Matthew 3:13–18
13 Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 Then Joseph[h] got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”
The Massacre of the Infants
16 When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi,[i] he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the magi.[j] 17 Then what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,
wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.
I’m always interested when a travel site (or customs form) wants to know the reason for my trip.
Business? Leisure?
For Joseph and Mary, the reason for their journey to Egypt was the survival of their baby, the Christ child. King Herod wanted to squelch any royal rivals, and he set out to slaughter the Messiah by killing every child in and round Bethlehem under the age of two. This horror would have been extended to our Lord, except for the fact that His heavenly Father warned His earthly father and mother and they obediently fled.
Their journey to Egypt kept the story of our salvation alive and intact. Some journeys are really about survival.
Prayer
God, let me listen to the different ways that you speak to me. And let me get moving when you tell me to, as I follow my Lord and Savior Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.
