The Double Cure

 In 1763, Augustus Toplady wrote a hymn which we still sing today. it is entitled "Rock of Ages". The first stanza is:

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in thee;

Let the water and the blood

From thy riven side which flowed

Be of sin the double cure.

Cleanse me from its guilt and power.

Our salvation, won by the death of Christ, is a double cure for sin. 

First, as Toplady wrote, it relieves us from the guilt of our sin because Jesus bore that guilt on the cross for us. "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace..." (Ephesians 1:7) When we receive him by faith, God declares us righteous. This is justification. 

Second, Christ's death also relieves us from the power of sin. Once justified, we begin the journey of sanctification. Having repented of our sin, we seek to avoid sinning and to embrace living for Jesus in holiness. We "put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness". (Ephesians 4:24)

Do you want to know God's plan for your life? Here it is: your sanctification. This is what Romans 6 is about. "We were buried therefor with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:4) 

So, salvation is about both justification and sanctification. Jesus is your savior from sin and your Lord over the power of sin in your life.   It is your "double cure". 

 

TO EGYPT AND BACK AGAIN - MATTHEW 2:13-23

 

The Flight To Egypt

 2:13-15

After the wisemen left Bethlehem, an angel again appeared to Joseph in a dream and instructed him to take Jesus and Mary to Egypt. The reason was that Herod was “about to search for the child to destroy him”. God, in his omniscience, knew the mind of Herod. “The Lord knows the thoughts of man”. (Psalm 94:11) 

Joseph was to stay in Egypt until the angel reappeared and told him he could return. The angel, as a messenger, relayed God’s instructions so that Jesus would be protected. Herod would continue trying to find Jesus and kill him. 

Egypt was a natural place to which to flee. It was nearby, about 70 miles to the border. It was a well-ordered Roman province outside Herod’s jurisdiction. 

Phil wrote that Egypt’s population included approximately one million Jews. Philo, was a prominent Hellenistic Jewish philosopher and theologian who lived in Alexandria, Egypt from 20 B.C.to 50 A.D.He, like Matthew, wrote in Koine Greek. 

Egypt was a common place of refuge for fleeing Israelites.

Genesis 42 - Jacob and family

1 Kings 11:40 - Jeroboam

Jeremiah 26:21–23 -  Uriah the prophet; 

Jeremiah 43:7 - those who fled Israel to avoid exile in Babylon

The angel’s command was urgent. So, Joseph left at once, setting out by night to begin the seventy-five-mile journey to the border. Matthew’s focus is on God’s protection of “the child”. He wrote that Joseph took “the child and his mother”, which is not the normal order of priority. (14) He kept his family there until Herod died and the angel told him to return. Joseph again is obedient.

Behind Herod is the more sinister character, Satan, opposing God. It is the “battle of the seeds”. Remember, in Genesis 3:15, God told the serpent:

“I will put enmity between you and the woman,

        and between your offspring and her offspring;

    he shall bruise your head,

        and you shall bruise his heel.”

Satan knew the will and work of God and sought to frustrate it. But, God did not let him. Look at this from the point of view of Revelation 12:1-6:

And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. [3] And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.

Matthew ends the section with another scripture fulfillment. He wrote that this escape to Egypt fulfilled the words “Out of Egypt I called my son”. These words are from Hosea 11:1. The full verse says: “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son”. 

This is a reference to God loving the early Hebrews that, under the leadership of Jacob\Israel, took Jacob’s family to Egypt to survive a famine. The way had been prepared for them by Jacob’s son, Joseph. Likewise, this new Joseph, son of another Jacob, went to Egypt to protect his family. 

Later, the Israelites, under the leadership of Moses, are called out of Egypt. Similarly, Jesus,  under the leadership of Joseph, is called by God, through an angel, out of Egypt.

There were times in the Old Testament when God referred to Israel as his son. For example, and most relevant to our study, in Exodus 4:22-23:

Then you shall say to Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Israel is my firstborn son, and I say to you, Let my son go that he may serve me. If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son’.” 

