A Migrating Savior
Description
“Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt.” 2:13 " target="_blank" title="scripture reference verse">Matthew 2:13
In 1947, with the dissolution of the British Indian Empire, more than 15 million people migrated for religious reasons. The upheaval was worsened by monsoon flooding and the spread of disease. More than a million refugees died.
Throughout history, people have migrated—seeking freedom, safety, or a better life. The urge to move is ingrained in the human experience. The most famous example in Scripture is the exodus story of the Hebrews to the promised land. Migration wasn’t foreign to Jesus either. As a young baby, His parents fled to Egypt to protect His life from the murderous Herod. It’s ironic that, just as the Israelites fled to the promised land (Exodus 3:17 ) to get away from a king who killed young boys (1:16 ), Joseph is told to take Jesus “and his mother and escape to Egypt” to flee a tyrant who did the same (Matthew 2:13 ; see vv. 16-18).
Matthew tells us this journey was to fulfill the prophecy in Hosea 11:1 that “out of Egypt I called my son” (Matthew 2:15 ). But it’s also a reminder that Christ understands the human experience (Hebrews 4:15 ). We have a Savior who knows us and has experienced the same kinds of trials and tribulations we have. We can seek Him in our difficult moments. He listens and intercedes on our behalf (Hebrews 4:14-16).
INSIGHT
Matthew’s gospel account emphasizes the parallels between the coming of Jesus and God’s deliverance of His people from slavery in Egypt. In Exodus, a tyrannical pharaoh paranoid about perceived threats to his reign ordered that male Jewish babies be killed (1:16 , 22). In an unlikely series of events, Moses’ life was spared (2:1-10). In Matthew, King Herod, fearing prophecies of a new king (2:2-3), sought to find the prophesied child through the magi (vv. 7-8). When this plot failed (v. 12), Herod made another attempt to kill the prophesied king by ordering the slaughter of all boys under two years of age in Bethlehem (vv. 16-18). Through fleeing to Egypt, Jesus and His family found safety (vv. 13-15). These parallels between the events of Exodus and Christ’s birth reveal Him to be the new Moses, who understands what it’s like to need to flee to safety. He understands the human experience, and we can trust Him during our times of difficulty.
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