IN A DREAM #4

IN A DREAM #4

Matthew 2:19-23 NET.

¹⁹ After Herod had died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt ²⁰ saying, “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 So he got up and took the child and his mother and returned 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. After being warned in a dream, he went to the regions of Galilee. ²³ He came to a town called Nazareth and lived there. Then what had been spoken by the prophets was fulfilled, that Jesus would be called a Nazarene.

This is the last in a series of four Advent messages based on Matthew’s Gospel. When I first read through the text of Matthew 1:18 through chapter 2, I noticed that the phrase “in a dream” appears five times. That’s why I used that phrase in the title of all four of these sermons. I’m not really so lazy that I didn’t want to change the church sign every week. But it was nice that altering the sign was less complicated. I think I’m getting older and wiser, but maybe I’m just getting older.

The final two dreams of Joseph appear in today’s text, and they direct him first to bring his family back from Egypt, and then specifically to settle in Nazareth. Matthew carefully shows that every aspect of Jesus’ life is a fulfillment of prophecy. In today’s text we learn that the family settles in Nazareth because the prophets predict that Jesus would be called a Nazarene. It’s not entirely clear which Old Testament prophecy is being referred to here. Some have suggested that it was a misreading of the idea of the Nazarite vows in Judges 13. I don’t think this is very likely because one of the requirements of a Nazarite is avoiding wine, and Jesus drank wine. He drank wine at the wedding in Cana. He drank wine with his disciples on the first Communion.

Others have suggested that Matthew was referring to the prophecy in Isaiah 11:1 which says that “a shoot will grow out of Jesse’s root stock, a bud will sprout from his roots.” Isaiah was predicting that Jesse (the father of King David) would have another descendant who would rule over all of Israel as David did. The word bud (sometimes translated as “branch” is נֵצֶר (netser) in Hebrew. We can only guess as to the reason why Joseph chose to settle specifically in Nazareth, so here is my guess: I see Joseph deciding to settle in Galilee, so sometime after they leave Egypt, I see Joseph pondering a list of Galilean towns. When he comes to Nazareth on the list, he remembers Isaiah’s prediction about the נֵצֶר.

That would follow the pattern that we see in all these texts. The pattern begins with a command from an angel in a dream, and Joseph accepts the dream as valid because it is verified by a prophecy. To put it another way, whenever Satan tried to dissuade Joseph from obeying God’s revelation in a dream, Joseph was able to resist the devil because of his knowledge of God’s word. We would do well to follow Joseph’s example. Jesus himself resisted the devil by declaring God’s truth in his word to counter Satan’s lies.

Matthew’s Christmas stories parallel the story of Moses in seven ways:

1. Joseph dreams (Matthew 1:20; 2:13, 19, 22; Genesis 37:1, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 19, 20).

If you remember the story of the Old Testament Joseph, you know that it all started with Joseph having some dreams that he revealed to his brothers. His brothers were not at all happy with his dreams. In fact, they were so annoyed at Joseph that they planned to kill him. But they wound up selling him into slavery in Egypt. That was how Joseph got to Egypt, and interpreting dreams was how he wound up saving all of Egypt and all the Israelites there.

• There is an escape to safety (Matthew 2:13-14; Exodus 2:15).

In the New Testament, the escape is to Egypt, but in the Old Testament, the escape is from Egypt. The hero changes from Joseph to Moses. He flees to Midian and settles there as a shepherd. God preserved his life there in Midian until it was time for the next stage in his plan to save his people. When the time was right, God sent a burning bush to get Moses’ attention and give him his call back to Egypt.

• There is a massacre of children (Matthew 2:16; Exodus 1:22).

In the New Testament, it is Herod the Great who calls for the elimination of the children in and around Bethlehem. In the Old Testament, it is Pharaoh. He is worried that the Hebrew slaves would grow too strong and revolt against the Egyptians. So, he orders the destruction of all the boys being born to Hebrew women. Moses is born, and hidden away for a while, then his parents put him in a basket and set him in the Nile River. His sister Miriam watches as the basket is retrieved by Pharaoh’s daughter. He is adopted by her and grows up in the household of the very man who ordered his execution.

