The Suffering Servant

Good morning, church.

Our sermon text is Matthew chapter 2, verses 13 through 23.

Matthew 2:13–23

That's page 758 in the Pew Bible, if you want to turn there with us.

We're taking these Sundays leading up to Christmas to follow the story of Jesus' birth from the gospel of Matthew.

Last week we saw how the wise men came and worshipped Jesus as their king.

And today, we'll see what happens next.

Let's pray as we come to God's word together.

Oh, Father, we thank you that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who have run this race before us.

Father, we thank you that your word has spoken to generation after generation after generation of your church.

So, Lord, it is with confidence and with expectation that we come again to your word this morning,

trusting that you will make good on your promise,

that where two or three are gathered, there you are in the midst.

Father, that is our desire.

Father, we pray that you would meet with us, open our minds and our hearts to understand your word,

to repent and believe you and your word, and to go forth today living life shaped by it.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Matthew chapter 2, verses 13 through 23.

Matthew 2:13–23

Now, when they, that is the wise men, had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said,

Rise, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt,

and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child to destroy him.

And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod.

This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet.

Out of Egypt, I called my son.

Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious,

and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under,

according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.

Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah.

A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation.

Rachel, weeping for her children.

She refused to be comforted because they are no more.

But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying,

Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel,

for those who sought the child's life are dead.

And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.

But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in the place of his father Herod,

he was afraid to go there.

And being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee.

And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth,

so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled,

that he would be called a Nazarene.

Well, on the surface, our text today seems to be answering a very straightforward question.

The question is this, if God foretold that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem,

how can Christians call Jesus the Messiah when he so clearly came from Nazareth?

Well, what we see here is that God providentially protected his son Jesus

from the hatred and violence of wicked rulers.

Though born in Bethlehem, as God foretold,

Jesus was forced to be raised in Nazareth.

Because of the threat of violence against him as a child.

But there's an even deeper question that our text addresses.

And it is the question of whether God,

the almighty, holy creator of all things,

the one true God of the Bible,

whether God actually really cares for us.

And cares for us not in some distant general way,

but whether God actually cares for us in a real intimate way,

deep down in the nitty gritty of our broken lives,

even down into our suffering,

even down into our shame.

Does God know what that's like?

Does God care for us with real compassion?

And the surprising answer of Matthew chapter 2,

Matthew 2:13–23

verses 13 through 23,

is yes.

In ways even deeper than you or I had ever imagined,

our suffering and even our shame are not foreign to God.

Look again at our text.

First, we see here that Jesus,

the Messiah,

who we learned in chapter 1,

was God with us, incarnate.

The first thing we see is that Jesus,

the Messiah,

enters into our suffering and shame.

He enters into it.

In verses 13 through 15,

we're told that after the wise men depart,

an angel of the Lord warns Joseph

that King Herod is about to search

for the child to destroy him.

Herod, history tells us,

was a violent man.

And the actions here are completely in keeping

with what we know of his character.

Not willing to have any threats to his power,

he seeks to destroy this would-be child king.

And so, Joseph takes the child and Mary

and they flee to Egypt,

a place where Jewish refugees would often go

when escaping political turmoil

or when avoiding famine or drought.

Now, the UN currently has estimated

that there are over 70 million people today

who are displaced because of persecution,

conflict, violence,

or human rights violations.

70 million.

And what we see here is that

the earliest years of Jesus' life

were spent in the shoes of the displaced.

Our Savior came to earth

and lived as a political refugee,

seeking asylum and protection

in a foreign land.

Now, it's likely that Joseph found fellow Jews

to live with in Egypt.

There was a sizable Jewish community there.

But the fact still remains.

Our Lord entered into human suffering.

On the flight to Egypt, there was fear.

There was escape.

There was a long journey.

And there was the uncertainty

of not knowing what or who they would find.

Many people come here to New Haven

having been displaced.

Many of you know about the work of IRIS,

Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services.

