling there he prioritizes the safety of his family
It is not a small thing to move country. There was a community of Jews in Egypt and many of them were exiled from the Kingdom of Herod the Great.
Included in this story is a typological echo of Israel's time in Egypt. He who was the representative of Israel echoed their history in his own childhood. Then after Herod dies there is a fulfillment of the prophecy given to Hosea 11:1
When Israel was a youth I loved him,
And out of Egypt I called My son.
The terrible tragedy of the massacre of the babies in Bethlehem is a reminder of the brutality of worldly power and its indifference to the value of human life. Herod's reputation for brutality is perfectly demonstrated in this inexcusable genocide. He exhibits all the paranoia of a dictator keen to preserve his power, whatever the cost to those around him.
Again prophecy is fulfilled in this act of unspeakable evil.
A VOICE WAS HEARD IN RAMAH, WEEPING AND GREAT MOURNING, RACHEL WEEPING FOR HER CHILDREN; AND SHE REFUSED TO BE COMFORTED, BECAUSE THEY WERE NO MORE Jer 31:15
It is clear that the powers of this world were not overjoyed at the arrival of Jesus. While he had been welcomed and acclaimed by the wise men he was not so by the indigenous rulers of Israel. Herod's family were not even Jews but rather Idumaean. Also, he was little more than a puppet king for Augustus Caesar Emperor of Rome. He accomplished great works like the temple and the port of Caesarea Maritima. But his paranoia compelled actions of unspeakable evil.
I was also intrigued by the reference to a nonbiblical prophecy here - that Jesus would be called a Nazarene. Clearly, it was in common parlance at the time but it cannot be found in the scripture itself.
I am wondering how to focus a sermon on this passage. There is the fulfillment of prophecy, God's protection from the brutal evil empire of this world and then there is Joseph listening to God and acting in faithful obedience. There is the sense that the triumph of good has never been an easy thing having to overcome all sorts of hurdles to that. The evil plans and paranoia of one king are overcome by the loving protection of God of His Son, another greater King who will become the King of all Kings.
What strikes you in this passage?