Why is this important? Matthew is showing us that Jesus is the true Israel. That being true, those who are in Christ are also the true Israel. As Paul wrote: “Know then that it its those of faith who are the sons of Abraham”. (Galatians 3:7) 

Matthew also shows us that Jesus, as the true Israel, is the true son of God. 

The Slaughter Of The Innocents

2:16-18

Having been thwarted by the wise men from finding out where the King of the Jews was specifically located Herod, in anger and paranoia, killed all of the boys in Bethlehem, and the areas around it, who were two years old and under. He used the time frame for the king’s birth calculated by the wise men.

Matthew again shows this to be a fulfillment of prophecy quoting Jeremiah 31:15. There it originally referred to the grief experienced in the Babylonian exile. Rachel was the wife of Jacob, used as a symbol of grieving the loss of children in the defeat and exile of Israel via Babylon. It became a symbol of the abuse of Jewish children and Matthew applies it to Herod’s murder of Jewish children.

And, as pointed out earlier, it was Satan’s attempt to stop God’s plan of redemption through Jesus. 

Back To Nazareth 

2:19-23

Once Herod’s threat was removed by his death, an angel released Joseph to take Jesus back to Israel. He did this, probably hoping to return to Bethlehem. However, Herod divided his kingdom into three parts and put Archelaus over Judea, Samaria and Idumea. He was ruthless like his father and might attempt to carry out his father’s wishes toward Jesus. 

Therefore, Joseph went instead to Nazareth in Galilee, his home before Bethlehem according to Luke. (Luke 1:26-27) Herod Antipas ruled  in Galilee. He was considered cruel, but weak. 

Matthew tells us this was also to fulfill that which was spoken by the prophets that Jesus would be called a Nazarene. (23) Those words do not appear in the Old Testament. So, what does he mean? 

Nazareth was a despised place. We see this in Nathaniel’s words: “can anything good come out of Nazareth?”. (John 1:46) Christians came to be known as the Nazarene sect as a criticism or sneer. (Acts 24:5) So, it may be that Matthew was not so much saying that Jesus would live in Nazareth as saying the prophets foretold that Jesus, as the Messiah, would be despised. That is said in several places. 

The best known of these is Isaiah 53:3, which says: “He was despised and rejected by men…he was despised and we esteemed him not”. Matthew will show this to be true in several passages. 

This passage shows us that God will accomplish all of his purpose. (Isaiah 49:10) 

 “The more you read the Bible, and the more you meditate upon it, the more you will be astonished with it. He who is but a casual reader of the Bible does not know the height, the depth, the length and breadth of the mighty meanings contained in its pages.”  – Charles Spurgeon  

Matthew 2 – The King Revealed, Revered, and Rejected

Having shown us the birth of Christ, Matthew now shows us how Christ is received. He presents a startling contrast: while Gentiles go to great lengths to worship Jesus, the leaders of his people reject him.

The Arrival of the Wise Men 

Matthew 2:1–2

Some time after the birth of Jesus, some men came from the east looking for him. The only date given for this is “in the days of Herod the king”. Since he reigned from 37 B.C. to 4 B.C., that does not help us much. But, given Herod’s later actions, it would appear that this event occurred about two years after Jesus was born. He and his family are still in Bethlehem. 

These men are called wise men. Some versions (NIV) call them “Magi”, transliterating the Greek word “magoi”. They specialized in obtaining knowledge. This included astrology and ancient religious texts. They were probably from Babylon or Persia. 

They came to Jerusalem and asked “where is he who has been born king of the Jews?”. They had followed a star to Judea. Jerusalem was the capital and a residence of the king, so it was a logical place to look.

Much has been written about this star, trying to explain it in natural terms. The point Matthew makes, however, is that it is a supernatural, divine, event to guide the wise men to Jesus.

So we see, beginning with the birth of Jesus and his early life, God reached out beyond the Jews to reveal Jesus to the nations, the Gentiles. 

This is exciting! God, who had long worked only through and with the Israelites toward the restoration of the creation, now begins a new phase, working with the Gentiles, the rest of the world. And that leads to us! 

Paul would later write “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ”. (Ephesians 2:13)

The question arises, how did the wise men know there would be one born king of the Jews and that there was a star to guide them? The Bible does not to answer that question for us. 