They help people every year

from Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria,

helping them to get the support

and services they need

to become self-sufficient

and resettled here in their new home.

I wonder, has it ever struck you

that when you learn the stories

of these families,

when you serve families like these,

you are catching a glimpse

of your Savior's earliest experiences on earth?

But the truth that's here

in this part of Matthew 2

applies to all of us,

not just to those of us

who've been displaced.

We all face many trials,

many unforeseen sorrows.

I wonder what part of your life

are you tempted to think

that God just doesn't seem to understand?

Where does his knowing care seem absent?

Conflict with family members?

The experience of poverty or homelessness?

Sadness at the loss of a friend?

Betrayal?

Fatigue?

But then we come to the Gospels

and we read them for ourselves.

And there we find that

not just in Jesus' birth,

but throughout his life,

Jesus entered into our suffering

and our shame.

He identified fully with his people.

His people went down to Egypt,

so did he.

His people experienced fierce temptation

in the wilderness,

so did he.

His people were oppressed

and persecuted

by the world powers that be,

so was he.

This identification with his people

was so complete

that in verse 15,

Matthew quotes

the Old Testament prophet Hosea,

Hosea 11:1

chapter 11, verse 1.

And there Hosea is retelling

the story of Israel's sojourn

in Exodus from Egypt.

And Israel in the Old Testament

is often metaphorically called God's son.

And here Hosea says,

God brought them out of Egypt

in the Exodus.

And now Jesus,

Israel's Messiah,

God's true son,

so deeply represents

and identifies with his people

that he can now fulfill

that text,

going down into Egypt himself

and coming back again.

I wonder when you are hurting,

when you are sorrowful,

yes, there are times

when you call out

for answers to the question why,

but deep down,

isn't what your heart longs for,

isn't what we really want,

is for someone

to be present with us,

to walk with us

through the valley,

to know that we are not alone,

to know that perhaps

in our own Egypts,

when we are running

and when we are afraid,

someone might be there with us.

Be with us

and sit by our hospital bed

as we battle illness

or give us a shoulder

to lean on

as we miss our loved ones

or to hold our hand

when we are afraid.

This is what Matthew

is showing us here, friends.

God,

incarnate in his son Jesus,

is present with us

even in suffering,

even in shame.

And this should open up for us

great permission

and invitation

in our prayer

and our communion with God

to go to him

corporately

and personally

in our sorrows,

knowing that he cares

and that he knows.

There's an old song

that we don't sing a lot

here at Trinity,

but I think it captures this well.

It says,

what a friend

we have in Jesus,

all our sins

and griefs to bear.

What a privilege

to carry

everything to God

in prayer.

Oh, what peace

we often forfeit.

Oh, what needless pain

we bear,

all because

we do not carry

everything to God

in prayer.

Have we trials

and temptations?

Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never

be discouraged.

Take it to the Lord

in prayer.

Can we find

a friend

so faithful

who will all

our sorrows share?

Jesus knows

our every weakness.

Take it

to the Lord

in prayer.

Are we weak

and heavy laden,

encumbered

with a load

of care?

Precious Savior,

still our refuge.

Take it

to the Lord

in prayer.

Do your friends

despise,

forsake you?

Take it

to the Lord

in prayer.

In his arms,

he'll take

and shield you.

You will find

a solace there.

Jesus has entered

into our suffering

and our shame

that we might find

a solace

in him.

Christian,

take advantage

of that solace.

Go to him

in prayer.

But there's more.

Jesus hasn't

just entered

into our suffering

and shame.

The second thing

we see here

in Matthew 2

is that he will

also one day

put an end

to our suffering

and shame.

In Matthew 16

through 18,

we have here

recounted

perhaps the darkest

moment

in the Christmas story.

Herod

infuriated

that the wise men

refused to go back

and tell him

where he might

find the child

lashes out

in rage.

Not willing

to risk

any threat

to his power,

he orders

the death

of every male

child two years

old and younger

in Bethlehem

and the surrounding

region.

