Matthew 2:22 & 23
- Pastor Jacob Marchitell
- May 25
- 17 min read
Sermon Manuscript for Sunday May 25th 2025
Lead In:
Last Week, we looked at Matthew 2:19-21 and used each of the three Verses as our three Main Points. We learned of the disturbing death of Herod the First, and reading Psalm 2, we understood that this was, without a doubt, an example of the Lord laughing at the wicked rulers who set themselves against Him. He does this, because God hates pride. He hates it. He humbles the proud, and exalts the humble.
Moving forward, we read how God called to Joseph where he was, in Egypt. He didn't tell Joseph to meet Him halfway, but instead, God acted in accordance with His own will, in the same way that He leads all of His children into a relationship with Him; seen clearly in John 6:44 when Jesus Himself says → “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me, draws them.” No one can meet God halfway, because we have all sinned and fallen short, living out our sinful nature as the dead enemies of God. However, because God is patient and just, He sent His only begotten Son to die the death that our sins have earned us, using death to defeat death. The threat against the Royal Family was killed, so Joseph left Egypt; and the threat of Hell against us was killed that day on the Cross.
And finally, we closed Last Week by seeing that when Jesus left Egypt as a Child, He was living into the “type & shadow” that Moses was before Him. Jesus is the true and better Moses, leading His children on a true and better exodus. Which is one from death to life; not through the waves of the Red Sea like the Israelites of old, but through the waves of His shed blood, poured out for our good and the glory of His Father.
With that, let us stand and read together the
long written down words of the
King who died to death:
Reading → Matthew 2:13-23
Opening Prayer
Main Body
Point #1 - Step by Step
We read in Verse 22 → “But when he (Joseph) heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there.” Touching again on Last Week’s Message, we saw that Herod the First’s grandson, Herod Agrippa, was the Herod mentioned in Acts 12 that was eaten by worms until he died, and the principle of generational sin was made apparent to us. Herod the First, in his unrepentant wickedness, passed his sin on to those in his family who came after him. And this is evident even here in Verse 22. Joseph had good cause to fear Archelaus, because during the first Passover that happened during his reign, we learn from Josephus that he put 3,000 Israelites to death.
When any father refuses to repent and believe in Jesus Christ, he is living into the words of Deuteronomy 5:9 → “For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me.” The unrepentant father teaches his children to hate God in all of the specific ways he does, perhaps not intentionally, but still setting them up for failure. However, should a father turn, repent, and believe, though the ramifications of his sin will still leave an impression upon his children, this father, the repentant, Godly, believing one, is then living into the words of the very next Verse of Deuteronomy 5 (v10) → “but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”
Oh what sorrow wicked fathers pass to their wicked sons!
Oh what blessing repentant fathers pass to their repentant sons!
Joseph had good reason to fear the evil son of the evil ruler he had escaped from. And this is the key idea here inside of Point #1. God directed Joseph in Verse 2:13 to flee from Herod, and here again, in our Verse today, 22, we see the exact same thing: God directing His children. He did not leave Joseph to guess and wonder what to do next, “parenting” him from afar. No. God, knowing Joseph’s weaknesses, knowing his fears, knowing his temptations, is a hands-on father, who never left his side. That is the God we are here worshipping this morning. One who never leaves His children.
He does this, because He is a God who just like “a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.” because “...He knows our frame, He remembers that we are dust.” (Ps. 103:13 & 14). He is not a tyrant in the sky, scowling down at His children as they slip through sin and shame. No. He directs the lives, the very steps of His children, knowing all along their fears and guiding them through the valley of the shadow of death.
Now, lest we pass this off as God marionetting us with strings that stretch to the sky, we can see in our Text, that Joseph made a choice of where to go as he followed God’s command to leave Egypt. He thought, he pondered, he exercised wisdom and discretion, and thus lived into the words of Proverbs 16:9 → “The heart of man plans his way but the Lord establishes his steps.”
Now, hearing these truths of Scripture may cause us to think something along the lines of: “I see those words Pastor, and I know the Bible is never wrong…but I don’t feel this truth in my own life. I don't see God directing my steps. Was it just Joseph’s steps being ordered by the Lord? Or all those holy people in the Bible? But…for me…He actually is ignoring me, leading me from afar, letting me stumble and stutter through life?” To answer that question, we need to keep looking at the Scriptures.
Joseph made a choice, grew afraid (with good reason), but God stayed true. In fact, God knew all along that Joseph's fears would arise when he entered Judea, and had planned all along for another dream. He left nothing up to chance. The wicked son of Herod was not hidden from God, acting out his evil in the background,but instead, God saw all of it, and then used it for His own glory. Looking at what Joseph has been going through so far will help us see a truth that will fight against the idea that you are the exception to God leading His children:
In 1:20, when he thought Mary was adulterous, God guided him.