Incidentally, Jewish legend tells us some very interesting things about baby Moses that are not mentioned in Exodus. According to the legend, Amram (Moses’ father) had actually divorced Jochebed because he didn’t want to risk fathering a boy who might be killed. But his older daughter Miriam (since she was a prophet) convinced her father to remarry her mother because God would have a special plan for the boy.

• A king dies (Matthew 2:19; Exodus 2:23).

In the New Testament, the king who dies is Herod the Great. In the Old Testament, it is the Pharaoh who had ordered Moses’ execution. In both testaments, the death of the ruler is the clue that it is time for the next phase of redemptive history to take place. And that phase would require relocation.

• A return is commanded (Matthew 2:19-20; Exodus 4:19).

Joseph and Mary are to take young Jesus and return to Israel. Our text says that after Herod had died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt saying, “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.” In the Old Testament, Moses is commanded to return to Egypt because his task is to rescue the children of Israel from bondage and lead them to the Promised Land. Exodus 4:19 says The LORD said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, because all the men who were seeking your life are dead.” Not only is there a command to return, but the wording of the command in both texts is very similar.

• The command is obeyed (Matthew 2:21; Exodus 4:20).

Joseph gets up from his dream and starts packing for his trip. He takes his wife and child with him. Note again the similarity to what happened in the Old Testament. Exodus 4:20 says “Moses took his wife and sons and put them on a donkey and headed back to the land of Egypt.” In both Testaments, we see grace and human responsibility hand-in-hand. God reveals the plan and expects his people to walk according to that plan. Moses in the Old Testament, and Joseph in the New – are examples of that.

• The people are saved (Matthew 1:21; Exodus 3:7-12).

Finally, the outcome of Joseph’s obedience is that Jesus is kept safe until it is time for him to go to the cross as humanity’s Savior. The outcome of Moses’ obedience was that he was kept safe in Midian until it was time for him to return to Egypt and rescue his people.

Now we come to the “so what?” of today’s text. Joseph obeys and brings back Jesus to settle in Nazareth. So what? How does what Joseph did apply to you and me? Joseph had a mission, and he had to be willing to go where God wanted him to go to accomplish that mission. I know some people who would not be willing to move from where they live even if an angel told them to do so in a dream. Remember Pilate? While he was putting Jesus on trial, he received a message from his wife, warning him not to condemn Jesus. She said that she had suffered greatly as a result of a dream about Jesus. Pilate ignored her and her dream.

We also have the surer word than any dream in the written Scriptures today – a word that is inspired, inerrant, and infallible. Yet people continue to ignore it. People continue to do what they want and ignore what God wants. Even in the church there are people more interested in maintaining the status quo than accomplishing God’s mission. What if Joseph and Mary had that attitude? What if they had said, “Lord, we will follow you if we are allowed to stay in Judea?”

During this coming new year, the LORD will challenge us to go beyond our comfort zones to accomplish his mission. May we obey his calling and may our obedience result in many people being delivered from sin’s bondage.

For further study:

Aus Roger David. Matthew 1-2 and the Virginal Conception: In Light of Palestinian and Hellenistic Judaic Traditions on the Birth of Israel’s First Redeemer Moses. University Press of America 2004. pp. 12-14; 19-57.

Brown Raymond E. The Birth of the Messiah: A Commentary on the Infancy Narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. New updated ed. Doubleday 1993. pp. 107-119.

Fortna Robert Tomson. The Gospel of Matthew: The Scholars Version Annotated with Introduction and Greek Text. Polebridge Press 2005. pp. 38-41.

Graves Mike and David M May. Preaching Matthew: Interpretation and Proclamation. Chalice Press 2007. pp. 9-22.

Harrington, Daniel J. Meeting St. Matthew Today: Understanding the Man, His Mission, and His Message. Chicago: Loyola Press, 2010. p. 20.

Kelly Joseph F. The Birth of Jesus According to the Gospels. Liturgical Press 2008. pp. 51-56.

Younger, Carol D. The Gospel of Matthew: Hope in the Resurrected Christ: Adult Bible Study Guide. Dallas, Tex: BaptistWay Press, 2008. pp. 40-44.