Now,

it's hard to estimate

how many children

died in Bethlehem

at the hands

of this wicked ruler

on that night.

Some speculate

that it could have

been a dozen

or more

given estimates

of the population

in first century

Bethlehem.

But what sense

are we supposed

to make

of this account?

Psalm 2 says,

why do the nations

rage

and the peoples

plot in vain

against the Lord

and against

his anointed?

The Bible

is honest

with the fact

that there is

evil

in the world

and that

in this fallen

world

there will be

violence

and injustice

and the church

will often

be subject

to that violence

and injustice.

The book of Acts

shows us time

and again

how the church

faces persecution

and even martyrdom

for Christ's sake.

The last book

of the Bible,

Revelation,

was written

to the persecuted

churches at the end

of the first century

to remind them

that the powers

of this world

will revolt

against the growth

of the gospel

the history

of the church

shows the same

whether it be

the martyrs

of the first,

second,

and third centuries

or the martyrs

of the 20

and 21st centuries.

Let us not be

ignorant of the fact

that identification

with Christ

like these first

martyrs

in Bethlehem

will often bring

the hatred

of the world

and its rulers.

And yet this hatred

is not the last word.

Matthew quotes

the prophet Jeremiah,

Rachel weeping

for her children.

And while this text

from Jeremiah 31

written in the heartbreak

of the Babylonian exile,

while it seems

simply to give voice

to the tears

of God's people

throughout the centuries,

it does that

but there's more.

Because if we go back

and we read

Jeremiah 13,

there's also

a message of hope.

The verses

surrounding the one

that Matthew quotes here

in this chapter

of Jeremiah 31

tell of how God

would bring

his people home

from exile

and how he would

make a new covenant

and cover all

their sins

in forgiveness.

What Matthew

seems to be saying

then

is that the tears

of the mothers

and fathers

in Bethlehem

are the tears

of exile.

The final tears

before

the Messiah

would come

and make for us

a new covenant

and bring us home.

And Jesus

did just that.

You see,

the death of Jesus

wasn't completely

avoided

in Matthew 2.

It was simply

postponed.

At the still

young age

of 33,

Jesus would be

killed at the hands

of jealous

political

and religious

authorities.

the full

rage

of the world

against

the Lord

and his anointed

would come

thrashing down

on Jesus.

But his death

would not

be that

of a mere

martyr

dying for

a good cause.

No,

the death

of Jesus

would be utterly

and completely

unique.

his death

would be the

one

true

sacrifice

of atonement

for the sins

of the world.

Being truly

human,

Jesus could

take our

place.

Being truly

God,

Jesus could

pay the penalty

of our sin

in full.

Such that

when all of

our anger

and hatred

and jealousy

came crashing

down on Jesus

at the cross,

Christ was

able to

swallow up

that in

himself

and extinguish

it.

But more

than that,

it was the

wrath of God

against sin

that could

come down

on him

in our

place

so that

we could

be forgiven.

And to

demonstrate

that this

sacrifice was

acceptable,

Jesus was

raised on the

third day,

breaking the

power of

death and

offering

forgiveness

and new

life to

all who

trust in

him,

that finally

the last

tears of

exile could

be shed

at the

cross and

the exile

could end.

And with

his death

and resurrection

comes the

promise

that though

tears will

come in

this age,

one day

all tears

will be

wiped away

for good.

You see,

God doesn't

just know

our suffering

and shame.

He's done

something about

it.

He's put

in motion

a plan

accomplished

through his

son that

will gather

up our

broken humanity

and raise

it to new

everlasting life

where death

and sorrow

are no

more.

When Christ

returns in

glory,

death will

be destroyed,

injustice

will be

ended,

and creation

will be

released from

its bondage

to decay

because Christ

has gone

down into

the tears

of Rachel

weeping

for her

children.

He can

come up

again

and bring

life.

Now,

that doesn't

mean,

church,

that we

should not

weep now.

Most definitely

we should.

There will

still be

occasions

that are

right for

tears and

weeping

in this

age.

the remnants

of death

and sin

still abound.