In 2:13, before Herod put out his abortion mandate, God sent another dream, guiding him.
In 2:19, when Herod was dead, God guided him.
And then in our Verse today, 2:22, God guided him yet again.
It wasn't until after this fourth dream, that Joseph and his family were safe enough to settle down. Meaning, that God did not give Joseph every single instruction from the very beginning. It was a continual, day-by-day, even year-by-year (Jesus was around 2-5yrs old at this time) guidance of His perfect will…and so it is with us. God, being a God who knows that we are dust, who knows our fears and weaknesses, leads us steady and true, onward and into His glorious unfolding will, day-by-day. And this step-by-step leading happens for the same reasons why everything happens: For our good and His glory. God leading us one step at a time causes us to draw closer to Him who holds the future as securely as He holds us.
Oh sons and daughters of God, you don't need to know what the future holds
when you know Him who holds the future.
It causes us to become more like Him, who, through drops of grief-born blood, prayed: “Not my will, but Yours be done.” (Lk. 22:42). Do you see this in your life, brothers and sisters? Are you poised in eager anticipation for the next step that He is going to lead you on? Furthermore…do you seek to know what the next step is going to be? If so, then seek to know the One who orders your steps. Or, do you cower in fear at the unknowing darkness of tomorrow, afraid that somehow God will lose His grip upon you? If you are, lean into that fear, lean into your cowardice, steel your eyes upon its dripping face…and open your Bible. Read those long written down words because His “...word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Ps. 119:105) Do you want to see The Light that is casting a shadow on your future? Do you want to see past that crawling cloud of shade that hides tomorrow from your sight? Then pay attention to the path that you are on here and now, trusting that God will direct your steps when you get to it.
Before we move on to Point #2; as we just discussed, it is for our good that God leads us step by step, because it causes us to grow more and more into the image of Christ; and it is also for His glory. He is glorified by doing this, because what glory would come from a redeemed sinner…a previous enemy such as we are…one who hated God but whose heart of stone was crushed to rubble and dust at the foot of the Cross…not making any choices, but simply following a list of bullet points? We are not puppets, and exercising the free will of our redeemed hearts to make intentional choices about how we are to live, shines like a beacon which casts glorious beams of His golden glory on to everyone in our life.
Never thinking about the best path, never wrestling over Scripture, never coming to any original choices or thoughts, but playing the coward by allowing life to happen to us… “robs” God of His glory and the work He did in giving us a heart that loves Him.
God is glorified when we make choices born from the hearts and minds that He gave us, to live as best as we can. Yes, you’ll fail. You’ll fall. You will sin in ways that your new heart hates, but the tears of repentance that crash from your weary eyes because of them, will each be bottled by Him who blotted out the writing of requirements that were against us with the blood of His own Son (Col. 2:14). If you want to glorify God with your life, then do as Joseph did, and make intentional choices about how to live out God’s words to you.
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way.
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For the Lord upholds him with His hand.”
Psalm 37:23-34
Point #2 - The words of the Prophets
And that brings us to our Second Point this Morning. In Verse 23 we read another of Matthew’s ‘Fulfillment Formulas’ when he says “...that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophets…”. In other Sermons when we came across this formula, we looked to the Old Testament and read the exact words which Matthew was referring to, but…that can’t be done here.
Before we get to what he is referring to, however, we need to understand something a touch more complex. Stay with me here. There is a common mentality in the Church of the modern World that demands a Chapter & Verse for every single claim or belief that we hold. On its surface, this may seem like a good practice, and in fact, there are times when it is a good practice. For example:
How do we know that salvation is through no one but Jesus Christ? He says so in John 14:6 → “No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Chapter & Verse.
How do we know there is no other God but God? It says so in
Is. 45:5 → “There is no God besides Me.” Along with several other places.
Chapter & Verse.
How do we know that Marriage is between one man and one woman? It says so in Gen. 2:24 → “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one.” flesh.” As well as in Matt. 19:5 & Eph. 5:31.
Chapter & Verse.
On and on through Scripture we can find these truths that Christians believe because of the specific Chapter & Verse that teach them to us. However, as Matthew does here in Verse 23 this morning, there are truths that exist as a foundational framework, which can only be seen when taking Scripture as a whole.
