{"id":391,"date":"2013-12-26T14:02:18","date_gmt":"2013-12-26T14:02:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/?p=391"},"modified":"2014-12-18T11:16:06","modified_gmt":"2014-12-18T11:16:06","slug":"commentary2013129","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/commentary2013129\/","title":{"rendered":"Commentary on Familiy Sunday 29 .12.2013"},"content":{"rendered":"

MATTHEW 02: 13\u201315, 19\u201323<\/strong><\/p>\n

Feast of the Holy Family<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Flight into Egypt<\/strong><\/p>\n

13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, \u201cRise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt, 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, \u201cOut of Egypt have I called my son.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

Return<\/strong><\/p>\n

19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, 20 \u201cRise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child\u2019s life are dead.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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 reigned 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.<\/em><\/p>\n

Nazareth<\/strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n

23 And he went and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, \u201cHe shall be called a Nazarene.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

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EXPLANATION<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n

Matt. 2: 13 has the following six\u2013part lay\u2013out \u2014 (i) After the Wise Men left (ii) \u201cbehold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, <\/em>(iii) \u201cRise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; <\/em>(iv) for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.\u201d <\/em>(v) Joseph obeys the angel\u2019s instructions and (vi) a prophecy is quoted as fulfilled.<\/p>\n

Matt. 2: 19\u201320 has the same six\u2013part lay\u2013out \u2014 (i) After Herod died (ii) \u201cbehold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, <\/em>(iii) \u201cRise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, <\/em>(iv) for those who sought the child\u2019s life are dead.<\/em>\u201d (v) Joseph obeys the angel\u2019s instructions and (vi) a prophecy is quoted as fulfilled.<\/p>\n

Obviously Matthew wishes to identify these two sections to show that Jesus, the second Moses, fulfills them.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, \u201cRise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.\u201d <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNow when they had departed<\/em>\u201d \u2014 The reference is to the \u201cWise Men<\/em>\u201d or Magi who had \u201cdeparted<\/em>\u201d for their own country (Mt. 2: 1\u201312).<\/p>\n

\u201cbehold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream<\/em>\u201d \u2014 These are the exact words used in Mt. 1: 20 and 2: 19.<\/p>\n

The \u201cangel of the Lord<\/em>\u201d was either a heavenly messenger or the Lord himself who instructed Joseph in a dream (See note on Mt. 1: 20).<\/p>\n

There are four dreams mentioned in this chapter with two occurring in this passage. Of these latter the first (verse 13) gives instructions to flee into Egypt; the second (verse 22) gives instructions about returning to Israel. In Matthew\u2019s Infancy Narrative dreams are used as the occasion of God\u2019s communication with Joseph, and others. Alternative sources or vehicles of divine communication are the star that guided the Wise Men or Magi, and prophecies (Mt. 2: 5, 15. 17\u201318, 23), two of which occur in this passage.<\/p>\n

\u201cand <\/em>[the angel] said, \u2018Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you<\/em>\u2019\u201d \u2014 Note the order: \u201cthe child and his mother<\/em>\u201d where the child comes before his mother, an indication that the child takes precedence because of who he is. See also verses 11, 13, 14, 20, 21.<\/p>\n

In Matthews chapters 1 and 2, Mary is called by this name once only (Mt. 1: 18). She is always called \u201cmother<\/em>\u201d. This is to show that her dignity derives from her motherhood because of who her son is.<\/p>\n

Baby Jesus\u2019 life is endangered and he is but recently born. Joseph is to take him and his mother into Egypt where they will await further instructions about returning to Israel. The Romans controlled Egypt from 30 B.C. but Herod had no authority or power there. The flight to Egypt took place before 4 B.C., when Herod died, and the family returned before 6 A.D., before Archelaus was exiled to Gaul.<\/p>\n

Egypt is mentioned several times in the Old Testament as a place of refuge (I Kgs. 11: 40; Jer. 26: 21).<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.<\/em>\u2019\u201d \u2014 This is the immediate reason for Joseph being instructed to take Jesus to Egypt. Jesus is shown as being opposed from his earliest infancy, first in Bethlehem where there was no room in the inn, and then, sometime after his circumcision, by King Herod who actually wanted to kill him. Herod died in 4 B.C. and his territories were divided among his three sons \u2014 Archelaus received Judea, Samaria and Idumea; Herod Antipas received Galilee and Perea; and Philip received the territory to the east and north of Galilee. Herod Antipas was an extremely cruel and unsuccessful ruler whom the Romans exiled to Gaul in 6 A.D.<\/p>\n