Rachel is

still weeping

for her

children.

But as

Paul says

in 1 Thessalonians,

we do not

weep as

those who

have no

hope.

I wonder,

friend,

do you have

that kind

of hope?

Perhaps you're

here this

morning and

you're not

a Christian.

I wonder,

in your

spiritual

searching,

have you

found the

kind of

hope that

allows you

to neither

deny the

reality and

the awfulness

of death,

but also not

to despair

in the face

of it?

Many

spiritual

paths will

tell you that

death is

simply an

illusion or

that death

is simply

natural,

and yet,

doesn't our

heart sort

of revolt

against that?

have you

found a

hope that

allows you

to neither

deny the

reality of

death nor

despair in

the face

of it?

Let me

suggest to

you that

only

Christianity,

only faith

in the risen

Lord Jesus

who went

through death

and rose

bodily in

defeat of

death can

give you

that sort

of hope.

hope.

And that

sort of

hope is

yours for

the taking

if you

will take

him.

You can

have the

kind of

hope that

gives you

courage in

the face of

death and

also allows

you to say

that it is

wrong and

it is an

enemy that

will one

day be

defeated.

Now

Christians,

I know many

of us are

facing sorrows

of many

kinds.

Don't lose

heart.

Remember that

your Savior has

entered into

your deepest

sorrows and

promises one

day to bring

them to an

end.

Though

weeping may

last for the

night, the

psalmist says,

joy comes in

the morning.

How can it

not be so

for us who

know the

risen Jesus

that joy

will come

in the

morning?

And so

Matthew shows

us that Christ

enters into

our suffering

and shame

and will

one day end

our suffering

and shame.

But third,

he shows us

that Jesus

can even

redeem

our suffering

and shame.

In verses

19 through

23,

Matthew tells

us how God

led Joseph

to settle

in Nazareth.

Now, in

the first

century,

Nazareth

wasn't known

for anything.

It was

insignificant.

It was

marginal.

It was

obscure.

In fact,

it was so

insignificant that

it was ridiculed.

In the

Gospel of

John, when

Nathaniel, who

eventually comes

to follow

Jesus, first

hears that

Jesus is

from Nazareth,

he responds,

can anything

good come

from Nazareth?

Fill in the

blank from

your own

experience of

nowhere's

bills that

you have

either come

from or

been familiar

with.

I won't

say them

from the

pulpit because

I'll get in

trouble afterwards.

You can fill

them in, in

your own

mind.

Can anything

good come

from that

place?

And when

the early

Christians were

called that

Nazarene sect,

it was not a

compliment.

So you see,

Jesus grew up

in a forgotten

town, far

away from

the halls of

power and

prestige and

success in a

place despised in

the eyes of the

world.

God.

But friends,

that was God's

plan.

Matthew says

that Jesus

lived in

Nazareth so

that what was

spoken by the

prophets might

be fulfilled,

that he would

be called a

Nazarene.

Now you can

scour the Old

Testament and

you will never

find a verse

that says he

will be called

a Nazarene.

But it's

clear, isn't

it, when you

compare this

verse to the

other verses in

chapter 2 where

Matthew's quoting

a prophet, that

Matthew isn't

trying to quote a

particular prophet.

Rather, it's

pretty clear he's

giving a summary

statement of what,

as you see there,

the prophets,

plural,

foretold.

Matthew's giving

a synthesis

statement of a

theme that runs

throughout the

Old Testament,

throughout the

Psalms and the

prophets.

What is this

thing that the

prophets foretold

about the

Messiah?

Well, the

theme that

Matthew is

pulling on

here is that

the Messiah,

despite the

expectations of

many, would be

a man of

sorrows,

acquainted with

our grief,

that he would

be despised and

rejected, that he

would be forsaken,

that he would be a

servant, even a

suffering servant.

The passage that

we read early in

our service, Isaiah

53, is perhaps the

best-known example

of this, where the

one who would come

to be our king

would also know our

griefs and be

rejected by men.

