Bible Study series: Matthew 2:19-23. Joseph obeys God. How are we in obedience to God?
A warm welcome to this Bible study! I write to learn, so let’s learn together. I also translate to learn. The translations are mine, unless otherwise noted. If you would like to see many others, please click on this link:
In the next link to the original chapter, I comment more and offer the Greek text. At the bottom you will find a “Summary and Conclusion” section geared toward discipleship. Check it out!
In this post, links are provided for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Matthew 2:19-23
19 When Herod died, look! an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Get up and take the child and his mother and go to Israel, for those seeking the life of the child and his mother have died.”
21 Then arising and taking the child and his mother, he entered Israel. 22 On hearing that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to pass by there. But having received a revelation in a dream, he departed into the region of Galilee. 23 Going there, he settled in a town called Nazareth, in order that the word through the prophets might be fulfilled that he would be called a Nazarene. (Matthew 2:19-23)
Commentary
See my initial comments on Matt. 2:1-12. Heaven is unveiling itself, a little. Let’s look inside, as far as Scripture allows.
19-21:
Once again, “look!” updates the old “behold.” It means to pay attention; something significant or supernatural is about to happen. See Matt. 2:9 for more comments.
So the Lord appeared to Joseph in another dream; this one imparts information that kept the family safe. He is instructed to return, in the same wording that the angel used in the previous section. “Arise” or “get up” and “take.”
Once again, Matthew does not say, “Take your child and wife,” but “take the child and his mother.” Jesus is Mary’s child in a very precise sense. Matthew is careful to note it.
“Israel”: see Matt. 2:6, for more comments.
Joseph’s obedience was once again instant. He “got up” or “arose” and “took the child and his mother” on their journey back to Israel. Joseph is the silent partner in the guidance, but no doubt he and Mary had conversations as they traveled along or shortly after he got his dream. “Mary, God spoke to me to return to Israel.” So she got the things ready for the journey, and Jesus was kept safe with the parents whom God gave him. What a wonderful family! What wonderful parents! So compliant and so willing to follow orders. So surrendered to God!
“dream”:
Dreams and Visions: How to Interpret Them
Grammarian Olmstead notes the parallels in Greek between Matt. 2:20 and Exod. 4:19, in the Greek version of Exodus (called the Septuagint, pronounced sep-TOO-ah-gent, which is the third to second century, B.C. translation of the Hebrew into Greek). Those “seeking” “the life” “have died.” The bottom line in Olmstead’s observation is that Jesus is similar to Moses, but of course better.
“angel”: see Matt. 2:13 for more comments.
22:
Herod gave to his son Archelaus the rulership over Judea, Samaria, and Idumea. Augustus Caesar agreed and honored him with the title of Ethnarch. He could receive the title king, if he earned it. But he was a bad ruler and was removed in A.D. 6. Rome ruled the south by a procurator. By then Joseph had settled his family in Nazareth in Galilee, which was ruled by Herod Antipas, another son of Herod (see Matt. 14:1-10).
“having received a revelation in a dream” could be translated “being warned in a dream” or “being revealed in a dream.” Joseph had five dreams, and here in v. 22, he got his fifth one. Once again, please see v. 13 for a link, if you get dreams and need to know how to interpret them.
23:
Joseph chose Nazareth, which was his former hometown (Luke 1:26-27; 2:39; Matt. 13:53-58). Keener estimates that around five hundred people lived there (p. 113). Nazareth was a despised place, even among the Galileans (John 1:46; 7:42, 52). In John 1:46, Nathaniel asked Philip, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” So, Matthew’s readers would have instantly picked up on Jesus being despised (see Pss. 22:6-8, 13; 69:8. 20-21; Is. 11:1; 49:7; 53:2-3, 8; Dan. 9:26). Matthew carries forward the theme of Jesus’s being despised (see Matt. 8:20; 11:16-19; 15:7-8). So Matthew gives us the substance of OT passages, and not a direct quotation. Note how Matthew writes” by the prophets” (plural).