A perfect example of this is the Trinity. The word itself: “Trinity” isn't found anywhere in Scripture. But when we take the Bible as whole, the way in which the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are all described in Scripture teaches that they are all equally God. The words they use and the actions they take are only able to be spoken or taken by God. The attributes that are on display when each of them interact with humanity points to the foundational framework that God is trinitarian. He is Three in One. One in essence, and Three in person. Never is He not three, and never is He not one.
Yes, we are to look at specific Chapter & Verse examples of what God has communicated to us, but we are to look at the entire Bible to see the foundational framework that He is speaking to us through, as well.
When we do this, in relation to Matthew 2:23 to see what Matthew is referring to, we see a foundation present itself to us that not only combats human thinking in its most raw form, but brings immense joy and comfort to us as weary pilgrims.
It says this in Verse 23 → “...that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”” Reading this, our thoughts might immediately jump to the story of Samson in Judges 13:5 → “For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.” While that might be a good Chapter & Verse to think that Matthew is referring to, with Samson being a “Type & Shadow” of the True Deliverer that is Jesus, but, considering that Jesus drank wine (Luke 7:34) we can know that He didn't take a Nazarite Vow (Num. 6:1-4).
The answer comes to us when we see that of all the “Fulfillment Formulas” that Matthew uses, this one in Verse 23, is one of only two times he refers to a plurality of Prophets:
1:22 → “...that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet.”
2:15 → “...that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet…”
2:17 → “Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet…”
4:14 → “...that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet…”
8:17 → “...that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet…”
12:17 → “...that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet…”
13:35 → “...that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet…”
21:4 → “...that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet…”
26:56 → “...all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” ← (plural)
27:9 → “Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet…”
Are you still with me? I know that this may seem like we have “shifted gears” away from a Sermon, and have strayed into class about the text, but I can assure you it is everything but. This is no dry lecture, because when we are in our Bibles every single day, things like this will begin to stand out, and the daily intake of His voice is part of the day-by-day guidance that He uses to lead you. Do you want to be made more like Christ? Do you want Him to guide you into the neon future that awaits you, child of God? If you do…then spend time listening to His voice in the only place where His voice is…The Bible. Read His words, apply them to your life, and give unending thanks to God as He uses them to guide you into a thousand tomorrows until the day when you see Him face to face.
“But…” you might be thinking… “that still doesn't tell us what Matthew is saying was fulfilled. Your words, Pastor, were that what is being fulfilled here will combat human thinking in its most raw form, and even bring us immense joy and comfort…but I’m not seeing it.” The answer is that Matthew, while he isn't referring to a specific Chapter & Verse, he is referring to the foundational framework of Scripture that teaches us something about Jesus Christ. To learn what this is, we need to look just a few words back in Verse 23 → “and he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth…”.
Point #3 - A Nazarene
Nazareth was a city about 70 miles North of Bethlehem, in the “hill country” of Galilee. It was a small city, with a population of around 480 people. To put that into a modern perspective, our town here, Clyde, has population of around 2,000. If you think Clyde, NY is a small insignificant town that the world has passed by; with no grocery store and a Government School that ranks 5th from the bottom in the entire State; the city of Nazareth was of such insignificance that even when someone who was in-person called by the incarnate King of the Cosmos…spoke of that King coming from there, people didn't believe him.
John 1:43 & 46 → “The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” [44] Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. [45] Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” [46] And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
As we said in a Sermon a few weeks ago, when God is doing something in our World, where it is happening can never inhibit, slow, or prevent Him from doing it. God is not bound by our standards of success, but instead, uses the foolish things of this World to shame the wise (1 Cor. 1:27). Because all glory belongs to God, He chose a town which no one would ever think to bring forth a king, let alone the King of kings.
Nazareth was a small town, they were a “plain folk” removed from the glitz and glam of a City, flying under the radar of any who would ever dare to use human society as a litmus test for God. At the time that Matthew wrote this, there were generations of Israelite families intermarried with Gentiles, and therefore looked down upon by all of the self-righteous Jews. They were “common people” that their own Nation considered to be less than everyone else…which ensured that no amount of human explanation could ever come to terms with the Savior of the World coming from there. What a magnificent sense of humor our God has, using a town of no Earthly significance for such glory and power, that even the Demons had no choice but to declare for all History to hear the name of that town!
Luke 4:33 & 34 → “Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, [34] saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”
_____
And this brings us to the foundational framework that the Old Testament prophets, uttering the words of God, inscribed for us, that Matthew is referring to. It is a framework that shows us the character and nature of God, combats human thinking, and brings immense joy and comfort to those who know Him.