Matthew saw in this persecution by Herod a similarity with Pharaoh seeking to kill Moses and he concluded that Jesus was a second, and greater, Moses, chosen to found a new People of God, the Church. One innovation to this new People would be the inclusion of Gentiles. This is the connection, at this point, of the Wise Men or Magi, who were non\u2013Jews, (Mt. 2: 1\u201312).<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt, 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, \u201cOut of Egypt have I called my son.\u201d <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt,\u201d<\/em> \u2014 Joseph is filled with faith and does what he is instructed to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cand remained there until the death of Herod.<\/em>\u201d \u2014 This implies that the Holy Family returned to Israel shortly after Herod\u2019s death in 4 B.C.<\/p>\n

\u201cNight<\/em>\u201d indicated the time of darkness and evil as Jesus was being persecuted.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe flight into Egypt<\/em> and the massacre of the innocents make manifest the opposition of darkness to the light: \u201cHe came to his own home, and his own people received him not<\/em>.\u201d Christ\u2019s whole life was lived under the sign of persecution. His own share it with him. Jesus\u2019 departure from Egypt recalls the exodus and presents him as the definitive liberator of God\u2019s people. <\/sup>(The Catechism of the Catholic Church<\/em>, 530).<\/p>\n

The word \u201cdeparted<\/em>\u201d is used six times by Matthew to indicate that Jesus had to leave a place because of unbelief (Mt. 2: 14, 22; 4: 12; 12: 15; 14: 13; 15: 21). The word was used by the early Church to describe a person who went off to live away from the unbelieving world as a monk: \u201canchorite\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, \u2018Out of Egypt have I called my son.<\/em>\u2019\u201d \u2014 Matthew gives as the reason for the flight into Egypt that God called his Son out of Egypt, that is that this will be a fulfilment prophecy, of which Matthew has several. Matthew also refers to the person called forth as the \u201cSon<\/em>\u201d of God. The \u201cson<\/em>\u201d referred to in this prophecy was Israel. The words that precede the quotation here are \u201cWhen Israel was a child, I loved him and called my son out of Egypt<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cCalled<\/em>\u201d occurs three times in the Infancy Narrative, indicating that God is in control, directing the scenes by his word which achieves what it pronounces, a recurring theme in Matthew\u2019s Gospel (Matt. 1: 1: 21, 2: 15, 23).<\/p>\n

\u201cbehold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt<\/em>\u201d \u2014 This is a reference, in the same words, to another dream of Joseph.<\/p>\n

\u201csaying, \u2018Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child\u2019s life are dead.<\/em>\u2019\u201d \u2014 This dream took place shortly after March\/April 4 B.C. when Herod died.<\/p>\n

\u201cfor those who sought the child\u2019s life are dead.<\/em>\u2019\u201d \u2014 The plural is used but Herod is the person who had died. In view of what Matthew had written previously, \u201call Jerusalem<\/em>\u201d might be included and also \u201call the chief priests and the scribes of the people<\/em>\u201d \u2014 \u201cWhen Herod the king heard this<\/em> [that an infant king of the Jews was born], he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, \u2018In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet: \u201cAnd you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel<\/em>\u201d (Mt. 2: 3\u20136).<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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 reigned 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.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd he rose and took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel.<\/em>\u201d \u2014 This is another example of Joseph\u2019s \u201cobedience of faith<\/em>\u201d, to use an expression of St. Paul.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut when he heard that Archelaus reigned 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<\/em>.\u201d \u2014 This is Matthew\u2019s explanation as to why Joseph went to live in Nazareth in Galilee. This would have been sometime before 6 A.D. when Archelaus was exiled to Gaul. Luke\u2019s explanation is that they originally came from Nazareth and returned to their home after they came back from Egypt.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

23 And he went and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, \u201cHe shall be called a Nazarene.\u201d <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd he went and dwelt in a city called Nazareth that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, \u2018He shall be called a Nazarene<\/em>.\u2019 \u2014 There is no known quotation in the Old Testament that says that Jesus would be called a Nazarene. There is a Hebrew word \u201cneser<\/em>\u201d meaning shoot, off\u2013shoot or branch, which is to be found in Isaiah 11: 1\u20132, \u201cThere shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him<\/em>\u201d. This was a reference to the coming of the Messiah at some future time. Matthew played on the resonance of the words \u201cneser<\/em>\u201d and \u201cNazareth\u201d and linked them. There is a further possibility. Another Hebrew word, \u201cnazir<\/em>\u201d, has a similar sound and Matthew may be playing on that also and the meaning then would be \u201cHe shall be called a consecrated person<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

APPLICATION<\/strong><\/p>\n

Matthew\u2019s Infancy Narratives may be divided into four sections \u2014 Who is the subject of his Gospel? Jesus Christ (Mt. 1: 01 \u2014 17); How did he come to be conceived and born? By the working of the Holy Spirit (Mt. 1: 18 \u2014 25); Where will the birth take place? At Bethlehem (Mt. 2: 01 \u2014 12); Whence or from where did he come? The biblical answer is from Egypt (Mt. 2: 13 \u2014 23). These divisions are not exclusive and may provide deeper information on, for example, the question \u2018Who?\u2019 Here is a list of answers:<\/p>\n

