By Van Yandell
Matthew 2: 13 “And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.”
We are told in the scripture (Matthew 2), when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a star appeared to wise men in the east. Those wise men saw the star and followed it to Jerusalem seeking the Christ child.
“In the east” may have been in Israel or it may have been in the country we today know as Jordan or Iran (Persia or Babylon). Considering their gifts, the wise men may possibly have come from Arabia.
Many have attempted to provide natural phenomenon such as a gathering of planets, to explain the star. This writer believes the star was a special, supernatural, onetime appearing object to guide the wise men to Jesus.
Matthew 2: 9 states emphatically the star “went before them and stood over the place where the child was.” A celestial gathering of stars or planets would not have done this. The only reasonable explanation is that God provided the “star” for a guide.
I also am inclined to think the “guiding star” was in the atmosphere and not a star since we know stars to be light years away from earth.
In Jerusalem they enquired, “Where is He that is born King of the Jews for we have seen His star?” Becoming aware of this, the king of Israel, Herod, was “troubled.”
Sending for the priests and scribes Herod asked, “Where is this king to be born?” They answered his question with an Old Testament prophesy, Micah 5: 2. The king was to be born in Bethlehem.
Herod then sent the wise men to Bethlehem to find the child and return to him so he could go and worship Him as well. His ruse was intercepted by a dream in which the wise men were told of Herod’s plan to kill the child and to “return to their own land by another route.”
The trip from Jerusalem (Bethlehem is southeast about six miles) to Egypt would have been a very difficult journey. Since Mary had recently given birth to our Jesus and was nursing and caring for Him the conditions of the desert would have been excruciating.
We crossed that same Saini Peninsula in an air conditioned bus. I well remember watching the blowing sand with the road appearing almost molten. Road graders were placed along the highway at intervals because the drifting sand had to often be removed.
Scripture tells us they traveled “by night” and many assume that was to be in hiding. Being partially the case, the daytime conditions would have been too harsh for foot travel.
We do not know how long their journey took or where they lived for two years in Egypt. The distance from Rafah to Cairo is a little over 225 miles. Rafah is on the border of Israel and Egypt. The distance to Jerusalem is about 60 miles from Rafah making their journey almost 300 miles.
We also are not told where exactly in Egypt they stayed for two years. Their place of refuge was most likely in the Nile River delta area since the rest of Egypt is desert and not suitable for human habitation.
As extensive as the Holy Bible is, it leaves out a lot of the details. I suppose however it would have to be in volumes to answer even a part of our inquiries.
I’ve often wondered what the baby Jesus awareness may have been. The scripture tells us He was God in human form and the creator of all things (John 1: 1-3).
Therefore is it reasonable to think Jesus may have been aware as an infant of what was happening?
Research shows that the unborn fetus hears and responds to sounds outside the womb, such as language, music and loud sudden sounds. Expectant mothers have often reported that at sudden noises, their baby moved within them. A woman may not have the voice of an angel but her baby will love to hear her sing.
I can’t avoid thinking Jesus was aware of His final destination, the cross of Calvary, during His lifetime. In such a case, Jesus’ suffering would have been the mental anguish of knowing His final hours before death would be nailed to a cross.
The sacrifice by God Jesus is so much more than we at times can begin to comprehend. For two years in Egypt and three years in His earthly ministry, Jesus was a homeless person.
Luke 9: 58 “And Jesus said unto him, foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath no where to lay his head.”
We normally envision Jesus’ suffering to be on the cross and of course that was the ultimate sacrifice for the souls of mankind. His shed blood and suffering gives us eternity and all He asks of us is to believe (John 3: 16).
To even begin to comprehend His anguish (Psalm 22), we must begin at His infantile years and possibly at His conception. We must also consider the suffering of Mary and Joseph in order to be the earthly parents of our Savior. They were foreigners in the strange land Egypt.
God of course, provided for them during those two years but what did Joseph do for his families’ survival during that time? The life of Jesus and His parents is a witness of a supernatural presence.
A trip across the desert was just the beginning. What an ordeal that must have been! For their existence to have been placed in such an inhospitable place was a part of the misery they endured. And of course, after the two years they had to cross that same desert to return home.
Never underestimate the unpleasant existence of that family and our glorious Savior. Thankful is a place to begin but to realize and relate to their lives is an understanding we must have.
Van Yandell is a retired Industrial Arts teacher, an ordained gospel evangelist and commissioned missionary. His email is vmy3451@gmail.com.