Out of Egypt I called My Son

 

 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him."  When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son."

Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.  Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:

    "A voice was heard in Ramah,

    Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,

    Rachel weeping for her children,

    Refusing to be comforted, 

    Because they are no more."

 

Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child's life are dead."  Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.  But when he hard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there.  And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee.  And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, "He shall be called a Nazarene."

- Matthew 2:13-23 

 

Yesterday we read that after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?  For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."  When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.  So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:  'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.'"  Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.  And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also."  When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.  And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him.  And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him:  gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. 

 

  Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him."    My study Bible notes here that Egypt is the place where Israel once took refuge, as Joseph of the Old Testament once saved God's people by bringing them to Egypt (Genesis 39-47).  Now, in a similar sense, Christ's stepfather Joseph finds safety for the Savior in Egypt.  It is likely, my study Bible adds, that the gifts of the magi paid for this journey (see yesterday's reading, above).  

When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son."  This quotation is from Hosea 11:1, and it refers first to Israel being brought out of captivity.  In the Old Testament, my study Bible explains, "son" can refer to the whole nation of Israel.  Here, it says, Jesus fulfills this calling as the true Son of God by coming out of Egypt.

Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.  In another manifestation of Jesus as true Son embodying Israel, my study Bible suggests that the cruelty of Herod was prefigured by Pharaoh.  In an attempt to destroy the power of Israel, Pharaoh commanded the death of all the newborn Jewish boys (Exodus 1:16, 22).  

Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:  "A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."  The prophet Jeremiah recorded the people of Israel being led away to exile (Jeremiah 31:15).  On their way to captivity, the people passed Ramah, which was near Bethlehem, where Jacob's wife Rachel was buried.  In Jeremiah's prophecy, he envisioned Rachel, even from the grave, moved with compassion for the fate that had fallen to her descendants.  Here once again Rachel is weeping for her children, which shows that the saints in heaven have awareness and compassion for those who live on earth.  My study Bible tells us that these slaughtered children are known to the Church as saints and martyrs, and called the Holy Innocents.  It notes that as Rachel was told that her children would return from exile in Babylon (Jeremiah 31:16-17), so Jesus will return from His exile in Egypt. 

Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child's life are dead."  Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.  My study Bible cites historical records which tell us that Herod the Great died in 4 BC.  The date of Christ's birth on the AD (Anno Domini, Latin for "year of the Lord") calendar is based is off by four years.   

But when he hard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there.  And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee.  And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, "He shall be called a Nazarene."  In AD 6, Augustus Caesar banished Archelaus for his cruelty.  This cruelty was revealed to Joseph as a warning, so they went to Nazareth.  Nazareth is in the province of Galilee, which was governed by another son of Herod the Great.  He is Herod Antipas, who would rule Galilee throughout Jesus' lifetime (see Luke 3:1).  Its not clear precisely which prophesy is referred to here.  My study Bible says that it has been taken as a reference to the rod (neser in Hebrew) in Isaiah 11:1, and to the Nazirite (Hebrew Nazir) of Judges 13:5.  It is also possible that Matthew may have been alludin gto passages in which the Messiah was despised, since Nazareth did not have a good reputation (John 1:46). 

 

 As today is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross across many Christian denominations, perhaps it is a good idea to tie in today's reading with the feast.  The feast itself commemorates the finding of the Cross in Jerusalem by St. Helen, the mother of Emperor Constantine.   For Constantine, the Cross became a symbol of Victory, as given to him in a vision.  But in today's reading, we have a sense of the Cross shadowing Christ's life right from the very beginning, and characterizing the life of His parents who are responsible for Him even when He is still a newborn infant.  From the time He is born, there are those who seek His life.  The Cross that overshadows today's text is the cross of the enemies of God, and those who take on the characteristics of the spiritual enemies of Christ.  St. Paul writes, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).  In today's reading, the Cross appears in the guise of persecution that starts with Herod the Great, and those rulers like him who are known for their particular cruelty; for even in a time of ruthless rulers, such was Herod the Great's reputation, as was Archelaus after him, about whom we also read in today's gospel reading.  This young family must flee to Egypt, even as the wise men in yesterday's reading were warned to flee King Herod.  Eventually, even after Herod's death, Joseph, Mary, and Jesus cannot return to Judea (wherein lies Bethlehem where Jesus was born), but go instead to Galilee and the town of Nazareth.  In these actions of persecution, my study Bible has written, we also see Israel itself, having once taken refuge and then fleeing Egypt in its history, giving birth to the story of Moses and the people who struggled to return to the land promised to Abraham.   But on this day of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, it seems that it would be remiss if we did not understand the characteristic persecution of Christians in the light of the Cross.  For Christ comes into the world -- even as an infant -- as One sent against the "principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."  He is sent to us as One who is meant to free us from the bondage and influence of such, and His means will be the very Cross itself, the culminating instrument of His persecution and the injustice done to Him.  If we think this is paradoxical, then we are on the right track.  For, as God works in the world, we can only begin to grasp such work as paradox.  The greatest instrument of persecution and death, when touched by Christ, becomes the symbol of our victory, our resurrection, our sharing in Christ's victory over death itself.  And in this, we must come to see the persecutions that work in a way no demonic force, nor those who would be aligned with the methods of the demonic, be capable of grasping.  Those who sought to persecute Christ became known for their cruelties and injustice -- and even the beautiful temple as rebuilt and expanded by Herod would be left without one stone standing upon another within one generation.  Christ's upbringing in an overlooked small town of not much significance in Galilee became a haven of protection so that He could grow to begin His ministry at thirty years of age.  These persecutions and their eventual outcomes -- even of protecting Christ through exile and repatriation away from Judea -- teach us about the power of God and how it works even through our hardships, and there we come again to the Cross, the symbol of our victory in Christ.  In thinking about the threats to Christ and to His family, the care of His guardian Joseph, and of His mother Mary, we should consider the story it tells us about our own times of suffering or difficulty for the sake of our faith.  For the Cross would come to work as a trap for those "rulers of the darkness" and "spiritual hosts of wickedness," for in Christ's humility they could not recognize His power nor the justice that would prevail against them.  We can see today those who ally with the qualities of those powers of wickedness, who believe they gain through ruthlessness and torture, whose faith is not in the strength of God but in material power and tools of manipulation, whose crimes may be hidden for a time but come to light.  For in holding to the Cross of Christ we also work to strengthen and build His work in this world, His kingdom in this world, and that is the purpose for which He was sent.  We are able to participate in His life, and even the work of what He would make the "life-giving" Cross, through God's power at work in the world, through His life, death, and Resurrection.  When we observe the persecutions in His life, and still today in the world, let us not forget where we come from, how we got here, and what we really call the victory of the Cross.   There will be times in our own lives when we find ourselves in a necessary exile, or enduring persecution for our faith in one form or another.  But we look to the Cross, for we know its purpose and its victory in Him.