Matthew 2:19 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.
Matthew spent most of the first two chapters showing the royal heritage of Jesus through His genealogy, royal announcement, and worship by kings. This answered the question we asked yesterday: "Where did HE come from?" Matthew now must contend with the flip side of the coin: Jesus' humanity, and the question: "But I thought Jesus was from Nazareth?" Yes, He was, in a sense that He grew up there and his earthly family lived there. This was not "in line" with the whole idea of a King in a palace, but that is not as important in Matthew's presentation. As much as he is presenting Jesus as King, he is also presenting Him as the One who fulfilled the prophesies of the Messiah. Being from the line of David was only part of the overall picture. He was also a humble Servant from a two-bit town no one important came from.
No comments:
Post a Comment