A safe home for Jesus’ boyhood
Daily Scripture
Matthew 2:19-23
19 After King Herod died, an angel from the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. 20 “Get up,” the angel said, “and take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel. Those who were trying to kill the child are dead.” 21 Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus ruled over Judea in place of his father Herod, Joseph was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he went to the area of Galilee. 23 He settled in a city called Nazareth so that what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled: He will be called a Nazarene.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
Today’s passage contained another echo of the Old Testament Exodus story. “The angel’s instruction parallels the exodus story, in which the Lord says to Moses in Midian, ‘Go back to Egypt because everyone there who wanted to kill you has died’ (Exodus 4:19).” * Herod the Great’s death created a different situation in which Joseph and Mary had a choice of rulers in whose territory they might live. (Click here to see a map of how Herod the Great divided his kingdom among his heirs.)
- “Archelaus” doesn’t mean much to most of us, but it said a lot to Joseph and Mary. “Herod Archelaus was known to be a cruel, ironfisted ruler. In 6 BCE, he was summoned to Rome because of his excessive harshness. As a result he was removed from office and driven away to Gaul. This explains why Joseph chose to settle in Galilee rather than going back to Judea.” ** How did this episode show the care Joseph took in raising Jesus?
- Fortunately, Nazareth (a tiny village too small to be on any maps from Jesus’ day as well as on this one) was in Galilee, outside of the territory that Archelaus ruled (as the map shows). Jesus was able to spend many of his growing up years in that relatively peaceful, safe environment. Did you grow up in a peaceful setting, or not? If not, what has helped you heal the wounds that may have left? How can you seek peace, rest and connecting with God during 2025?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, my choices may not be as consequential as the one Joseph and Mary had to make, but I pray that you will guide me and help me to choose in ways that fit your purposes for me. Amen.
GPS Insights
Janelle Gregory
Janelle Gregory serves on the Resurrection staff as Human Resources Lead Director. Janelle finds that her heart is constantly wrestling with the truth that she needs a Savior, and the times when she's at her very best are when she's just too tired to put up a fight.
I love a good thrift store find. Sure, not everything is great. There’s nothing glamourous about shopping at a thrift store. It’s not Rodeo Drive. It’s not even JC Penney. At a thrift store, you have to sort through dingy shoes, jackets with holes in the pockets, or electronics that have a 60% chance of working. But every once in a while, you find something fantastic. I have a green top that I get complimented on every time I wear it. Know what I paid for it? $2.99.
In 2017, a woman by the name of Nancy Cavaliere was shopping in her local Salvation Army. She picked up four plates with unique faces painted on them for $1.99 each. She took her $8 find home and began to do a little research. What did she find? These plates were original pieces by Pablo Picasso! She’s holding onto one, but three others were sold at Sotheby’s for $41,000. Somewhere on a shelf with scratched up pans, kitschy coffee cups, and mismatched utensils, Nancy found an incredible treasure.
In our Scripture today, we find that Jesus was raised in Nazareth. There was nothing fancy about Nazareth. It was a small, unassuming town. It certainly was no Jerusalem. But in this nothing of a town, Jesus grew up. He played with everyday kids, I’m sure he threw rocks down a well, his mom likely took him shopping in the market down the street. At the time, he was an everyday kid living in an everyday town.
Yet in the most unexpected of places, there was a treasure. Out of an ordinary house on an ordinary street in the middle of an ordinary town, came the most extraordinary person to ever live. The Savior of the world emerged out of a thrift store of a place.
I don’t know how you feel heading into 2025, but my guess is that some of you are feeling a bit worn for the wear. Perhaps life has tossed you around or you’ve fallen into the mundane. You may think that there’s nothing exciting that can come from your circumstance. But that’s when you must remember that it’s in the ordinary or beat down that Jesus thrives. You don’t have to do much searching to find a treasure. Jesus is always there, longing to give you hope, peace, and an abundant life.
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Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* Eugene Eung-Chun Park and Joel B. Green, study note on Matthew 2:20 in The CEB Study Bible. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2013, p. 8 NT.
** Ibid., note on Matthew 2:22.
