1532 | MattheW 2:16
16
When Her od re al ized that he had been outwit ted by the Magi , he was fu ri ous , and he gave or ders to kill all the boys in Beth le hem and its vi cin i ty who were two years old and un der , in ac cor dance with the time he had learned from the Magi . 17 Then what was said through the proph et Jer e mi ah was ful filled :
18
“ A voice is heard in Ramah , weeping and great mourning ,
Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted , because they are no more .” a
The Return to Nazareth
19
Af ter Her od died , an an gel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Jo seph in Egypt 20 and said , “ Get up , take the child and his moth er and go to a
18 Jer . 31:15
the land of Is ra el , for those who were try ing to take the child ’ s life are dead .”
21
So he got up , took the child and his moth er and went to the land of Is ra el . 22 But when he heard that Ar che la us was reign ing in Ju dea in place of his father Her od , he was afraid to go there . Hav ing been warned in a dream , he with drew to the dis trict of Gal i lee , 23 and he went and lived in a town called Naz a reth . So was ful filled what was said through the proph ets , that he would be called a Naz a rene .
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
3:1-12pp — Mk 1:3-8 ; Lk 3:2-17
3
In those days John the Bap tist came , preaching in the wil der ness of Ju dea 2 and say ing ,
“ Re pent , for the king dom of heav en has come
Matthew presents even this as fulfilling prophecy . He sees an analogy between Israel — the children of God ( Ex 4:23 ) — and Jesus , the Son of God . Jesus emerged from Egypt just as Israel had during the exodus ( Ex 9 – 14 ). In addition , the rulers in both narratives order the slaughter of infants ( Ex 1:22 ; Mt 2:16 ). Out of Egypt I called my son Quoted from Hos 11:1 , where it refers to the historic events of the exodus . Matthew uses typology in applying this this text — which originally referred to God ’ s corporate people , Israel — to Jesus , God ’ s Messiah .
2:16 – 18 In a desperate move , Herod slaughters all the male children in and around Bethlehem in hopes of exterminating the promised child .
2:16 he had been outwitted The Greek word used here , empaizō , usually means “ to mock ” or “ to ridicule ,” indicating that the Magi ’ s noncompliance was disgraceful to Herod . two years old and under This detail implies that the wise men ( Magi ) first saw the star long before they came to Jerusalem . It also suggests that Jesus was probably more than a year old at this time . Bethlehem was very small ; perhaps about 20 children were killed .
2:18 A voice is heard in Ramah Matthew quotes Jer 31:15 ; the context of children being slaughtered and Jesus ’ family being uprooted parallels the context of Jeremiah ’ s prophecy .
2:19 – 23 Upon Herod the Great ’ s death ( ca . 4 BC ), Joseph , Mary and Jesus return from Egypt .
2:19 After Herod died After Herod ’ s death , his kingdom was divided among his sons , Archelaus , Antipas and Philip . See note on Lk 3:1 . 2:22 he was afraid to go there Joseph ’ s fear is justified ; Archelaus was as cruel as his father . See the table “ Political Leaders in the New Testament ” on p . 1916 . Having been warned in a dream The Greek text here does not identify a specific messenger . There is no warning given against Antipas , Herod the Great ’ s son , who ruled in Galilee ; this region is portrayed as a safe place for Jesus throughout Matthew ’ s Gospel . 2:23 he would be called a Nazarene The source of this quotation is unknown and it seems that Jewish people at the time did not expect the Messiah to come from Nazareth ( see Mt 2:4 – 5 ; Jn 1:46 ). Matthew might have
Jesus ’’ Early Life and Ministry ( continued )
Jesus spends the rest of his childhood and early adulthood in Nazareth .
Joseph , Mary and Jesus return from Egypt to settle in Nazareth .
John the Baptist calls for repentance in the wilderness .
John the Baptist baptizes Jesus and proclaims him as the Messiah .
Jesus calls the first disciples .
Jesus spends his childhood in Nazareth .
John the Baptist declares his mission and tells about the Messiah .
When he is 12 , Jesus speaks to religious teachers in the temple . They are amazed at his understanding .
Satan tempts Jesus in the wilderness .
Andrew brings his brother Simon to Jesus , and Jesus calls him Peter .