We know, however, that the Jews were in exile in Babylonia, then in Persia when it conquered Babylonia. We know that many of them did not return to Israel when Cyrus let them. We also know that Daniel, the Old Testament prophet, rose to a prominent position in the Babylonian government and stayed in Persia when the exile ended.

So, it is likely the wise men had access to the Jewish writings, including Daniel’s prophecies, and realized one would be born who would have the throne of David, rule Israel as king, and be divine. As astrologers, they believed in signs in the heavens. When they saw one at the time they believed the king would be born, they took off to find him and worship him. 

Matthew alludes to Numbers 24:17, part of an oracle from Balaam: “a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel”. The Jews regarded this prophecy as messianic. 

Herod’s Disturbance and Religious Indifference

Matthew 2:3–8

Matthew paused telling the story of the wise men to tell about King Herod’s reaction. When Herod hard about what the wise men were doing and saying, he was troubled. (3) He was the King of the Jews, appointed by the Roman Emperor. He was very jealous of his position and authority. he murdered his wife and some of his sons when he believed they plotted against him. He did not want to see a usurper born and recognized by other countries, much less his own.

All Jerusalem was troubled as well. This would have been a combination of those who might lose their power and wealth with a change of regime, and those who just knew that a troubled Herod could spell disruption and death for many others. And it did.

Herod was not actually a Jew. He was an Idumean, meaning he was of the line of Esau. Edom ceased to exist as an independent entity after being pushed out of its land in southern Jordan by the Nabateans in the 5th century B.C. This was prophesied by Obadiah and others. They migrated to southern Judah (Idumea). 

Not knowing scripture himself, Herod summoned all of the chief priests and scribes and asked them where this king might have been born. They told him it was Bethlehem, citing Micah 5:2. 

So Herod had a secret meeting with the wise men and sent them to Bethlehem to look for the child and tell him where he was, under the guise of worshipping him. But, he intended to kill him. 

The Wise Men Find Jesus

2:9-12

So, the wise men left Jerusalem for Bethlehem. Notice that the Jewish leaders did not go. 

The star reappeared and came to rest over the place the child Jesus was living. The wise men “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” when they saw the star. As opposed to Herod’s jealousy and the people’s apathy, these Gentiles had immense joy just seeing the star that would lead them to Jesus!

We see that Jesus and his family were living in a house in Bethlehem. (11) The wise men went in, saw the child Jesus and his mother. Joseph is not mentioned. He might have been out working to support them.

The reaction of the wise men to seeing Jesus is breathtaking. They fell don on the ground (prostrated themselves) and worshipped him. They gave him lavish gifts. This reflects Psalm 72:10-11:

May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; 

may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts!

May all kings fall down before him,

all nations serve him!

And, likewise, Isaiah 60:6:

A multitude of camels shall cover you,
    the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
    all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
    and shall bring good news, the praises of the Lord.

Some say the Greek word for “worshipped” does not mean worship, but paying homage to an important person. Yet, the KJV, NKJV, RSV, NIV, NASB, and ESV all say “worshipped”. 

Additionally, it is difficult to imagine these men following a star for hundreds of miles over many weeks, at great expense, to come and pay homage to the king of a small country that was nothing more than a vassal of the Roman Empire.   

It is a dramatic contrast to the Jewish leaders who did not even bother to go to Bethlehem.

God, in his wisdom and sovereignty, warned the wise men through a dream not to return to Herod. They obeyed and took another route back home to Persia. 

God protected his Son until the time he was appointed to die for our sins. 

As Jesus would later say, God is working. (John 5:17) He continued his work toward the new creation whose people worship him because of the work of his Son.  

More On The Virgin Birth

 The virgin birth is also confessed in the creeds. 

It is confessed in the:

1. Apostles’ Creed (“conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary”) and;
2. the Nicene Creed (“he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary”). 

THE OBEDIENCE OF JOSEPH IN THE BIRTH OF CHRIST - MATTHEW 1:18-25

We will see in this passage that the story in Matthew focuses on Joseph, whereas Luke focuses on Mary. 

