He Has Come to Save All Of US!

Matthew 2:19-23 New International Version

The Return to Nazareth 19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.” 21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.

Saturday - January 8

Joseph has some more dreams! He hears that Herod the Great is dead, but his son is now in power. Joseph had taken Mary and Jesus to Egypt where a large population of Jews lived at the time. But Jesus must return to Israel to grow and finally begin his ministry, so Joseph takes the family to live in Nazareth in the northern area of Galilee, far from Jerusalem and Herod’s son. But this also connects Jesus to the story of the people of Israel. He is Jewish, but now he has gone down to Egypt and come back up on his own “exodus.” He is the perfect Israel who has come to save Israel… and us!