The fullfillment of Scripture

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As we come to the close of any year there is always an anticipation of what is ahead but also a reflection of what has come before. However 2020, has been no normal year. People are just at the point where we are ready to leave this year never to return. However, I don’t think that will really be possible. A year where there seems like there has only been chaos will order much of what happen in the years to come. Everyone’s lives here this morning have been drastically effected in some way and some have suffered immensly with sickness, financial hardship and the loss of loved ones. Where has God been in the midst of the pandemonium we have experienced this year?

As we look at this morning at the upheavel of the baby Jesus, Jospeh and Mary the Holy family this morning I believe we will find answers to some of the questions that linger from this year.

Matthew as he records in particular events from Jesus’s early years is trying to get to the bottom of the fact of why they took place in the way that they did. The conclusion which Matthew comes to as we saw earlier were that these events were not happenstantial but they were intagriual part of God’s salvation plan. They shine a light on the person of Jesus in such a way that we can clearly see that Jesus is the Christ, the promised Messiah. The person who the old testament scriptures had been pointing forward to, was now fulfilling them. We will see how Jesus does this in three ways.

Jesus Fulfills the Exodus

We see in this passage in particular verses 13-15 that Jesus fulfills what Exodus pointed forward to.

Verse 13 continues immediately after the Magi had returned home to their own country after giving their gifts of Gold, incense and Myrrh to Jesus. That night an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. The word appeared is in the present tense. Matthew is wanting to bring us into the narrative so it feels like we are really there. That we experience the emotion of what is taking place so we understand the gravity of what is taking place. The life of Jesus is in grave danger. Jospesh must act immediately. The angel tells Joseph to get up, take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you. The reason Joseph is to take such drastic action, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.

Here is Joseph’s life torn apart from yet again. The first time the angel had appeared to Joseph he had been contemplating leaving Mary the one who he had been bethrothed to because she was pregnant. The angel had told him not to be afraid that the son that was concieved in her was from the Holy Spirit and that he would save his people from his sins. Jospeh had obeyed what the angel had said taking Mary as his wife leaving them as a disgrace as those who bore a child outside wedlock. Things had perhaps seemed like they were getting better with the gifts of the wise men and the gifts that they brought.

But now because of that visit an evil maniac, who was the ruler of the land was after them . He would now have to take his wife and child on a dangerous journey by night to a foreign land to remain their as refugees. Joseph had obeyed God by doing what the angel had said and now his life had fallen into more turmoil. Yet without being privy as we are to why God was allowing this to take place, Joseph still obeyed immediately. Verse 14 tells us that

“He got up, took the child and his mother durting the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod.

The mention of Heod’s death here may seem strange here. We are still out of breath after following the Holy family on their sudden escape to Egypt but now we are being told to dwell on something that has not yet taken place in the story. What Matthew is us an explanation of why this chaotic event in the life of Jesus took place. It happened so that Jesus could return from Egypt, fulfilling scripture. That God’s salvation plan would be accomplished.

This event fulfilled what God had said through the prophet in Hosea 11:1

“Out of Egypt I called my son.”

When you look at Hosea 11:1 as we have on the screen it becomes quickly apparent that what is quoted here is speaking historically about how God rescued Israel from Egypt. It is not prophetic, predicting what will happen in the future and neither is that what Matthew claiming. Jesus’s return from Egypt does not directly fulfill the words, “Out of Egyot I called my son” but rather fulfills the pattern of what these words refer to.

Matthew is holding the story of Exodus beside what we have just followed and asking us do you see the simalarities.

Even before we get to the details of the story much of the lanuage used here is borrowed from the greek version of the Old Testament. Then

Just as an evil ruler attempted to kill Moses so an evil ruler sought to kill Jesus.

Just as Moses had been saved by his parents action, so Joseph and Mary saved Jesus by their actions.

Just as Pharoah murdered Israelite infants so Herod murdered Israelite infants.

As Israel took refugee in Egypt in the land of Goshen, so Jesus took refugee in Egypt.

Just as God called his loved disobedient son from Egypt so he called his beloved obedient son from Egypt.

Jesus was the embodiment of Old testament Israel. His life had to follow the same pattern as his peoples had. Ultimetely the reason these events had to take place bringing Jesus to Egypt was so God could callJesus from Egypt he was bringing about a new Exodus. Not this time a physcial one redeeming his people from the slavery of Egypt, but a spirtual one redeeming his people from the slavery of sin. Israel’s exodus from Egypt was a picture of what Jesus came to do. To save his people from their sins.

Friends we are all born enslaved to sin. We have all at one point known the word of Charles Wesley for oursleves

Long my imprisioned spirit lay

Fast bound in sin and nature’s night .

Everyone has been in that position but have you redeemed from it. Have you experiemced the redemption that can only be found in Jesus Christ. That gospel ray that shines and makes your heart new when you recieve the glorious christ.

In the chaotic events of verses 16-18 we see that God is accomplishing part of his plan of slavation. That Jesus would fulfill the Exodus.

