Yesterday I began reading the Gospel of Matthew and today I was in chapter 2. It is the story of the Magi and of the baby Messiah’s flight to Egypt. This somewhat meaningless trip to Egypt has always puzzled me. I understand the circumstances that drove this family into exile but why was it necessary in the grand scheme of things? Why was this event so important that it had to be prophesied ahead of time? Would it have lessened Jesus’ claim as Messiah if this had not been foretold and this trip was omitted from the story? The fact that it was prophesied means that it had to be fulfilled but why was this important to God? Is there a deeper meaning to this story or is it just another testament to the omniscience of God? I think for the first time (although God has been using teachers, books, events for a good while to bring me here) I am beginning to see the significance of this story. Maybe I can share what I have learned and am learning.
The Bible is a collection of stories and teachings that, although they can all stand on their own and we can glean much truth from each of them, are all part of a bigger, grander story. Each story is only a part of the whole and we can miss much significance if we do not step back and see how it fits into the overall scheme of the story. For some reason in this story, God wants us to go back to Egypt and be reminded of another time, place and event. God is saying that if you can grasp the back story, it will bring meaning to this new story.
The way I see it, the opening chapter of the Bible is not Genesis 1 but actually Exodus 3. The first 5 books of the Bible are attributed to Moses. He wrote, edited, compiled, narrated, witnessed, and/or recorded the events from Genesis 1 through Deuteronomy 33 (someone else, probably Joshua, had to have written Deut. 34 since it is about Moses’ death.) So God’s written revelation begins with Moses and Moses’ first encounter with the God of the bigger, grander story is in Exodus 3.
Let’s set the stage. The children of Israel are slaves, in deep servitude, bondage to a more powerful empire. They are being abused, victimized, killed by a more dominant people. Their lives are in the hands of a merciless, wealthy, megalomaniac named Pharaoh. And its been this way for a long, long time. Then there is Moses. Moses is also an Israelite but through circumstances and consequences, he is free from this tyranny. He is on the other side of the desert living the life of a shepherd with only the restraints of family binding his feet to the ground. And its been that way for 40 years. Enter God! 450 years of silence is broken as God comes to Moses in a spectacular way (the burning bush) and reveals His purpose and plan to save Israel. God has heard the cries of His people and is sending Moses back to Israel to carry out His daring rescue mission to redeem (buy back) the people that He loves. Moses must give up home, family even freedom to return to Egypt. He must become a slave in order to lead those in bondage to the promised land. The whole OT revolves around this story of redemption that begins in chapter 3 and takes up most of Exodus. Genesis and the first 2 chapters of Exodus are back stories to this event. All that follows this event is how it is lived out in the lives of people and the nation of Israel and ultimately in the whole world. This is the bigger, grander story. God is on mission to redeem, save, reclaim what is His and who He loves.
Back to Matthew 2. People are still in bondage. A new empire (Roman) is oppressing not only the children of Israel but the whole world. Their rule is like an iron fist. Their Pharaoh, Caesar, is also a wealthy, merciless, megalomaniac. Enter God! 400 silent years are broken in a spectacular way. Angels, stars, choirs sing a new song of redemption. But this time God is not sending just any man. He is sending His Son. A Son that chooses to go not for circumstance or consequence but for love. A Son that must leave Family, home, and even put aside His freedom in order to don the robes of a slave and take on the form of a servant. He must become one of them so that He can save them all. And He must go to Egypt. Even though Egypt had long since ceased to be a world power, it is always used as a symbol of oppression, bondage, slavery, the world’s system. And He symbolically enters into this oppression so that God can call Him out, call us out into a new kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven. It has been called the New Exodus. This is the bigger, grander story. God is on mission to redeem, save, reclaim what is His and who He loves. The whole Bible revolves around this story. Everything before is back story to this event. Everything that follows is how this story is lived out in our lives and in this world.
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