Or in the language

of the first century,

he would be a

Nazarene, forgotten

and despised.

But here is the

mystery.

The mystery is

that the kingdom

of God is like a

mustard seed.

At first, small

and seemingly

insignificant.

You see,

friends, God

delights to use

the marginal

places.

He delights to use

the places that

are despised in

the eyes of the

world to make

his glory known.

It's not the

strong or the

powerful or the

wise or the

successful that God

needs to advance

his kingdom.

Just the opposite.

Paul says to the

church in Corinth,

you know, not many

of you were wise

according to worldly

standards, and not

many were powerful,

and not many were of

noble birth, but God

chose what is foolish

in the world to

shame the wise.

And God chose what

is weak in the world

to shame the strong.

And God chose what

is low and despised

in the world, even

the things that are

not, to bring to

nothing the things

that are.

So that no human

being might boast

in the presence of

God.

God delights to

take those places

in our life that

are weak and

that are shameful

and that are

broken and

through those

things to bring

about his

greatest work.

The Messiah

lived in Nazareth

in forgotten

obscurity for

30 years

so that we

might know

that when we

are weak,

weak, then

we are strong.

Those things

that we consider

our greatest

liability,

our greatest

weakness,

the things that

we would never

dream to put

on a resume,

the things in

our lives that

we don't put

on social media,

all of our

Nazareth's,

so to say,

so often

those are

the things

that God

will use

and those

are the

places

where his

grace

will pour

forth.

Friends,

let us not

judge with

earthly

judgment.

Nazareth

was politically

insignificant,

but it was

theologically

very significant.

You wonder,

don't you,

can God

use me?

Can he

work through

me?

But I'm

too broken

and I'm

too insignificant

and I'm

too weak,

but here

God says,

my grace

is sufficient

for you

and my

power is

made perfect

in your

weakness.

God

didn't

launch

his kingdom

from Jerusalem

or from

Rome,

but from

Nazareth.

perhaps

you're in

a season

of trial

right now,

a particularly

trying moment

in your

marriage

or in

your work

or in

your family

or in

your health

or just

in your

inner

emotional

state

and you

think,

what good

could come

of this?

and yet

there,

in your

weakness,

God is

present,

caring for

you,

knowing

you,

drawing

himself to

you,

revealing

himself to

you.

He is

present

redeeming

this

time,

redeeming

this

period

of

suffering,

of

shame,

of

trial

for

your

good

and

for

your

glory

so

that

you

can

know

him.

And so

we ask

the question,

does God

care for

us

in our

suffering,

in our

shame,

is God

there?

Oh,

friends,

what good

news we

have.

That Jesus

has borne

our sorrows,

he's

acquainted

with our

griefs and

losses,

he knows

our every

weakness,

but more

than that,

he's

redeeming

them,

and he's

bringing

us to

the day

when our

tears

will be

no more.

Let's

pray.

Oh,

Jesus,

we think

about

this

morning,

all the

places in

our lives

where we

feel weak,

where we

feel embarrassed,

and Lord,

in these

silent moments

before you,

we confess

that it is

ultimately

our sin

that brings

us our

deepest

sense

of shame

before you,

that we've

willingly sought

other gods

and other

goods

in your

place,

and yet,

Lord,

mystery of

mysteries,

you,

the perfect

one,

would come

and take

on our

imperfection

and be

crushed

so that

we might

be healed.

Lord,

that you

would be

willing to

have the

iniquity of

us all

laid upon

you so

that we

could know

the lightness

of your

righteousness

and light

and life.

Oh,

Lord,

if you

can take

care of

our sin,

if you

can redeem

us even

there,

what can

you not

redeem?

What can

you not

know,

and what

can you

not handle?

So,

Lord,

we entrust

all these

things into

your hands

praying

that you

would grant

us courage

and that you

would grant

us your

dignity for

the facing

of these

hours.

In your

mighty name

we pray.

Amen.