By growing up in Nazareth, He was “raised in surroundings that would have guaranteed Him scorn.” He never stood any Earthly prestige. There was no outward show of pomp or privilege in His childhood, and no claims of authority could ever come from such a place. He lived amongst the common people. Those whom the rest of their Nation considered to be no one…were those that God called His neighbors.
This destroys human thinking in its most raw form, because were the decision in our hands…where would the Incarnate King of the Cosmos have grown up? What type of town or village would it have been? (Keep going with this thought!) What type of landscaping would the hometown of God have? Would there be feral animals and garbage blowing across empty streets? Would there be abandoned buildings falling into disrepair on every corner? What business and schools and industry would line the streets of the hometown of God Himself? What type of people would He have lived amongst? Would there be scholars and titans of industry that called Him neighbor? Or would there be dirty, poor, uneducated and poverty ridden people hanging on by a thread? If you could choose where Jesus grew up…you wouldn't choose Nazareth.
And as we close, we come to what words were actually being fulfilled when Matthew wrote our Verse this morning, which will bring such joy and boldness it can barely be measured.
Because Nazareth was such an insignificant town, evidenced by the phrase we read earlier “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (Jn. 1:46) Being called a “Nazarene” was an insult. It was used as a slur to keep the poor and stupid in their place, and lift high the ego of all who spat it out. We can see this truth when The Apostle Paul was on trial before the Roman Governor over Judea, Antonius Felix, in
Acts 24:1-9 → “Now after five days Ananias the high priest came down with the elders and a certain orator named Tertullus. These gave evidence to the governor against Paul. [2] And when he was called upon, Tertullus began his accusation, saying: “Seeing that through you we enjoy great peace, and prosperity is being brought to this nation by your foresight, [3] we accept it always and in all places, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness. [4] Nevertheless, not to be tedious to you any further, I beg you to hear, by your courtesy, a few words from us. [5] For we have found this man a plague, a creator of dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. [6] He even tried to profane the temple, and we seized him, and wanted to judge him according to our law. [7] But the commander Lysias came by and with great violence took him out of our hands, [8] commanding his accusers to come to you. By examining him yourself you may ascertain all these things of which we accuse him.” [9] And the Jews also assented, maintaining that these things were so.”
Can you hear the vitriol dripping from the mouth of Tertullus with his phrase “the sect of the Nazarenes”? How dare these poor, uneducated people ever disrupt our well ordered society? We are Rome! Our gods are strong, their God was crucified naked for all to see! Our gods live within our well decorated and well built houses, their God was born in a manger, amongst filth and animals. Our gods have guided us to becoming the highest form of civilization! Look at our laws, our customs, our peoples, our buildings! We are the eternal city, and they are Nazareth!
“Who has believed our report? And to whom
has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
And as a root out of dry ground.
He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him,
there is no beauty that we should desire Him.
He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”
Isaiah 53:1-3
“For dogs have surrounded Me;
The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me.
They pierced My hands and My feet;
I can count all My bones.
They look and stare at Me.
They divide My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots.”
Psalm 22:16-18
“Because for Your sake I have borne reproach;
Shame has covered my face. I have become a stranger to my brothers,
And an alien to my mother’s children;”
Psalm 69:7 & 8
Though your enemies, the World, the Flesh, and the Devil will vomit their insults and hatred towards you, children of God, they do so not because of you…but because of Him who lives with you. Matthew 10:22 → “ And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.” It is for His sake that the World hates us, that the devil hates us, and that we hate ourselves. It is because of God living entwined with our new heart; gained not by good works done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, poured out abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior (Titus 3:5-7); that we are despised, rejected, cast aside and stepped over and upon.
It is because of Christ…He who knew no sin, but became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21), that we will continually feel out of place until that day when our faith gives way to sight.
It is because of Christ, who, though He was rejected by man, was accepted by God as a sweet smelling sacrifice (Eph. 5:2), that we too are accepted into the everlasting arms of our Heavenly Father.
It is because of Christ, who, though He was despised by man, is loved by God (Jn. 5:20), that we too can be loved by God as well.
It is because of Christ, who, though He was an outcast, is the beloved Son of God in whom He is well pleased (Mk. 1:11), that we can stand firm every step, step-by-step, of this pilgrimage into that Celestial City in the sky.
Take eternal joy you descendents of the Almighty! You sons and daughters of God! You bright and shining saints! Let the cares and concerns of this World be burned to ash and memory under the neon light of Him who lives within you! Stand strong against the accusations of the World, the Flesh, and the devil, letting none of them leave a stain upon you, for our Master is called a Nazarene.
To close this morning, I would like to invite you to stand with me,
and read the words of John 15.
Rev. Jacob Marchitell
May 25th 2025
Commenti