Gospel Notes by Michael Whelan SM
13 Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son” (Matthew 2:13-15)
19 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, 20 “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.” 21 Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. 23 There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazorean” (Matthew 2:19-23)
Introductory notes
General
“Although this section is entitled ‘The Escape to Egypt,’ Matthew’s basic concern is not with the threatening events themselves but with divine providence. As one commentator observes, the entire passage (2:13–23) is similar in style to a Greek epic poem: short sentences are solemnly repeated in similar form; compare ‘an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, of verse 13 with ,an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying’ of verse 20; compare also ‘rise, take the child and his mother’ of verse 13 with ‘rise, take the child and his mother’ of verse 20. ‘And he rose and took the child and his mother,’ verse 14, is repeated word for word in verse 21. Three times in this brief narrative, more frequently than anywhere else, Matthew states ‘this was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet’ (verses 15, 17, 23).
“Traits of popular story telling may also be found in the use of the historical present (verses 13, 19, 22), so frequently found in Mark and John, but rarely in Matthew.
“Finally, the narrative contains echoes of the childhood of Moses (persecution through a king hostile to God, the death of the children, Egypt). Verse 20 is reminiscent of Exodus 4:19: ‘Go back to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you are dead.’ Verse 15 recalls the exodus experience” (B M Newman, & P C Stine, A handbook on the Gospel of Matthew, United Bible Societies, 1992, 44).
“Of the many catechetical gems in Matthew, one that is often underappreciated is its instruction in reading the Old Testament. Too many of us read the New Testament in isolation from the Old. As a result, we have little sense of how God’s plan of salvation developed to reach the point of fulfillment in Christ. Matthew teaches us to read and ponder the whole Bible with reference to Jesus, for he recognized that our understanding of God and his ways are deeply enriched by discovering the unity of the Father’s plan as it unfolds in the pages of Scripture” (Curtis Mitch & Edward Sri, The Gospel of Matthew (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture) (p. 27). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition).
Thus, the Gospel of Matthew begins with the (symbolic) genealogy – see 1:1-17; the birth of Jesus “the Messiah” is linked with the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 (LXX) – see 1:23; he is born in Bethlehem, David’s birthplace – see 2:4-6. Further, the name, “Jesus,” is “a Greek form of the Hebrew name Yeshua or Yeshu, which are shortened forms of Joshua. The original meaning of Joshua was probably ‘Yahweh helps.’ But the name was connected with the Hebrew root for ‘save’ (yš‘) and interpreted as ‘God saves.’ The interpretation of Jesus’ name connects that name with his mission in God’s plan” (D J Harrington, SJ, The Gospel of Matthew, Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2007, 35). We have in Jesus the fulfilment of what was promised long ago!
Note Jesus’ comment in the Sermon on the Mount: “‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven’” (5:17-20).
The story of the flight into Egypt and return to Nazareth must be read in this context.
Specific
an angel of the Lord appeared: Similarly, in 1:20 and 2:19, God – in the form of “an angel” – intervenes decisively. “Dreams play a prominent role in the Bible, and especially in these early chapters of Matthew’s Gospel. First, an angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream, charging him to take Mary as his wife, despite his reservations, and name the child Jesus (Matthew 1:20ff). Next, the wise men are warned in a dream not to return to Herod, but to depart for their country by a different route (Matthew 2:12). Then, an angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in another dream and tells him to flee with the Child and Mary to Egypt (Matthew 2:13ff) (J L Ponessa, & L W Manhardt, The Gospel of Matthew, Emmaus Road Publishing, 2016, 18).
Egypt: “Egypt, which came under Roman control in 30 BCE, was outside the jurisdiction of Herod. Egypt had been the traditional place of refuge for Jews both in biblical times (see 1 Kgs 11:40; Jer 26:21) and in the Maccabean era when the high priest Onias IV fled there” (D J Harrington, op cit, 44).
until Herod’s death: Herod died in March–April of 4 BCE.
Out of Egypt: “The quotation is from Hos 11:1. The wording of the quotation is much closer to the Hebrew text than to the Septuagint (“Out of Egypt I have summoned his children”). Matthew’s emphasis is on Jesus as Son of God. The original context is Israel’s exodus from Egypt; Israel is thus called the Son of God. Such a background for Jesus’ divine sonship stresses the continuity between Jesus and Israel, for Jesus repeats the experience of Israel in the exodus generation. What is peculiar about the use of the quotation from Hos 11:1 is the direction: Whereas the quotation has God calling the son out of Egypt, the story has the Son going into Egypt. The two main points of convergence are Egypt and Son” (Ibid.).
I am with you!
In today’s Gospel – Matthew 2:13-15 & 19-23 – we have the story of Joseph and Mary escaping to Egypt to avoid the murderous intentions of Herod. They flee because an angel has appeared to Joseph in a dream and informed him of the danger. This is one of the many occasions in the Bible where we see God fulfilling the promise: “I am with you!” (see Exodus 3:1-15). Thus, Matthew, having told us of how the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place, goes on to say that it was “to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,’ which means, ‘God is with us’” (1:22-24). The very last words of Matthew’s Gospel repeat the promise: “‘Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age’” (28:20).
Appreciating the promise – “I am with you!” – is one of the keys to understanding not only the Bible but what it means to be a human being and, of course, what it means to be a Christian. The Incarnation – the enfleshing of God in Jesus of Nazareth – is the ultimate expression of the promise. We can never tire of listening to and hearing those words: “I am with you!” Over a lifetime of listening to those words repeated over and over again in the ordinary stuff of our days, we will become an incarnation of the promise for our world
To know God’s presence in my life, in the people around me, in nature, and in the events and things of daily experience, is what is on offer in the promise. Everywhere, in all circumstances, the promise is being personally addressed to each of us. God is saying: “I have called you by name, you are mine” (Isaiah 43:1). All we have to do is listen! Pay attention! Let our disposition be that of Mary as reported by Luke, “Let it happen according to your word!” (Luke 1:38).
St Paul speaks of this in the strongest terms. He tells the Christians in Philippi, for example, that “it is God who is at work in you” (2:13). He says of himself, that “Christ Jesus has made me his own” (3:12).
A human being who has heard the promise in the depths of his or her heart, will be a transformed and transforming presence in the world. This is the basis of the moral life. Loving behaviour is born of being loved. When we know we are loved we are inclined to love. And we love others not to gain reward or avoid punishment, but simply because it is the way love has made us.
There is nothing we can do that will make God love us more or less. God will always be present as God. God’s presence always carries the invitation – “Let me love you!” That invitation will never be withdrawn.