Further, Matthew is also referring to the neṣer (“branch” and pronounced neh-tzair) in Is. 11:1-2, which says:
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. (Is. 11:1-2, ESV)
Jeremiah also prophesied a righteous Branch would be raised up:
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land (Jer. 23:5, ESV)
Zechariah prophesies a branch to high priest Joshua, but Joshua is not the one:
Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch. (Zech. 3:8)
Jesus’s name in Hebrew is Joshua. He is a branch from the royal line of David. He was despised, but ironically, the people who despise him are wrong. So Matthew is capitalizing on the similarity of the sound neṣer and Nazarene. France concludes:
Jesus captured just what some of the prophets had predicted—a Messiah who came from the wrong place, who did not conform to the expectations of Jewish tradition, and who as a result would not be accepted by his people. Even the embarrassment of an origin in Nazareth is thus turned to advantage as part of the Scriptural model which Matthew has worked so hard to construct in this introductory section of his account of the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. (p. 95)
Turner says that there is no contradiction between Matthew’s and Luke’s view of Galilee (Nazareth is located up north, in larger Galilee). He writes:
Many have noticed the difference between Matthew and Luke regarding Galilee. According to Luke 1:26-27; 2:1-7, Mary and Joseph originally lived in Nazareth. Although one would not gather this from Matthew, nothing said by Matthew contradicts it. Matthew simply picks up the story after Joseph and Mary have arrived in Bethlehem to register for Augustus’s census. Another difference is the sojourn in Egypt., mentioned by Matthew but not by Luke. Still, Luke’s account does nothing to contradict Matthew’s Egyptian visit, which may be fitted into Luke 2 at some time prior to the return to Nazareth, described in Luke 2:39. Evidently, the presentation of Jesus in the temple (Luke 2:21-38; cf. Lev. 12:2-8) should be viewed as historical background for the arrival of the magi some time later. Popular messianic speculation would likely be stirred by both events. At any rate, both of these difficulties are examples of the selectivity of the Gospel authors in omitting material that does not fit their individual literary and theological interests. (his comment on Matt. 2:22)
Blomberg agrees:
Many commentators find a contradiction in these verses with Luke because Matthew seems to know nothing of Mary’s and Joseph’s original residence in Nazareth. But Matthew narrates only that which is relevant to his fulfillment quotations. He certainly says nothing that would exclude a previous residence in Galilee. Probably Mary and Joseph had intended to resettle in Bethlehem in their ancestral homeland and now have to change their plans and go north once again. Joseph has yet another dream, and as in v. 12 it is a warning. The angel does not explicitly appear, though his presence may be presupposed. (comment on 2:21-23)
So don’t let unfriendly critics of Scripture tear down your faith in the reliability of the Gospels. Begin a series on the topic, by reading the conclusion with short summaries and links back to each part:
15. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels: Conclusion
Jesus fulfills the OT by patterns and themes, as well as by quoted verses.
Did the Prophets Predict That the Messiah Would Be Called a Nazarene?
To conclude …….
Once again, God’s providence or his watch over his Son is prominent in this chapter.
Jesus is the king of the world, not just the king of the Jews. Yes, he first reaches out to his own people, but the official in Jerusalem will reject him. Then their rejection opens the door to the Gentiles—you and me.
Grow App for Matt. 2:19-23
1. Joseph received five dreams in Matt. 1-2. How have you been guided to carry out God’s will in your life, like a marriage partner or a place to live?
2.. Joseph obeyed God without question. Call it silent obedience. What does this say about his character? What about your obedience? Assess it honestly, even if it hurts.
RELATED
9. Authoritative Testimony in Matthew’s Gospel
1. Church Fathers and Matthew’s Gospel
2. Archaeology and the Synoptic Gospels
14. Similarities among John’s Gospel and the Synoptic Gospels
1. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels: Introduction to Series
Reconciling Matthew’s and Luke’s Genealogies: Mission: Impossible?
Common Details in Matthew’s and Luke’s Birth Narratives
SOURCES
To see the bibliography, please click on this link and scroll down to the bottom.
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