Born on the Run

A curious thing, isn’t it, that when, in Matthew 2:13-18, the child Jesus was threatened by the ruthless King Herod, God left it to that humble dreamer, Joseph, to protect his Son. There may have been any number of other means to the same end. God had already done amazing, miraculous acts in the early stages of the Incarnation story--the pregnancy of old Elizabeth, the conception in the womb of the virgin, the appearance of the star leading the Magi to Bethlehem, all the dreams and angelic appearances. The story of Jesus’ birth and early life was “littered” with the supernatural. And yet...

Yet it pleased God to entrust the safety of his eternal Son to a very ordinary (may we say, pedestrian?) method. “Joseph, get up--now!--and take Jesus and Mary, and run for your life!” Amazingly, Joseph, again demonstrating his obedient spirit, does just that. He collects whatever belongings he and Mary can carry (remember, they’re probably carrying the Christ child as well), and goes--without even waiting for daybreak. It's hard to believe that the Christ Child was born on the run in this fashion. What is also surprising is that on this occasion, it can be truly said that Joseph “saved” the Savior.

The flight to Egypt was both the fulfillment of Hosea’s prophecy (“Out of Egypt I called my son.”) and the surest way of escaping Herod’s jurisdiction. For Joseph, it meant a 90 mile trip, possibly on foot (no beasts of burden are mentioned in either Matthew or Luke), constantly looking over his shoulder to see if the soldiers were coming. It meant trusting that God would direct his steps, providing safe passage through an area where robbers and highwaymen were a constant threat. It meant fleeing political persecution, becoming refugees, aliens in a strange land. The little family of three would have presented an easy target, for criminals, or for those who may have harbored hatred against “foreigners.”

Such a relocation, under the best of circumstances, would have posed enormous challenges. What about language barriers? Where would they live? Egypt is a big place, after all. At least, the issue of how their needs would be met had already been addressed. They had treasures--gold, frankincense, myrrh. God, who had provided these valuables, would certainly provide the answers to the other questions. But it must have tested the faith of the family.

We serve a God who uses means to accomplish his purposes. In this case, the means included a dream, an obedient man, a devoted mother, and gifts given by some unexpected visitors from a distant land. What are the means he is using in your life? How might you be the means he would use in the life of another?

Tim Bowditch