Today's Reading:

Matthew 2
Luke 2:39-52

In Matthew 2, Joseph had four dreams with four acts of obedience. Yet, he never “spoke”; he strictly obeyed:

1. Take Mary as your wife.
2. Flee to Egypt for safety.
3. Return to Israel.
4. Avoid Judea. 

He was a man who heard and understood the assignments. Grace can be easy to miss in a quiet story. Egypt was not a random hideout. Matthew quoted from the Old Testament book of Hosea 11:1, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.” Israel had once come out of Egypt as God’s children and failed. Jesus comes out of Egypt as God’s Son and will not fail. The same road that led His people from exile is the same road that eventually fulfills Scripture.

When Joseph planned to return the family to Judea after Herod’s death, he was warned in one last dream about Herod’s son Archelaus. This sent the family north to Galilee to a town called Nazareth. The unlikely town for an unlikely King. Grace simply sent them on each path one day at a time. Joseph was never given an entire plan or map. He was given one step at a time. That is often how grace works with us too. We are not given a full itinerary. Instead, we are given a word, a warning, a door that opens, or even one that closes. We are not meant to understand everything. The miracle is that the Father who called His Son out of Egypt still knows how to lead a household home.

Silent obedience did not save the world. The Child Joseph led home did. But grace found a man willing to get up in the dark and go when the Lord spoke.

Which of Joseph’s four moves feels the hardest to you: taking a costly yet, fleeing for safety, going back when the danger seems over, or changing course after you thought you already knew the plan?

When Jesus was born, the magi from the far east (Asia) came to worship Him. The magi were looking for the “King of the Jews” (later we will see this was written by Pilate above Jesus’ cross). King Herod was afraid that the king they sought would try to overthrow him. The Magi did not arrive at the time of birth. They had followed the star, and the journey would have taken time (it was at least 500 miles away). By the time they arrived, Jesus was a young child, about the age of two, in a house. They brought Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Note that Matthew never claimed there were three magi; the number three is usually attributed to the three gifts. The three gifts become a prophecy of who Jesus is: The gold for a king; frankincense for worship and the priests used it as incense; and myrrh a perfume for burial, which was used at Jesus’ burial.

The magi went to Herod first in Jerusalem because that is where one would look for a king. After they left him, the star stopped over the house in Bethlehem. This was to let the Gentiles announce the birth of the Messiah, not the Jews. The “King of the Jews” would have been seen as a political threat. The magi answered Herod’s questioning with the prophecy from Micah 2:5, “A ruler will come from Bethlehem in Judah,” fulfilling Scripture. When Herod heard that the Magi left for home in a different direction without reporting back to him, he called to have all the baby boys two and under killed, which would have covered the age of Jesus. The massacre was tied to Rachel from the Old Testament, as Matthew quoted Jeremiah 31:15, “Rachel weeping for her children.” The magi felt the wonder at His coming, and Herod felt the rage.

Each year, Jesus’ family faithfully traveled to Jerusalem from Nazareth for the festival of Passover as the Jewish law required (Exodus 12). Jesus was once misplaced, as the families would have traveled and camped together. He was unaccounted for at least three days: the first day of traveling home, a day traveling back to Jerusalem, and then searching for Him. Jesus matter-of-factly stated He was in His Father’s house. During Passover, the head teachers would sit and hold open sessions on the Law in normal Rabbi style. At the age of twelve, Jesus was nearing the age when a Jewish boy was held responsible for the Commandments. What stood out was not that He asked questions, but that He answered and understood. This astonished the teachers. “Didn’t you know?” was a statement of identity, not meant as disrespect to Mary and Joseph. He “must” be in the Father’s house. He did go home in obedience and was submissive to them. The verses from the Book of Luke also showed He was growing in wisdom.

Today's Discussion question:

Click here to link to our Facebook group for discussion, questions, and additional content.