Jesus fulfills the Exile

Herod is recorded in History as a king who obsessively sought to defend his throne. Any threat in his paranoia that he percieved to exist had to be wiped out. The possibility of a newly born kings of Jews that the Magi had presented to him in verse 2 of chapter disturbed him greatly. Herod had sent the Magi off with strict instructions to return to him when they found Jesus. But the Magi did not return. They had been warned in a dream to return by another way. With Jerusalem being about 6 miles away from Bethlehem Herod quickly realised that the Magi were not coming back. He felt that he had been tricked, betryaed. Magi had not done what he had asked. He felt his throne now must really be in danger. Herod was furious. In his exceeding anger he gave orders to kjill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years and under. Herod using the information he had recieved from the Magi to make sure that there was no possible way for Jesus to escape no matter how many tears would be shed as a result of his cruel actions. Herod carried out the senless murder of innocent children. The atrocity of this evil action make us feel sick to our stomach yet even here God’s plan of salvation is being fullfilled.

Verse 17 “Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah (31:15) was fulfilled:

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.

Rachel is referring to the mother of Joseph and Benjamin who she died giving birth to, most likely being buried in Ramah. Rachel had become known as the mother of the nation. What Jeremiah is picturing here is Rachel the mother of Israel in her grave weeping from her grave as her children are being taken off to exile most likely to be killed. However when we look at Jeremiah 31 as a whole it is not actually one of dispair but of hope.

It is about the restoration of Israel. In the next verse Rachel is told to restain her voice from weeping because her children will return from Exile and then in verse 31 that a time is coming when the new covenant will be established.

The reason why Matthew is quoting this here is he is quoting this verse here is connecting the tears of the mothers in Bethlehen with the tears of the exile. He emphasing that with the coming of Jesus the exile is now over. There has been no Davidic king since that time, but now the true king has arrived. The Messiah has come and he will establish the new covenant.

God is fulfilling his salvation plan despite evil oppostion which in this passage exemplified by Herod. As we look at the actions of Herod the words of Psalm 2 are reminisant

Why do the nations rage and people’s plot in the rain. The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel against the Lord and against Christ, his annointed. Herod was in his evil actions was taking his stand against God. Herod was fully responsible for this wicked deed and will be held fully responsible for it from God. Yet God is so absolutely sovereign over all things that the wicked actions of men even when they are conspiring against him work for his purposes. God is seperate from evil and no way the source of it but everything that happens in some way accomplishes his salvation plan.

Picture a sailing boat. The wind blows and does what the wind does. But the skilled sailor uses the sail in order for the boat to move in the way he desires. This simple illustration gives us a glimpse of the mystery of how uses the sins of the godly to accomplish his purposes while at the same time not being tarnished by that sin. God is so awesome that everything that has happened and will happen works to accomplish his plan of salvation.

But what about the pain of those mothers in Bethlehem as they lost their children? What about my pain, my suffering. Does an awesome God, carryign out his grand plans care about the a lowly person like.

We have through experience become accustomed to the people who have the most power are the most distant. But God because he is so powerful, he can and does care for you. If you turn to Chapter 10 of this gospel we read that God even has number of heads on our head. Even though that is becoming an ever increasing task for some of us, it reminds us of his care for us. He see’s every tear he feels every sorrow. He so much that he sent his own son into this evil. The king of the world came as a baby lieing in a manger. The one who gives life to the world found his life threatened by the evil Herod and his would not be the last attempt on Jesus’s life. Where Herod failed others suceeded. Some 30 years later Jesus was crucified and killed at the hands of lawless men. But this was according the definite plan and more knowledge. God cares so much that he would accomplish his plan of salvation to save lost sinners through the death of his son. God accomplishing his purposes in this world are not an abstract reality but personal. It is about saving his people.

Jesus fulfills what the Messiah will be like

After the death of Herod the angel of the Lord appears once again to Joseph and says in verse 20

“Get up, take the child and his mother and go back to the child of his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who are trying to take the child’s life are now dead.” After spending about a year in Egypt, they can now return to Israel. Joseph again immediately obeying the angel headed back to Israel. He most likely sought to go back to Bethlehem but heard that Archelaus who was made from the same mould of his father was now regining in Judea so he became afraid. While Joseph was pondering what to do he warned in a dream to go to Galilee which had been taken over my one of Herods more civil sons. They eventuallt settled in a small town called Galilee. Matthew does not give us the personal reasons for this choice. Luke tells us that both Jospeh and Mary were originally from Nazerth, rather Matthew displays God’s purposes for Jesus growing up in Nazerth. The second half of verse 23 says,

“so was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, “He will be called a Nazarene.”

With no family service this morning maybe you are missing the quiz but here we find an excellent quiz question. Show me in the Old Testament where it says He will be called a Nazarene. And I would be willing to offer big prizes. The reason for this is not that I have suddenly had a huge windfall of money but my confidence that you will not be able answer this question. I am not making any comment of your knowledge of the old testament but it is a long winded way of saying it is a trick question. It cannot actually be found in the odld testament. So what is Matthew actually trying to say here? Notice that Matthew says so was fulfilled what was said through the prophets plural. He is speaking about the accumulation of what is taught in the old testement.

And what is it teaching? Well that can we be seen when we understand how someone from Nazerth was viewed. Nazerth as a small villege in the middle of nowhere was a non-entity. Everyone who came from their was treated with suspision. Remember what Nathanael said in John 1:46 When Philip told him that Jesus was the Messiah “Can anything good come from Nazerth?”

Maybe you can think of some similar places in Northern Ireland. I am going to bite my tongue so I don’t get myself in trouble. But you get the idea, to be from the despised Nazerth was a fitting picture of what the Messiah would be like as

Psalm 22:6 says he was to be scorned by mankind and despised by the people.

and Isasiah 53

He had no form of majesty that we should look at him, and not beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men.

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