(Study Outline sourced from “The System Bible Study” – “The Book of Life” [Zondervan])
(12) The Family Escapes to Egypt
“So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
Just as God spoke to the Magi and they departed by a different route to which they had come, God also speaks to Joseph warning him of the murderous intent of Herod and instructing him to take his family and flee to Egypt. “Out of Egypt I called my son.”– originally spoken by the prophet Hosea in reference to the history of the Israelite nation, is now applied to the child Jesus, as Matthew contrasts the exodus of the people from Egypt to that of the Son of God, as both incidents were important to God’s providential care of His people
(13) Herod’s Slaughter Of The Children
Herod, realizing he had been outwitted by the Magi furiously gave orders to kill all the male children from birth to two years, in Bethlehem and its vicinity. As the soldiers carried out this order, no doubt in the presence of their mothers, they fulfilled another prophecy of the O.T. – Rachel representing the mothers of Israel mourning for their children. Both the prophecy of Jeremiah and the order of Herod represented a time of apostasy in Israel’s history, as a later Roman governor would sentence Jesus to death on a cross culminating in the ultimate rejection of Israel’s Messiah .
(14) The Return Of The Family To Nazareth
“So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”
“When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth.”
Herod’s successor Archelaus was just like his father Herod, murdering some three thousand people because they had memorialized some martyrs that had been put to death by Herod [source: Josephus – pgs. 255-265]. Again the angel of God warns Joseph to go to the region of Galilee to a town named Nazareth. “He will be called a Nazarene.” – Matthew makes reference to a prophecy, but such is not recorded by Scriptures, he may have been referring to an oral prophecy. Matthew’s record supports that Jesus was the Messiah, in that only specific incidents of the infant life of Jesus supporting this conclusion are recorded.
(15) Jesus Visits The Temple at The Age Of 12 Years
“After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”
In accordance with the Law, all males were to attend the Temple in Jerusalem three times each year to celebrate the feasts, and one of these was the Feats of the Passover . On this visit Jesus was now twelve years old, and like any other Jewish boy of that age He began preparations to take His place in the religious community, so He remained in the Temple conversing with the teachers after His parents had left on their return journey. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” – a response that was not fully understood by His parents – He was aware of His responsibility toward His Father in heaven, but was also obedient to his earthly parents . “Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers” – as “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature” He gained the favour of all around Him and the “grace of God was upon him” – He matured like any other boy but He had a unique relationship with His Father in heaven. The scriptures now fall silent on the remaining years of Jesus’ youth and early manhood, and He is not mentioned again for the next eighteen years of his life.