December 1998 Issue

Matthew completes his infancy narratives with a series of three events (2:13-15; 2:16-18; 2:19-23), each of which ends with a fulfillment quotation. Matthew continues his practice of presenting "Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham" (1:1) in accordance with Old Testament prophecies which demonstrate God's providential care for his son (2:15).

These three events follow the visit of the magi to King Herod (2:1-12), who ascertains from them the time of the star's appearance. Herod represents a threat to the child but God delivers the baby Jesus from this danger. It is significant for Matthew's story of Jesus that here "the manner in which Herod reacts to the perceived threat the infant Jesus poses anticipates the manner in which the religious leaders will later respond to the adult Jesus."¹ However, Israel's history is also significant for the interpretation of these infancy events and Matthew's presentation of Jesus. The presence of an angry ruler, a helpless infant, the slaughter of innocent children, and the land of Egypt in these verses call to mind the shaping events of Israel's history and the life of her leader, Moses.

2:13-15

Once again Joseph proves to be the obedient servant of God (cf. 1:24) an attitude which contrasts sharply with Herod's intentions. Warned in a dream to flee to Egypt with the child and his mother, Joseph reenacts the patriarchal journeys from the promised land of Israel to Egypt recorded in Genesis. Jesus' sojourn in Egypt recalls the experience of Moses, who returned to Egypt after fleeing to Midian (Ex 3-4), and then was delivered out of Egypt in the Exodus along with his people by the power of a providential God. In coming out of Egypt, Jesus can be seen as a second Moses who delivers his people. While the true fulfillment of Israel's Exodus occurs in the death and resurrection of Jesus, Matthew apparently sees this fulfillment foreshadowed here in the infancy narratives.

The family's flight to Egypt provides the opportunity for the fulfillment of the prophet's word, "Out of Egypt I have called my son." Matthew here cites Hosea 11:1 and apparently uses an independent translation of the Hebrew text or a contemporary Greek translation. Hosea 11:1 recalls God's gracious history with has people in light of the pending exile as punishment for their disobedience. In Matthew's gospel, then, Jesus' early experience in Egypt recreates the call of Moses and the deliverance of Israel. However, where Israel was disobedient, Jesus was obedient. Thus, "by means of his itinerary Matthew is saying: `Look, the new Israel.'"²

2:16-18

Matthew obviously has in mind the story of the baby Moses who was threatened by the king of Egypt, who did not know Joseph (Ex 1:8ff.). As Pharaoh fabled to kill Israel's future deliverer in has devious and wicked slaughter of the innocent Hebrew boys (Ex 1:15-2:10), so also Herod failed to eradicate the threat he saw in the birth of the King of the Jews.

Again, Matthew cites the fulfillment of the prophet's words, this time specifically Jeremiah (cf. Jer 31:15). The connecting link for Matthew between these two incidents is Rachel's grief over her children. Jeremiah's word concerns Rachel's grief over the suffering of the Hebrew children in exile. Jeremiah 40:1 refers to Ramah as a transit point for the Hebrew deportees. Although this Ramah is not near Bethlehem, the traditional burial place of Rachel between Bethlehem and Jerusalem provides the link for Matthew (cf. Gen 35:19; 48:7). Thus, the deportees pass by the burial place of Rachel. As Rachel was grieved by the exile of "her children" so she is inconsolable on the occasion of the slaughter of "her children." Matthew's poetic use of this prophetic word underscores the sorrow and horror attendant to Herod's act, but Jeremiah's original word includes a hopeful word of deliverance from God. Some scholars see this as the important key to understanding Matthew's use of this reference: in Jesus' escape from Herod lies God's future salvation and rescue of his people.

2:19-23

In this final scene from Jesus' infancy, Matthew reminds his readers that the threat posed by Herod does not cease upon his death. Once again Moses' journey from Egypt to Israel is recalled in the return of Joseph with the child and his mother (v.20). God's providential care is evident once more in the warning given to Joseph in a dream. Significantly, Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham, settles in the district of Galilee rather than Jerusalem. There he found a home in Nazareth.

Matthew understands this event as the fulfillment of "what had been spoken through the prophets, `He will be called a Nazorean.'" (v. 23). The challenge for interpreting this text is that Nazareth is not mentioned in the Old Testament, and this specific prophecy cannot be located. At least three solutions have been proposed: (1) "Nazorean" is to be linked to "Nazirite" (cf. Num 6: Judges 13:5) and is meant to reflect Jesus' lifestyle of obedience and commitment to God; (2) "Nazorean" is a play on words with Isaiah 11:1, where the Hebrew word for "branch" is similar in sound to the Aramaic word for "Nazareth;" and (3) Matthew's reference to "the prophets" indicates the general characterization of the Messiah as lowly and despised. Nazareth was a non-descript town, away from the religious center of Jerusalem, and there in humility Jesus and has family settled. Perhaps Matthew is foreshadowing the rejection Jesus will suffer at the hands of has own people later in life.

It may be impossible to solve the riddle of this fulfillment quotation in this final event of the series. However, Matthew is consistent in his use of Old Testament citations. Throughout chapters 1 and 2 Matthew underscores his understanding of Jesus the Messiah by showing how the events of Jesus' early life fulfill the gracious plan of God as told by the prophets.

In these three events in 2:13-23, with the allusions to the experiences of Moses and Israel in Egypt, Matthew shows how Jesus recapitulates the history of Israel in his own early life. By calling his son out of Egypt, God provides the opportunity for the new Exodus in the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Phillp K. Gladden

1. Jack Dean Kingsbury, Matthew as Story (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1988), p. 48.
2. Frederick Dale Bruner, The Christbook: A Historical/ Theological Commentary, Matthew 1-12 (Waco, Texas: Word Books Publisher, 1987), p. 57.