Mary

September 3

Matthew 2:13-23

Escape to Egypt

When the wise men had left, an angel of the Lord warned Joseph in a dream to leave Bethlehem and flee to Egypt.

So Joseph and Mary left the town of Bethlehem during the night and headed for Egypt with Jesus.

When Herod realized that he had been tricked by the wise men—who didn’t come back to tell him where the baby was—he was furious and ordered his soldiers to kill all the boys under two years of age in and around Bethlehem.

Meanwhile, Joseph and Mary stayed in Egypt where they lived in safety until Herod died. Then they returned to Judah, to the town of Nazareth where Jesus grew up.

Why was King Herod so afraid of a baby?

The wise men went to King Herod to find out about a newborn king, thinking that he was the most likely to know about the birth of a Jewish king. Meanwhile, Herod must have wondered if he had missed something. How had these wise men from the east found out about this baby while he knew nothing about Him? Why hadn’t anyone told him?

Herod had not been chosen by the Jews to be their king. The Romans who had conquered their country put him in charge. When he heard that a Jewish king had been born, he became jealous and he was afraid. Herod’s selfish attitude took away his peace. He became so afraid that someone would take his throne that he had many innocent babies killed.

How different Herod’s attitude was to that of the wise men: they left with hearts full of peace and joy; Herod’s heart was full of anger and fear. But Jesus had not come to take Herod’s throne; Jesus wanted his heart.

Verse for today       

Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place." John 18:36