Day 12- He Shall Be Called a Nazarene
On day twelve of the 25 Days of Christmas (from the Bible) we will close out the book of Matthew chapter two. It is important to recognize that the accounts in Matthew chapter 2: The Birth in Bethlehem |vv. 5-6| (Micah 5:2 and 2 Samuel 5:2), The Flight into Egypt |vv. 13-15| (Exodus 1:15-2:10), The Massacre of the Innocents |vv. 16-18| (Jeremiah 31:15), and The Settlement in Nazareth |vv.19-23| (Judges 13:5), all underscore a divinely designed prophetic fulfillment.
We pick up in verse sixteen where Herod is angry because he felt that he had been deceived by the Magi, so he ordered that all the male children who were in Bethlehem or its surrounding districts to be put to death. Then Matthew in verse seventeen declares it was a fulfillment of prophecy and quotes a verse from Jeremiah 31:15. What a tragic scene of events—the weeping mothers of Bethlehem.
Matthew then quickly moves on in verse nineteen to letting us know that Herod is indeed dead. An angel of the Lord actually appears again to Joseph in Egypt, telling him to go to Israel because Herod and those who were seeking to harm to the young Child are now dead.
Joseph however, heard that Herod’s son was now reigning in his place. This caused him great concern, so he turned toward the region of Galilee. Then being warned again in a dream, he continued on until they (Mary, Joseph and the young Child, Jesus) came and dwelt in the city of Nazareth.
So now the stage is set; Matthew has brought Jesus to Nazareth and in a very real sense, Nazareth was the gateway to the world. This is where Jesus would grow in wisdom and in stature, with God and with man. He was now a young child that would grow into a man.
In Nazareth Jesus would see all kinds of travelers from all kinds of nations on all kinds of journeys, coming, and going from the very ends of the earth. This is where Jesus would become the master craftsman of Nazareth and it is where He would be until He was baptized by John and begins His short three and a half year earthly ministry.
Take Away: The Journey of Jesus birth through the book of Matthew took us from His lineage, to him being born and becoming a young child, to now Him living in Nazareth. Every step was prophetically and strategically plotted out in a significant manner. Each event and its sequence led him to exactly where He was to be at that very moment. These passages prove to me that we can trust the timing of God. Next we will look at the book of Luke and its stories that lead up to the birth of Jesus.
