Introduction
Tony Evans is one of the most powerful church leaders in present times, having studied and preached the gospel for more than fifty years. The Tony Evans Bible Commentary includes an introduction to each book of the Bible, as well as introductory resources and a passage-by-passage exegesis of the entire Bible. The Christian Standard Bible (CSB) translation is used in Tony Evans’s Commentary1. Because the first chapter in the New Testament discusses Jesus’ birth, I chose to begin and end with Mathew chapter two. Malachi had already predicted the arrival of Jesus by referring to him as a messenger of God who would prepare the way for the Lord. This chapter has no specific audience because it just recounts the events surrounding the birth of Jesus.
Jesus, Joseph, Mary, the Wiseman, and King Herod are among the characters in this narrative. Jesus is born, and his mission was to save the world by dying for the sins of the people. God demonstrated via King Herod’s anger that Jesus would be despised by many, but that God would defend him. Joseph and Mary were the parents of Jesus, and they had the responsibility of fleeing to Egypt to protect the child from Herod. Finally, the role of the wise men was to preach about the coming righteous king who would rule God’s people. The wise men following the star was a metaphor for Jesus being a light to the world and that many people would follow him.
Speaker
The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph, the father of Jesus, and told him to get up and go to Egypt with the newborn Jesus and his mother. The goal of this discourse was to preserve Jesus from the wrath of King Herod. The genre used in this passage is the prophecy made by Jeremiah that the Messiah would come from Egypt. The prophecy was fulfilled when Joseph consented to flee his family to Egypt and stay there until King Herod died. This narrative takes place in two cities: Bethlehem and Egypt. Additionally, the passage was written during the reign of King Herod. One key word in the chapter is the angel of the Lord, which is repeated twice in the text. When the angel of the Lord advises Joseph to leave to Egypt with his family, and when he tells Joseph to return to Bethlehem following King Herod’s death.
Historical Background
It is necessary to consult other books, such as Jeremiah and Malachi, to fully comprehend this text. The prophecies about the messiah’s birth are highlighted in Jeremiah’s book. Furthermore, because it directly precedes this verse, the book of Malachi is necessary for understanding it. As a result, the prose flow in Mathew is closely linked to that in Malachi. By presenting presents to baby Jesus, the wise men performed religiously. Gold was a symbol of earthly kingship, myrrh was a symbol of death, and frankincense was an incense that symbolized. All of these gifts had a spiritual significance, and they generally represented facets of Christ’s identity.
Social-Cultural Elements
The behavior of modern Christians is governed by social conventions, which are arbitrary standards and rules. The wise men followed social norms by bringing gifts to baby Jesus in the chapter. It was customary to give such gifts to a youngster who would grow up to be king. In addition, both Joseph and Mary lacked power over King Herod, which explains why the angel instructed Joseph to leave to Egypt with his family. The angel of the Lord also sent to Joseph also had power over him, and therefore Joseph had to obey. The power of Herod over the parents of Jesus was a shame as he only had one goal in mind: to kill Jesus. Additionally, King Herod’s power was a disgrace because he exploited it by murdering all male firstborns under the age of two in his pursuit of Jesus. On the other hand, the power of the angel was an honor he helped Joseph to shield baby Jesus from King Herod. In general, the purpose of this passage is to provide persuasive evidence that Jesus was the Messiah and king that the world sorely needed.
Conclusion
Despite many people recognizing that the claim of Jesus being born on 25th December is false, Christians continue to celebrate Christmas on this date. This is because they feel that the birth of Jesus, as reported in Matthew, is far too important to be overlooked due to such a minor technicality. Additionally, through this passage, Christians are encouraged to be humble despite their authority and places on earth. This encouragement is due to the fact that baby Jesus was born in a manger and swaddled in cloth despite him being the son of God.
This passage has had a significant impact on my personal behavior and how I treat others. I have learned that rulers are expected to not only exert authority over their subjects but also to love and serve them. Rulers that fail to utilize these attributes suffer the repercussions, which can occasionally include death. After attempting to assassinate Jesus, King Herod died, allowing Jesus to return home unharmed. I have also learned from this text that God will always defend his own. As a result, going through difficulties in life no longer deters me since I have faith that God will see me through them. When King Herod tried to assassinate Jesus, God protected him by sending an angel to inform Joseph that Bethlehem was unsafe, and they fled to Egypt.
Bibliography
Evans, Craig A. “The Qur’ān and the Bible: Text and Commentary.” Bulletin for Biblical Research 29, no. 4 (2019), 605-608.
Footnotes
- 1 Craig A. Evans, “The Qur’ān and the Bible: Text and Commentary,” Bulletin for Biblical Research 29, no. 4 (2019).