Son of Abraham (Mt. 1: 1\u201317); Son of God and Emmanuel (Mt. 1: 18\u201325); Son of David (Mt. 2: 1\u201312); a second Moses (Mt. 2: 13\u201315); a second Jeremiah (Mt. 2: 16\u201318); a second Samson (Mt. 2: 19\u201323). In the Gospel passage being explained two of these people answering to \u2018Who?\u2019 are Moses and Samson. Here is a very brief note on how Matthew, in verses 13 to 15, sees Jesus as a second Moses through his interpretation of some Old Testament texts.<\/p>\n

Moses was the divinely chosen leader of the Israelites who were in slavery in Egypt and whom he led to freedom in the Promised Land. Jesus was a second Moses who led his people from the slavery of sin to the formation of the People of God and the new covenant in his Kingdom. The similarity between these two leaders is not accidental nor is it coincidental. It is part of God\u2019s plan and providence.<\/p>\n

As early as Genesis chapter 12 there is the account of Abraham experiencing famine in the Promised Land and going to Egypt for a short time until the famine ceased. Many thousands of Israelites went to live in Egypt from that time and there were many cities with large Jewish colonies. The proximity of Egypt and these welcoming Jewish communities made Egypt a convenient and popular haven of refuge for Israelites who had to flee from Israel over the centuries.<\/p>\n

We begin the comparison between Moses and Jesus with the story of Joseph, son of Jacob who regularly was referred to as \u201cIsrael\u201d. This is the most important link between the Israelites and Egypt. His life story begins the preparation for the formation of the People of God. Through the envy and jealousy of his brothers, he was sold as a slave to one of the Pharaoh\u2019s officials in Egypt (Gn. 37: 12\u201336). Years later, when he had become Pharaoh\u2019s governor of Egypt, he brought Jacob, his father, with his entire family, to live in Egypt (Gn. 46: 1\u201350).<\/p>\n

Matthew sees in this story of Jacob going with his family to Egypt a type of Joseph taking his family to Egypt (Mt. 2: 13\u201314). Both families were the nucleus of the about\u2013to\u2013be\u2013formed People or Family of God. Both Jacob and Joseph were part of God\u2019s providence in this these plans.<\/p>\n

The second comparison treats of the reaction of a Pharaoh and a king to these two budding groups.<\/p>\n

Exodus chapter 1: 15\u201322 tells of a new Pharaoh who not being aware of the history of Joseph in Egypt and fearing their strength and power, decided to curtail their numbers and ordered that all male births be destroyed. Through the sagacity of Moses\u2019 mother and sister, he was spared (Ex. 2: 1\u201310; 4: 19).<\/p>\n

The New Testament parallel was the massacre of the Holy Innocents by King Herod. Once he heard from the Wise Men of the birth of a king of the Jews, he showed no mercy and sought to kill Jesus (Mt. 2: 16\u201318). Through the obedience to God\u2019s message from an angel in a dream, Jesus\u2019 life was spared by Joseph and Mary taking him away.<\/p>\n

The third comparison shows that both Moses and Jesus had to flee from cruel rulers. Moses had to seek refuge in Midian (Ex. 2: 15); Jesus in Egypt (Mt. 2: 14).<\/p>\n

A fourth comparison shows that when both rulers who sought the lives of Moses and Jesus died, they were both able to return to their own countries, Moses back to Egypt (Ex. 2: 23; 4: 19) where he had been born and Jesus to the land of Israel (Mt. 2: 19\u201321). An interesting point is the use of the words \u201cfor those who sought the child\u2019s life are dead<\/em>\u201d is used in both accounts. Matthew obviously knew the Exodus\u2019 statement.<\/p>\n

In later writings there are other similarities, for example a forty\u2013day fast in the desert (Ex. 24: 18; 34: 28 and Mt. 4: 1\u201311) and Moses promulgating the Law from Mt. Sinai and Jesus giving his manifesto from a mountain, the Sermon on the Mount (Mt. ch. 5\u20137).<\/p>\n

These brief six examples show that Matthew wished to parallel the Old Testament, when possible, with New Testament incidents to show that the two Testaments were not unconnected but depended one on the other. While these examples would not be prophecies, Matthew wishes to show that they are not unlike fulfilment prophecies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MATTHEW 02: 13\u201315, 19\u201323 Feast of the Holy Family \u00a0 Flight into Egypt 13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, \u201cRise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-parish-notices"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=391"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1342,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391\/revisions\/1342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stmarys-tallaght.ie\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}