Remember your Creator in the days of your youth! |
Hi , In Part 1 of this series, we looked at the facts regarding the location of Joseph and Mary prior to the arrival at their home of the magi. Now, we continue the story... Then the magi left
and returned home. But, joy and amazement were soon to turn to desperation! Joseph had a scary dream! He was told by God to flee to Egypt because Herod was going to try to kill Jesus! What?!! How did that happen? You see, Joseph was not privy to the events that had just happened in Jerusalem! Let's go back to
that part of the story. Just before this, the magi had arrived in Jerusalem. This is reasonable. Where else would you go looking for a king of a country but in the capital? And the arrival of these foreign dignitaries would be an event of great importance, especially when they announced the purpose of their visit! Having seen and understood, in their own country, the meaning of the phenomenal sign (the star), they came to find the king of that land and to worship Him! No wonder everyone was
"troubled"! There already was a king! Who was this new one? Herod, immediately realizing that these important magi were referring to the Messiah, the promised king of Israel, would have done exactly what the scriptures say he did ~ He immediately called the priests and the scribes together to find out where the Christ would be born. They informed him that it was indeed in Bethlehem. (Matt. 2:1-6). Stop there for a moment. Think rationally here. Herod would, of course, assume that the child was born to somebody who lived in Bethlehem! He never would have imagined that the parents of the baby he was after actually lived in a town far away. (Who lives in one town, rushes off on a very difficult journey of 100 miles to another town, has
a baby there, then goes back right away to their home 100 miles away?!) So, he naturally sent the magi off in that direction, to Bethlehem (Matt 2:8). That is where Herod assumed they went. They didn't! How do we know that?
Think rationally here - and biblically... First, nowhere does the Bible say that the magi followed
the star the whole way from their home to Israel! That might be found in a lot of Christmas carols and cards, but it's not biblical. The star only makes two appearances. The first time it is mentioned is when the magi said, "We saw His star in the east" (Matt. 2:2). They knew, obviously by some prophetic material (possibly from Daniel), specifically that this star meant that the king of Israel had been born. So, they headed to Israel, a long way off! The second time it is mentioned is
after the meeting with Herod. They left his presence (vs. 9), and then the star appeared to them again, and then it led them to the place where the child was. When they saw the star again, after nearly two years, they "rejoiced exceedingly"! If they had been following the star all along, they would not have now started to rejoice exceedingly when they saw it. Additionally, if they had been following the star from their home, they would not have gone to Jerusalem. There would
have been no need to. The star would simply have led them the whole way, right to Jesus. |
So, following Herod's directions, the magi started off toward Bethlehem. But then, the star appeared to them again, and led them to Jesus ~ who would not have been in Bethlehem,
but up in Nazareth, where He was “growing and becoming strong” (Luke 2:40)! So, they changed direction! Immediately after the departure of the magi from Nazareth, after the presentation of the gifts, Joseph had the scary dream
from God, telling him what to do. He fled with his family to Egypt. While all of this was going on, little boys under the age of two were being killed in Bethlehem and the surrounding area! Herod, still thinking the child was there somewhere, was derailed by God's plan to have Jesus in-and-out of the town around the time of His birth! The magi, in not returning to Herod, tricked him further. Herod might well have learned about the real location of Jesus because of His parents’ real home, and sent his troops to Nazareth, but God gave Joseph a head-start. Then, in Matt. 2:19-23, Joseph is
told by God to return to Israel. Does he take his family back to Bethlehem? No, back to Nazareth, their home! And, that's why He was referred to not as “Jesus of Bethlehem”, but as "Jesus of Nazareth"! |
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