Happy Epiphany and peace in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
In Bethlehem of Judea Jesus was born, which was also the city where King David was born, to fulfill the prophecy of Micah 5: 1. And that fulfillment was witnessed in a strange and miraculous way. The priests and scribes of Jerusalem were compelled to make it known to King Herod of Idumean ancestry and to the Magi from the east.
In truth, the Magi were not kings, but advisers to the ancient kings of Persia, scholars in natural sciences such as medicine and astronomy and in the interpretation of dreams and astrology. They came from the east, perhaps from what is now Iran, Iraq or Arabia. In their exile in these regions, the Jews spoke of the prophecies of the Messiah, the King of kings and Savior of the world promised in the Old Testament books from Abraham to Moses and prophets like Elijah. The Magi had heard the prophecies as legend and guided by a star, the magi traveled to the land of the Jews. These verses do not sanction astrology, witchcraft and the like. Followers of Christ today must trust only the Word and the promise that God hears prayers in Christ's name and has everything in His hands. But the Magi were pagans and astrologers; God used phenomena that they understood to guide them to Bethlehem.
“Then Herod, secretly calling the wise men, diligently inquired of them the time of the appearance of the star; and sending them to Bethlehem, he said: Go and inquire diligently for the child; and when you have found him, let me know, so that I too can go and adore him. "
It was a lie because Herod did not want to recognize another king. God warned the wise men in a dream not to return to Herod. An angel also advised Joseph to flee to Egypt. Many Jews had settled there and the holy family would be safe among their fellow Jews and in a Roman province where Herod could not persecute them. They made their home in Egypt until after Herod's death. Matthew quotes Hosea 11:1 as an omen of Jesus' safe return from the country where His ancestors had been slaves.
Hosea's words in their original context refer to the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. This context speaks of the love that the Lord had for His chosen people who are called His "firstborn son" in Exodus 4: 22-23. Also in our reading of Genesis 46:1-7, God Himself appeared to Jacob, also known as Israel, the last patriarch of the people, speaking to him in a dream at night. Not only did He sanction the relocation of Jacob and his family to Egypt, but He also promised His blessing in the strange land. His protection would accompany the deportation, stay, and the eventual return of the children of Israel. This promise, in addition, was to remind Jacob of the greatest and most important prophecy, that of the Messiah, who would be his descendant.
That is why Matthew sees these words fulfilled in their fullness when God the Father Almighty called Jesus Christ from Egypt and restored Him to the land of Israel. The love that the Lord showed the Israelites reached its highest degree in the sending of His only begotten Son. Here Jesus is called the only begotten Son of God, who was the representative and the substitute for all Israel. Later the Son of God Himself would be the representative and substitute for all humanity on the cross.
In this way the testimony of the prophets always indicated the fulfillment of the plan of salvation in Christ, while predicting some stages in the short term. The prophets called the people of Israel, the descendants of Abraham, to repentance because their King, their Messiah, would come. Even the last prophet of the old covenant, John the Baptist, proclaimed the kingdom of God first to the Jews. However, the first people to pay homage to Jesus from outside Bethlehem were the Magi from the east. Finally, Jesus gave His disciples the great commission to go throughout the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. All of which shows that God wanted His work to be carried out in an orderly manner, according to a preconceived plan.
In this we have the peace that passes all understanding. Amen.
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