The infancy account in Matthew 2:13-23 is a continuation of the events narrated in 2:1-12 where the magi from the East are the main actors. Bidden by Herod to inform him of the location of the new born king, they, after paying homage, went back home via a different route. This they did after an angel informed them in a dream of Herod's plan to kill the child. Thus quite early in the gospel, Matthew's readers are informed that the cross already casts its shadows on the new-born Christ-child. The equivalent of this in Luke's gospel would be the prophecy of old man Simeon on the day Jesus was presented at the Temple (cf. Luke 2:34-35).
In this section of Matthew's narrative the pattern already seen in Matthew 1:18-25 is repeated:
- an angel commands Joseph in a dream
- Joseph obeys the command
- a prophecy is fulfilled
Below is an outline
- 13-15: Flight to Egypt
- 13 an angel commands
- 14 Joseph obeys
- 15 fulfillment of a prophecy (Hosea 11:1)
- 16-18: The Slaying of Babes
- 16 Herod commands the slaying of babes
- 17-18 Fulfillment of Jeremiah 31:15
- 19-23 Back into Israel and into Nazareth
- 19-20 The Command to return to Israel
- 21 Joseph obeys
- 22-23a Joseph goes to Nazareth
- 23a "He will be called a Nazorean"
It should be noted tthat the account of the flight to Egypt (13-15) and the return to Israel (19-21) envelop the slaying of the innocents in vv. 16-18. The flow of the narrative reminds one of Moses' own escape from the Pharaoh who ordered the killing of Hebrew babes in Exodus 1:22-2:10. By retelling this story thus, Matthew prepares his audience for the presentation of Jesus as the New Moses. Matthew however does more: by associating Hosea 11:1 to the return from Egypt, the evangelist indicates how Jesus is the embodiment of the new Israel.
Two kings are mentioned in this narrative. Herod the Great was Rome's vassal king from 37 BC to 4 BC and Archelaus his son was the one who succeeded him from 4 BC to 6 AD. Matthew had already presented Jesus as the legitimate Son of David, and therefore rightful heir to the Davidic throne. Herod the great had initiated an action against Jesus with the killing of Bethlehem's babes. A legitimate heir of David is a threat to any puppet king. This explains Joseph's fear of Archelaus who reigned over Judah, Samaria and Idumea after Herod. Thus, after Joseph brings back "the child and his mother" to Israel, he moves on to Galilee. The mention of Galilee in contrast to Israel is theological: Galilee is "Galilee of the Gentiles". Jesus stays in its regions (specifically Nazareth and later on Caphernaum) and will be taken up from there in the end (cf. Matthew 28:10.16)
From verse 13-23, we see Joseph at the angel's behest taking his family from Bethlehem, to Egypt, from Egypt to Judea and further on to Galilee where he settles them in a town called Nazareth. It has been suggested that Nazareth was an ideal place for a "tekton" like Joseph to live in because of its nearness to Sepphoris where at that time there was a lot of building projects. (cf. NJBC, 636, col. 2)
There are three fulfillment citations in Matthew 2:13-23. The first is from Hosea 11:1 and indicates how Jesus is the principle of continuity between the old and new Israels (cf. Collegeville Bible Commentary, p. 866, col. 1). The second is from Jeremiah 31:15, a poetic representation of the plight of the Jews who were gathered in Ramah, a town north of Jerusalem, before they were led into exile in the 6th century BC. The last is found in verse 23b, "He will be called a Nazorean". It has been suggested that the word NazoraioV Nazoraios may have been intended by Matthew to evoke in his readers ideas that arise from similar sounding words. Viviano (NJBC, 636) enumerates three
- the name "Nazareth" not mentioned in the OT
- Jesus as the branch (neser) in Isaiah 11:1
- reference to Jesus as a nazir -- a consecrated person -- like Samson
Throughout verses 13-15 and 19-23, the main characters are the angel who commands, Joseph who obeys and the prophecy that is fulfilled. The object of the angel's and Joseph's solicitude are "the child and his mother". Joseph obedient to the angelic voice protects and supports Mary and her child in dangerous times and finally brings them to settle in a low-profile town where a carpenter's family can dwell in the safety of obscurity.
