Matthew 2:13-23
This text is used for the Lectionary Year A on December 29, 2013.
Matthew could be called the gospel of fulfillment. Matthew quotes more Old Testament prophecies than any other gospel writer. For instance, in the passage Matthew 2:13-23, the author quotes three Old Testament passages that are fulfilled in the birth and early childhood of Jesus. There are three brief scenes in these ten verses. Each scene ends with an announcement that what has preceded in the narrative was a fulfillment of the Old Testament prophets. For this reason these narratives are sometimes called pronouncement stories.
Matthew’s gospel is also filled with divine intervention through dreams. God appears to Joseph in a dream to tell him that Mary’s pregnancy is a miraculous fulfillment of God’s will. God appears to the Magi to warn them about Herod’s evil intentions. God appears to Joseph to warn him about Herod’s murderous plans, and to give him the escape plan via Egypt. And God appears to Joseph a third time to let him know that Herod was dead and the danger had passed. The themes of God’s presence and sovereignty, along with the fulfillment of God’s plans are peppered throughout the narrative.
The first scene opens with a divine visitation. After the Magi leave, having been warned by an angel, the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream to warn him that Herod would search for the baby with murderous intent. The Lord instructed Joseph to hide his family in Egypt. The scene ends with the pronouncement that this was the fulfillment of what God proclaimed through the prophet Hosea, that he would call “his son” out of Egypt (Hosea 11:1).
There are several conclusions and analogies that can be drawn from this scene. The most obvious is that God is in sovereign control, and his plan will not be thwarted. Even the machinations of the most powerful king in the land cannot derail God’s plan. There are however, several other interesting connections. Egypt as a refuge for Israel was a recurring theme in the Old Testament. The idea that the Messiah would be a Jew who came out of Egypt was apparently one acceptable version of the first century Messianic hope. This would have been especially meaningful to those who saw the Messiah as coming in the tradition of Moses, as opposed to David. According to Josephus, there was in fact an Egyptian Jew who made this claim during the procuratorship of Felix (Antiquities 20.8.6, see also Acts 21:20).
The second scene begins with Herod’s realization that the Magi had duped him. Herod was furious and gave orders to execute all the male children of Bethlehem, under the age of two. Some question whether or not Herod would actually order such a horrific act. First, it must be noted that Bethlehem was a tiny village and the number of male children under the age of two would most likely have been very small. It is reasonable to assume that there may not have been more than five or six boys under the age of two. The killing of half a dozen children in a small Judean village would pale in comparison to other documented atrocities of Herod against the people of Palestine. In fact, around this same time Herod had three of his own sons killed because he feared they were plotting to take his throne. Certainly, he would not have hesitated to order the execution of half a dozen babies, unknown to him.
This scene also ends with the pronouncement of the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy of “Rachel weeping for her children” (Jeremiah 31:15), and refusing to be comforted. This is a reference to Rachel, the wife of Jacob, who was buried in Bethlehem (Genesis 48:7). The great matriarch was weeping from the grave. This is a metaphor for the great heritage and legacy of faith from which Jesus was born. Centuries of faith in the face of pain and suffering had prepared the people for this moment. The evil acts of one petty king could not conquer the spirit of the people. The women of Bethlehem were weeping the loss of their innocent ones. However, they were not weeping alone. Rachel wept with them, and her inconsolable spirit was a comfort to those for whom she wept.
This scene is one of tragedy and triumph. The evil king struck with deadly force. Darkness and grief covered the land. But even in the face of such horrific evil God did not leave his children alone. From the grave, Rachel wept with every mother. Rachel, the great matriarch and mother of the twelve tribes of Israel, felt their pain and covered them with her inconsolable soul. There is a sense of the connectedness of the generations as the solid foundation of faith built by the patriarchs and matriarchs still stood under the oppressive weight of the evil king. Not even the most horrific acts could stop the divine plan.
The final scene opens like the first: the Lord comes to Joseph in a dream. This time the news is good. The evil king who was trying to kill the baby was dead. It was safe to return home. Joseph was afraid to return to Judea because Archelaus, the erratic son of Herod has been made ruler over the area. Joseph was warned in yet another dream to bypass Judea. Joseph decided to settle in small village of Galilee called Nazareth. The lights fade on this final scene with one final fulfillment pronouncement. Jesus is now living in Nazareth in order to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene” (Matthew 2:23b).
Matthew portrays a tumultuous and dramatic beginning to the life of Jesus. The special nature of Jesus’ life and ministry is revealed in how the sovereign God protected him from birth, and established him in power and strength. Jesus was the good king who came to save the world. All the evil kings on earth could do nothing to thwart God’s plan.
An important theme in this passage is that of the sovereignty of God. One could preach about the fulfillment of God’s plan for our lives, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Herod could be compared to the ways that the forces of evil in this world work against us. In those times it is extremely important to stay “tuned in” to the voice of God. When terrible things happen, God surrounds us with his comfort and strength, just as he did with the all the mothers of Bethlehem who lost their sons. The other theme, closely related to sovereignty, is that of fulfillment. God has made promises, and he always keeps his promises. There is no power on earth that can derail the fulfillment of God’s plans.
Dr. Ellis Orozco
Senior Pastor
First Baptist Church, Richardson, TX
eorozco@fbcr.org