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Matthew 2:19-23 English Standard Version (ESV)
The Return to Nazareth 19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.” 21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene. |
The events described in this passage take place around two years after the birth of the Lord Jesus. Under divine guidance and protection, the little family flees from Bethlehem to Egypt to escape the murderous intent of Herod. The immediate threat appears to lift briefly following Herod’s death (v19), but his successor, Archelaus proves to be no less hostile, so Joseph takes Jesus and Mary back to the relative safety of Nazareth.
Nazareth was not a fashionable town (John 1: 46), yet it was here, in obscurity, that Jesus spent His childhood and much of His adult life. Isaiah 53: 2 tells us that “He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground”, and Luke 2: 40 records that “the child grew and became strong; He was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him”. The curtain then falls on our Lord’s early life and our next glimpse of Him will be found in Luke 2: 41-52 when as a boy of twelve He is seen in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers of the law, both hearing and answering questions.
We are often encouraged to leave our comfort zones, and at times this can be good advice for us to receive. However, we should also remember that quiet, stable and consistent lives are no less pleasing to God. Paul reminds Timothy that “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6: 6), and the One who was “called a Nazarene” is the same Jesus who says to us all at the threshold of another year, “Come, follow Me”.
“O use me, Lord, use even me,
Just as Thou wilt, and when, and where,
Until Thy blessed face I see,
Thy rest, Thy joy,Thy glory share.”
Frances Ridley Havergal (1836-79)
John S