How does Jesus fulfill the prophecy that says, “Out of Egypt I called my son” (Matthew 2:15)?
The prophecy referred to in Matthew 2:15 originates in Hosea 11:1, which reads, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.” In its original context, this verse refers to God calling the nation of Israel out of Egypt during the Exodus. However, Matthew 2:15 applies this verse to Jesus and His family’s return from Egypt after fleeing from King Herod.
So how does Jesus fulfill this prophecy? There are a few key points to understand:
1. The context of Hosea 11 shows God’s fatherly love for Israel as His son. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of this father-son imagery because He is the eternal Son of God.
2. Israel was called God’s son because they were chosen by God and set apart for a special purpose. Jesus is the chosen Messiah who came to perfectly fulfill God’s purposes. So He embodies Israel’s calling in an even greater way.
3. The Exodus foreshadowed the salvation that Jesus would accomplish. God delivered Israel out of slavery in Egypt; Jesus delivers humanity from slavery to sin. The return from Egypt was like a “new Exodus” for the true Son of God.
4. Matthew highlights parallel events and circumstances between Israel and Jesus to show that Jesus recapitulates key themes in Israel’s story, but does so in greater fulfillment as the Messiah. Just as God called Israel out of Egypt, He also called Jesus out of Egypt.
5. Typology is used in Matthew’s gospel to show that the events of the Old Testament foreshadow the life and ministry of Christ. By calling Jesus out of Egypt, God shows that He is the fulfillment of prophecies related to the nation of Israel.
To summarize, Matthew 2:15 applies Hosea 11:1 to Jesus to show that He is the promised Son of God, the Savior who embodies and fulfills God’s purposes for Israel, and the Messiah whose life continues the patterns established in Israel’s redemptive history.
The details of how this prophecy was fulfilled include:
– Mary, Joseph, and Jesus had to flee to Egypt to escape from Herod, who wanted to kill Jesus (Matthew 2:13-14). Just as Israel had been persecuted in Egypt but was called out by God, Jesus was brought out of Egypt after Herod’s death.
– Their return from Egypt was necessary to fulfill the prophecy about the Messiah being a Nazarene (Matthew 2:23). God sovereignly worked through historical circumstances to orchestrate the flight to Egypt and return, to fulfill His Word.
– The land of Egypt was significant in Israel’s history because of the Exodus, the giving of the Law, and Israel’s disobedience at various times. Jesus relived part of this history, but in obedience and as the embodiment of Israel.
– By quoting this Old Testament prophecy, Matthew establishes a connection between Israel as God’s son and Jesus as God’s Son. Jesus fulfills a role that Israel was chosen for but failed to fulfill.
– God’s calling Jesus out of Egypt shows God’s sovereignty, foreknowledge, and faithfulness in fulfilling His Word. All the events were foreseen and orchestrated by God.
– It parallels other key events in Jesus’ life, like the virgin birth, highlighting that God was doing something new that both echoed the old covenant and superseded it.
So in summary, this Old Testament prophecy about Israel is applied to Jesus and fulfilled in its greater meaning by His journey to Egypt and return. It establishes Jesus’ identity as the Son called to fulfill God’s purposes, the Savior whose life patterns key redemptive events, and the divine Messiah whose coming brings the Father’s plan to completion.
Other New Testament passages about Jesus and Egypt:
– Luke 2:39-40 briefly mentions the return from Egypt after Jesus’ birth. This confirms the historical truth that Jesus spent part of His childhood in Egypt.
– Revelation 11:8 refers to Jerusalem figuratively as “Sodom and Egypt.” This uses Egypt to represent oppression, sin, and wickedness. Jesus frees people from this spiritual Egypt.
– Hebrews 11:24-27 says Moses left Egypt, “not fearing the wrath of the king.” But Jesus identified with human suffering by experiencing the oppression in Egypt before His return.
So references to Egypt in the New Testament establish historical facts about Jesus’ early life and also use it as a metaphor for the spiritual oppression Jesus liberates people from. Jesus fulfilled prophecies by reenacting Israel’s Exodus in His own journey from Egypt.
Theological significance of the prophecy “Out of Egypt I called my son”:
– It shows Jesus as the culmination of God’s redemptive purposes for Israel. A key theme of Matthew’s gospel is how Jesus fulfills the Old Testament.
– It establishes typology between Israel and Jesus. God’s promises and plans were foreshadowed in real people and events under the old covenant. Jesus gives them fuller meaning.
– It proves God’s sovereignty over history in orchestrating events surrounding the Incarnation. God works out His purposes across dispensations and eras.
– It affirms that Jesus recapitulates the experience of Israel, often in reversing or undoing key failures and sins. The disobedience in Egypt finds resolution in the Son who obeys the Father.
– It reflects the pattern of exile and return seen throughout Scripture. Egypt represents exile from God’s promises, while the return mirrors restoration. Jesus’ life embodied the final fulfillment of this pattern.
– It connects Jesus with the protected, called, and beloved people of God. Though the Son of God, Jesus identified with God’s chosen nation, reliving their experiences.
– It establishes Jesus as the true Son who fulfills what Israel was chosen and called for as son but failed to fulfill. Israel as son foreshadows Jesus as THE Son.
So in summary, this prophecy has great theological significance in affirming Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s plans, the obedient Son recapitulating and reversing Israel’s mistakes, and the embodiment of God’s people experiencing exile and restoration. His journey to and from Egypt affirmed His identity and the unfolding of redemption history.
Key points about Matthew 2:15:
– It applies a prophecy about national Israel to the Messiah, showing typological connections.
– It proves God’s sovereignty, foreknowledge, and faithfulness to His Word in Christ’s life.
– It establishes historical facts about Jesus’ early years spent in Egypt.
– It shows Jesus identified with the key experiences of Israel’s history.
– It provides a pattern of exile to Egypt and return that Jesus fulfills spiritually.
– It affirms Jesus as the beloved Son called to fulfill God’s redemptive purposes.
– It reflects the theme of Jesus as the true fulfillment of the Old Testament and Israel’s calling.
– It uses geography meaningfully in salvation history to continue patterns and themes.
– It proves that God worked meticulously across dispensations to bring everything to fulfillment in Christ.
So in summary, Matthew 2:15 masterfully applies Old Testament messianic typology to show that Jesus’ journey into and out of Egypt was a key part of fulfilling God’s Word and identifying Jesus as the prophesied Savior.