Active Christians Today at The University of Toledo

The account of the birth of Christ is full of mourning and sadness. We often forget the allusions to tragedies in the Old Testament. Today we consider the darker side of the account.

Opening Questions

Why does the death of a child seem especially tragic?

What do you know of the tragedy built within the birth of Christ account?

Unpack the Text

For a full understanding of our text today, we need to look back to the Old Testament. So, let’s begin in Exodus and see where it leads!

What do you know of the story of the Exodus?

How were the people led as they left Egypt?

Can you think of an example or time in your life when God led using a form like what is described in Exodus?

So we begin what some call “new Exodus.” Why do you think the arrival of Christ could be described as the “new Exodus?”

Let’s first consider how the Egyptians finally let the Israelites leave. What was it?

A plague of death. How did the Israelites avoid the “plague of death?”

What do we call this event? Why is it celebrated by those in Judaism every year?

The Passover is an example of God’s gracious deliverance. So how does the coming of Jesus compare?

What happened after the Magi left the home of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus? (2:13)

How did God communicate with Joseph? (2:13)

Do you believe God communicates with us this way today? Why or why not?

What does this early incident teach us about what was to come?

Where did the angel tell Joseph to go? Why? (2:13)

How far did the new family have to travel?

If Jesus was truly God’s Son and the chosen Messiah, why would God instruct His Son’s family to flee to Egypt rather than confront the enemy?

How long was Joseph to keep his family in hiding? (2:13)

Why was it necessary for Joseph to take his family and flee? (2:13)

How did Joseph respond to the warning he received? (2:13)

What event allowed Joseph to depart from Egypt with his family? (2:15)

Why was the "escape to Egypt" significant in the life of Christ? (2:15)

Read verse 15 again.

How is Matthew again appealing to his Jewish readers with this verse?

Note: I often say there is an easier way to understand the Old Testament. What is it? How does this verse help in that understanding?

The Hebrew rendering of this passage in context is not just about the past. It is about the future. It is about an exodus-like redemption for God’s people. Do you see it?

How is Jesus “Israel?”

What slavery does Jesus bring us out of? How does He restore us?

In light of this background, when Jesus and His family flee to Egypt and then later return from Egypt, Matthew helps us see that Jesus inaugurates the new exodus. The flight to Egypt for Jesus and His family was about much more than simply running away from Herod; this was about painting a picture, so don’t miss the parallels! - David Platt, Exalting Jesus in Matthew

What do we know about Herod so far?

There is one more thing we need to know about Herod. Secular history tells us that his death was marked by great mourning across the land. However, even Herod himself recognized that not everyone would mourn him. So, as his death approached, he ordered that many prominent Jews be taken into an arena in Jericho. He ordered that they be killed as soon as he died. The purpose was so that the nation would go into mourning. Even if the mourning wasn’t for him, apparently it comforted him to know someone would be mourning. His life shows increasing paranoid and violent behavior the closer he got to this own death.

Let’s look closer at the Passover account and consider what happens next:

What is the goal of Pharaoh in this passage? Does he succeed? Why or why not?

Guess who is up next?

What was King Herod’s emotional state when he realized the Magi had tricked him? (2:16)

Which do you believe is worse: what Pharoah did or what Herod did?

Did Herod know the exact age of Jesus? Do we? So, how is what Herod did so completely despicable?

It may have been a year, it may have been longer, but Herod was so infuriated that the wise men did not come back and report concerning the Child, that he probably said, “Well, if they said it was a year ago when they saw the star, I’ll just double it and make it two years and kill all the children two years old and younger!” Herod was actually a madman. ~ J. Vernon McGee

What was the approximate population of Bethlehem at the time? Compare it to the size of a city today. Approximately how many children would have been killed?

It is estimated that the population of Bethlehem at that time was less than a thousand people, so there were likely somewhere between ten and twenty families that lost a son that day in a tragedy that surely shook the entire town to the core.

Both incidents resulted in devastation and sadness.

Here we find a reference to Jeremiah 31:15. The reference to Jeremiah is not from the Exodus, but instead the time when the Assyrians conquered the nation of Israel, destroyed their homes and took all of their children into captivity. A great cry and bitter mourning came from Ramah, which was a little town five miles north of Jerusalem.

What does this tell us about the birth of Christ and what it means?

Here is another piece of prophesy about Jesus:

What does this tell us about Jesus?

So... is the story of the birth of Jesus one of joy... or sadness?

Your Story

How might our lives be different if Herod’s death plot against Christ had succeeded?

What happens when people try to thwart God’s plan?

Why is it important to listen to God?

Why is it important to obey God immediately?

What are some wise ways to handle anger?

How can Christians serve those who are the victims of senseless violence?

Apply it to Your Life

In what area of your life do you need to trust God more instead of being driven by competition?

What action could you take today to minister to someone who is in mourning?

Praise & Prayer