Resurrection Life of Jesus Church

EVENTS AFTER THE BIRTH OF JESUS
Joseph was a carpenter, and according to Jewish customs and history, this profession would be equal to a contractor today. Most likely Joseph built homes and had a fairly decent income or he would have been unable to pay taxes. Luke 2:1-5

Jesus was born in a stable because there no other lodging was available in Bethlehem.  Luke 2:7

Joseph and Mary stayed and secured a house once the crowd left Bethlehem. Matthew 2:11

More than likely Joseph was able to rent or purchase a house where Mary could observe the Old Testament ordinances.

1. Jesus had to be circumcised on the eighth day after His birth. Leviticus 12:1-3

2. A woman was unclean for 33 days following the birth of her child. verse 4

Forty one days after Mary’s purification, Joseph and Mary traveled to Jerusalem where they lodged for a few days and dedicated Jesus in a temple ceremony. Luke 2:22-24; Leviticus 12:6-8

This kind of traveling indicates that Joseph was not a poor man because it costs money to travel. Mary was getting over the pregnancy when she rode on a donkey 5.5 miles to Jerusalem. Joseph had to rent lodging in the city, pay the temple tax, exchange his money for temple scrip, and purchase an animal to sacrifice. While all this could take place in one day, it was easier for Joseph, Mary and Jesus to stay the night and then return home the next day.

This took place before the wise men arrived some two years later.

FULLFILLING PROPHECY
When Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to Jerusalem, no one knew them or the fact that Jesus was the future Messiah. Nevertheless, God set up a divine appointment for a man named Simon and a woman named Anna. This was done to lay a track record for Jesus when He later started His ministry. Luke 2:25-38

WHO WAS LUKE?
While Luke was not an apostle, he could have been one of the 70 since he referred to himself as an eyewitness. Luke’s gospel account was written to Theophilus. Luke1:1-4

Luke does not provide any further information about Theophilus, yet he must have been important since Luke also dedicated the Book of Acts to him. Acts 1:1-2

The Bible tells us that Luke was a physician who traveled with Paul on his missionary journeys. Colossians 4:14; 2 Timothy 4:11

Luke does not include the story of the wise men, nor does he mention that Joseph took his family to Egypt. Each Gospel writer recorded what was important to him as the Holy Spirit provided guidance.

THE GIFTS FROM THE WISE MEN
Since Joseph originally was from Bethlehem, he returned to his birthplace after dedicating Jesus at the temple and resumed working as a carpenter. Life continued for the next two years until the famous wise men from the east arrived. Matthew 2:7-10

The Godhead knew before the foundation of the world that King Herod would try to kill Jesus and that He needed to be moved out of Judah. Going to Egypt would require travel funds. This is where the wise men were used by God to provide the necessary funds in the form of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. It is estimated that the value of these gifts was around four million dollars and they would slowly be depleted over the course of three years until it was safe for Jesus to return to Judea. Matthew 2:11

ANGELIC INTERVENTION
God’s redemption plan only worked through the intervention and direction of holy angels. Twelve legions (72,000) of angels were assigned to Jesus in order to make sure that Satan did not derail the operation. Matthew 26:52-54

The wise men were instructed not to return to Jerusalem and they took a different route home. Matthew 2:12

Joseph was directed to leave Bethlehem quickly and travel to Egypt. verse 13

Joseph did not waste a moment and left for Egypt that night. The trip to Egypt was 40.6 miles from Bethlehem. verse 14

The Bible does not reveal where Joseph, Mary, and Jesus lived in Egypt, but Egyptian legend has them living in different places along the River Nile, spending most of their three years in and around what is today Cairo. Joseph could afford to give his family a nice place to stay since he had been gifted the finances by the wise men.

God did not tell Joseph how long he was to stay in Egypt. Joseph only knew that he could not return to Judah until after King Herod’s death. verse 15; Hosea 11:1

ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE
Herod had served as the vassal king for about 30 years when the wise men arrived to Jerusalem. He was in his late 60s and knew that he did not have many years to live. He failed to understand that he was a mortal man who could not control his life span on earth. Herod saw Jesus as a threat when he learned the King of the Jews had been born.

When he realized that the wise men had stood him up, he became furious and ordered a detachment of his soldiers to Bethlehem and kill every male child two years and younger. Herod was merciless against this perceived threat to his position. Matthew 2:16-18

King Herod lived another two years after ordering this slaughter before God sent an angel to kill him and take his soul to hell. It was now safe for Jesus to return to Judah and an angel told Joseph to bypass Jerusalem and settle in Nazareth. verses 19-23