Jesus's Childhood - Part 3

Egypt

Matthew 2

• When King Herod heard that the king of the Jews was born, he was afraid and called all the chief priests and teachers of the law, and asked them where the Christ was to be born.

• “In Bethlehem in Judea”, they replied, and they quoted the prophet Micah who prophesied that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).

• When Herod heard that the Messiah was going to be born in Bethlehem, he secretly called the Maji to meet with him to find out exactly when the star had appeared. 

• When the Maji had asked where they could find “the one born king of the Jews”, Herod sent the Maji to Bethlehem and deceitfully told them to report back to him after they found the Messiah so that he could also go and worship Him. 

• Herod had no interest in worshipping Jesus, he wanted to kill Him.

• When the Maji did not return to Herod because they were warned in a dream not to go back, he was furious and gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and younger.

• Matthew says that the death sentence that Herod put on the young boys in hopes of having Jesus killed, fulfilled Jeremiah’s prophecy:

• “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more “ – Jeremiah 31:15.

• There were many Herods who ruled as kings or tetrarchs during the period of the Roman Empire. This King Herod was Herod the Great, who was King of Judea, Galilee, Iturea, and Traconitus, from 37 to 4 B.C.

• Herod was not a Jew, but an Idumean who was appointed king of Judea by the Roman Senate in 40 B.C., and gained control in 37.

• He was a ruthless and brutal ruler, who murdered his wife, his three sons, his mother in-law, brother in-law, his uncle and many others, including the babies in Bethlehem.

• Herod also built theaters, amphitheaters, monuments, pagan altars, fortresses and other magnificent buildings. 

• He also started the rebuilding of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem in 20 B.C. It was completed 68 years are his death in A.D. 64.

• Many Bible scholars believe that Jesus was born in 6 or 5 B.C.; that the Maji visited Jesus about 4 B.C., that Joseph took Mary and Jesus and fled to Egypt also about 4 B.C.; that Herod the Great died in 4 B.C.; and Joseph, Mary and Jesus returned to Nazareth between 3 and 2 B.C.

• Based on these dates, then Jesus was between one and two years of age when the Maji visited and they fled to Egypt; between  one and two years of age when Herod the Great died; and between two and four years when they returned to Nazareth.

• That would mean that they went to Egypt and that Herod died in the same year, therefore they were not in Egypt for more than one year.

• Matthew 2:19-21 says that an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream while in Egypt, and told him to take Mary and Jesus to Israel because King Herod was dead. So Joseph got up and took them to Israel.

• Based on the timeline, Joseph, Mary and Jesus would have left Egypt sometime after Herod died in 4 B.C.

• Matthew 2:22 says that after they got to Israel, Joseph heard that Herod’s son, Archelaus was reigning as governor of Judea, so he was afraid to go there. 

• After once again being warned in a dream, they went and settled in Nazareth in Galilee, which is north of Judea where Archelaus reigned. Herod Antipas was tetrarch of Galilee, and was less hostile than Herod the Great or Archelaus.

• Their journey from Egypt to Nazareth was at least one hundred miles.

• Based on the timeline, it took them one to two years to get from Egypt to Nazareth, depending on when they left.

• It would have taken them a long time to get there, but I doubt it took that long. Either they took their time getting there, my calculations are incorrect, or the timeline is wrong.

• Regardless of the timeline, we can see that Mary and Joseph’s lives became very difficult because of Jesus. They feared for their son’s life, so they did everything they could to protect Him.

• Because of Jesus, their lives were also in danger, and not at all settled or comfortable.

• They spent a lot of time traveling, and in hiding to protect Jesus from Herod.

• Joseph’s ability to hear from God and to immediately obey when Him when he heard, helped keep Jesus safe (IRCO).

• We can see from the lives of Mary and Joseph, that our lives actually become more challenging because of Jesus.

• Because of Jesus, we might have to live in hiding or flee from place to place to protect ourselves and our families from evil people.

• Jesus might send us to dangerous places or dangerous people to tell them about the salvation and the forgiveness of sins that He offers to them.

• Because of Jesus, God will tell us to do things that we are not comfortable doing.

• Because of Jesus, we might lose friends, family members, and our spouse. 

• When we hear from God, we will typically be challenged to obey Him.

• Jesus does not make our lives easier; no He makes it more challenging.

• But if we obey Him, He will continue to speak to us and ask us to do things for Him.

• He will bless us with life, which is found through hearing from God and obeying what He tells us to do.

• Jesus said, “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” - Matthew 16:25

• And Peter said, “See, we have left all and followed You.” So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life” - Luke 18:28‭-‬30‬‬‬

• Even though our lives may be more challenging because of Jesus, He blesses us with life and He multiplies that which we leave for the kingdom of God.