Matthew 2:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.

NIV: So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.

NASB: So Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.

CSB: So he got up, took the child and his mother, and entered the land of Israel.

NLT: So Joseph got up and returned to the land of Israel with Jesus and his mother.

KJV: And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.

NKJV: Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.

Joseph believed and obeyed God repeatedly. It could not have been easy to serve as the earthly father to the Son of God. The circumstances of Jesus' conception were controversial (Matthew 1:19–20). His birth was difficult and dramatic (Luke 2:1–7). The family even had to flee for their lives (Matthew 2:13–14)—all for a child who was not Joseph's own flesh and blood.

Scripture never gives any hint that Joseph hesitated to fulfill the role of protector and provider for Jesus. He immediately obeyed the commands to marry Mary, though she was pregnant. He dutifully packed up and left town immediately to live in foreign Egypt. Now, he returns from Egypt to Israel when commanded to do so by an angel in another dream.

Joseph is rarely given credit for the pivotal role he played in the life of Christ. Part of this, at least, is because he is not mentioned in the gospels after Jesus' youth. More than likely, he was older than Mary and had passed away before Jesus began His active ministry. Still, Joseph was clearly a man of faith and devotion to God's will. He followed the Lord's direction, despite what it cost in terms of his public reputation and lifestyle.

Matthew 2:19–23 tells of Jesus' childhood return to Israel after the death of King Herod. Joseph is alerted by an angel in a dream that Herod has died; nobody who wanted Jesus dead is still living. When they return, another message from God warns Joseph not to move back to Bethlehem, in Judea. Rather, he is to settle in his hometown of Nazareth in the region of Galilee. In that way, Jesus grows up as a citizen of Nazareth, fulfilling yet another prophecy.

King Herod is surprised and troubled by the arrival of wise men from the east. They have come looking for a newborn king of the Jews. Herod directs the men to Bethlehem to find the boy for him. The wise men find and worship Jesus. Rather than cooperating with the wicked Herod, the wise men slip away. An angel warns Joseph to flee to Egypt with his family before Herod kills all the boys in Bethlehem two years old and younger to protect his throne. After Herod's death, an angel sends Joseph back to Israel and then God directs him to settle with Mary and Jesus in Nazareth in the region of Galilee.

Chapter 1 established the genealogy and miraculous conception of Jesus Christ. Sometime after Jesus' birth, a group of wise men from the east arrive in Jerusalem. They have been tracking a star that points to the birth of the king of the Jews. They find and worship Jesus, then leave without telling the wicked king, Herod, where to find the boy. Warned by an angel, Joseph flees with Jesus and Mary to Egypt before Herod orders the execution of all the boys in Bethlehem two years old and younger. When notified by an angel again, they return to Israel and settle in Nazareth, in the northern region of Israel known as Galilee. This leads into chapter 3, which leaps forward to Jesus' adulthood, and the ministry of John the Baptist.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.