Wednesday 18 September 2013

Background

Given the extraordinary names that Jesus has been given in theopening to Matthew's Gospel, it comes as a shock to read today'sverses. However exalted the Messiah, king and saviour of the worldis, Jesus needs to be taken by Mary and Joseph to Egypt as arefugee, in order to escape the Massacre of the Innocents thatHerod decrees. Jesus may be God's chosen one, but in his humanvulnerability needs the care and quick thinking of his parents inorder to survive.

 Today's passage does not introduce any new names or ideasabout Jesus as such, but it reinforces Matthew's Gospel's emphasison the fulfilling of the Jewish Scriptures. The passage issignificant for the way it demonstrates that the hand of history isupon this little boy, as he is first taken to Egypt and thenreturns via Israel to settle further north  in Nazareth, inGalilee. For Matthew the flight to Egypt is necessary if Hosea11:1 is to be fulfilled, "When Israel was a child, I loved him,and out of Egypt I called my son." Without over-emphasising thepoint, Jesus is seen as the new Israel, and even the new Moses.Secondly, the mother figure of Israel, Rachel, weeping for herchildren in verse 18, fulfils the prophecy of Jeremiah 31:15 and is clearly linked to Herod'smassacre. Thirdly, the last historical link in this passageconcerns the return of Mary and Joseph to Nazareth. The actualreference to Nazareth in the prophets is not conclusive, andNazareth does not seem to have been highly regarded (eg John1:46 where Nathanael asks "Can anything good come out ofNazareth?" ). This passage therefore shows that, however unlikely,Jesus was indeed destined to live in Galilee, but that although helived and grew up in Nazareth, it did not mean that he could nothave been born in Bethlehem.

Jesus was a leader with the hand of history upon him. The OldTestament was being fulfilled in him, in person.

To Ponder

• What refugee situations are on your heart at the moment? Pleaseremember them in your prayers.

• Strangers amongst us can bring great blessings. Is your churchor fellowship a place where 'outsiders' can find welcome,hospitality, and true sharing?