| Matthew 2:19 But when Herod
was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in
Egypt, 20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life. 21 And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee: 23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene. |
Luke 2:39 And when they had
performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into
Galilee, to their own city Nazareth. 40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. 41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. 43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. 44 But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. 45 And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. 46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. 47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. 48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. 49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? 50 And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. 51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man. |
It isn't clear if the first two verses in this passage of Luke took place immediately after the presentation of Jesus at the temple, or if the events recounted in Matthew took place beforehand. If the former is the case, then Mary and Joseph would have returned to Nazareth, then back to Bethlehem before the visit of the wise men. In any event, the flight to Egypt prompted by Herod's attack clearly began in Bethlehem. The holy family had taken up residence there, and they returned to Nazareth only out of fear for Herod's successor. The ruler in Galilee at the time, Phillip, was a mild-mannered man, not a threat. The length of their stay in Egypt is not clear; it could have been anywhere from a few months to several years.
There is some controversy around Matthew's reference to Jesus' being called a Nazarene by the prophets. The word does not appear in any of the Old Testament prophets. Most commentaries agree that this is a reference to the general character ascribed to Christ simply because he was of Nazareth. To be called a "Nazarene" was an expression of contempt, because of the reputation of the people who came from the there. That opinion can be seen in the words of the Nathanael in first dismissing Christ: "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46). He was repeating a popular saying of the day. In other words, as Isaiah said, the Messiah was "despised and rejected of men." (Isaiah 53:3).
That kind of prejudice, that judges people based on where they're from, or on the color of their skin, has always been prevalent, as it is now. We make a general rule based on a few instances that may well be exceptions to the rule. Whatever its source or object, prejudice always has one object: to make ourselves feel better based on the belief that we're better than others who are not part of our particular group. Prejudice is always based in pride, and when accompanied by fear and hatred, can result in some of the worst atrocities of which humans are capable. Part of the reason why the hatred against Jesus was so virulent was that he not only threatened the power and wealth of the Jewish leaders, but that he was so different from those whose authority he challenged. It was easy for them to dismiss him as a despised Nazarene, whose opinions were not worth considering (see John 7:52, though the general reference there was to Galilee).
The account of Jesus as a boy in the temple, found only in Luke, is a curious one in some ways. On its face, the account seems to indicate Jesus was disobedient to his parents, in not going with them when they left Jerusalem. That, by definition, would be sin, breaking the commandment to "Honor thy father and thy mother". Since part of our core belief in Christ is that he was sinless, there must be another explanation. Jesus himself gave the answer; by the time he reached this age, often seen as the age of responsibility among the Jews, his parents should have had some idea of his calling. Since he was already at the level of the learned scholars at the temple in the level of his understanding of scripture, Mary and Joseph must surely have realized he was exceptional by the time he reached this age. Also, they could not have forgotten the special events and circumstances surrounding his birth, and all that was prophesied about him then. In point of fact, they didn't check on him at all before leaving Jerusalem; they just assumed he was with relatives in their party. They should have assured themselves of his location before they ever left town. Jesus was simply doing what he did throughout his earthly life: the Father's business, which could hardly be counted as disobedience. Even before his formal ministry began, he had a great impact on those around him.
During the "silent years" between ages 12 and 30, Jesus developed the physical, mental and spiritual qualities he exhibited during the three brief years of his ministry. It is reasonable to assume that the illustrations he used in his parables and sermons were based on events in his own life, or in the lives he observed about him. There is no greater student of human nature than he, and his perfect understanding of us is based on the fact that he experienced the same kinds of things we all do, but without sin. Besides a vast and complete knowledge of the Law, the scriptures of his day, he also developed the physical strength and endurance that made it possible for him to endure incredible hardship, including the suffering before and during his crucifixion. Though he knew all things as God, he chose to develop his understanding and maturity as a man the hard way, one day and one experience at a time.