Mary was “betrothed” to Joseph. Betrothal is a commitment to be married. The New International Version says “pledged to be married”. But, unlike our modern engagements, this is a formal agreement. It can only be dissolved by divorce.

Although the commitment was formal, it did not come with the privileges of marriage. The couple were not supposed to have sex until they were actually married. Sex outside of marriage was still considered a sin. The marriage did not occur until the groom and his attendants came to the bride’s house and escorted her to the groom’s house. There is a glimpse of that in the parable of the 10 virgins in Matthew 25. 

They did not have weddings like we do today. And, no, it was not like the wedding in the movie Fiddler On The Roof. 

So, Joseph had not had sex with Mary at this time. It was before “they came together”. (18) That phrase literally refers to Mary moving into Joseph’s house. But, that would be when they would first come together sexually.

Yet, Mary became pregnant. She was “found to be with child”. Her pregnancy had become noticeable. 

Since she had not been with Joseph, she would have been guilty of adultery, a violation of the seventh commandment. (Exodus 20:14) The punishment for that is death in the Old Covenant. “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death”. (Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:23) 

This was a difficult situation. Israel prized its virgins and punished fornicators. Mary would be shamed and, possibly, punished. Joseph would be embarrassed and unable to marry Mary without being ostracized from the community. Since Joseph was a just, or righteous man, he could not do that. (19)

Joseph could have demanded that Mary be punished under the law. However, he had resolved to divorce her quietly. This means he would give her a certificate of divorce privately, with only the two required witnesses,  but not publicize it otherwise. 

Before Joseph could act on this, however, an angel appeared to him in a dream. The angel said Joseph did not need to get a divorce, for Mary had not committed adultery. He could take her to his home. Yes, she was pregnant, but the child conceived in her was not from a man, but from the Holy Spirit. (20) 

The angel addressed Joseph not only by his name, Joseph, but as son of David. This is to alert him of the significant role he plays in these events. He is a son of David working according to God’s will to bring the Greater Son of David into the world. 

The angel further instructed Joseph that Mary would have a son and he was to call his name Jesus, for he would save his people from their sins. (21) Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua. It means Yahweh saves or Yahweh is salvation. The name signifies that Mary’s son brings God’s promised salvation. 

That salvation is not from the Roman Empire, however. It is salvation from the sins of his people. (21) This is a reference to Psalm 130:8, which says “He (Yahweh) will redeem Israel from all his iniquities”. 

Joseph would have interpreted “his people” as being the ethnic Jewish people. We know, and Matthew will later show, that it refers to Jesus’ people, the Messiah’s people, who are all who believe in him.

Matthew (or the angel) tells us that the birth of Jesus, all that has occurred, fulfilled what God said through the prophet. He quoted Isaiah 7:14:

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” 

Mary is the virgin and Jesus is the son. 

All of this has occurred according to God’s will and to fulfill what God said through the prophet Isaiah. 

Matthew then interpreted the Hebrew name “Immanuel” for us: it means God with us. (23)

Remember: Matthew is writing in Greek. So, here he assumes at least some of his readers do not know the Hebrew language, so it is necessary to interpret the name because the name has theological importance. It signals that this child will be God and will come and dwell among men and women. 

Despite the possibly grave circumstances, Joseph was obedient. He did not divorce Mary; he took her as his wife (married her). (24) This connects with the language of verse 20. The NIV connects well with the process of marriage at that time, saying he “took Mary home as his wife” (though the word “home” is not in the Greek text. 

Joseph did not have sex with Mary until after Jesus was born. And he named the child Jesus, as the angel had commanded. (24-25)

Why is the virgin birth necessary? 

(1) The Bible clearly asserts it.

(2) It fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah. 

(3) It makes true the statement that Jesus was fully God and fully man. He received his physical body from Mary as her biological child. His eternal, divine nature was His from all eternity past. Jesus had no sin nature inherited from Adam. He had a human nature, but not a sin nature.  

(Unless otherwise noted, quotes from the Bible are from the ESV@ Bible, The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 

"If we have even a shadowy glimpse of the sovereign glory of God, it will compel us to fall on our faces in awe." 

Timothy Whitner.