Conclusion of Joseph Protected His Family

Whether they knew it or not, the astrologers had put little Jesus in great peril.  The star they had seen led them first, not to Bethlehem, but to Jerusalem.  There they told wicked King Herod that they were looking for a child who was to become king of the Jews.    This inflamed the man with jealous rage.

Happily, though, there were forces greater than Herod at work.  How so? Well, the visitor brought out gifts, asking for nothing in return.  How strange it must have been for Joseph and Mary to find themselves suddenly in possession of "gold and frankincense and myrrh" -valuable commodities!  The astrologers intended to tell King Herod just where they had found the child they sought.  However, Jehovah intervened.  By means of a dream, he instructed the astrologers to return home by another route. -Matthew 2:1-12.

Shortly after the astrologers left, Joseph received this warning from Jehovah's angel: "Get up, take the young child and its mother and flee into Egypt, and stay there until I give you word; for Herod is about to search for the young child to destroy it."  (Matthew 2:13) So, as we noted at the outset, Joseph obeyed swiftly.  He put his child's safety above all else and took his family to Egypt.  Because those pagan astrologers gave the family such costly gifts, they now had assets that might help them in the sojourn ahead.

Apocryphal myths and legends later romanticized the journey to Egypt, claiming that little Jesus miraculously shortened the trip, rendered bandits harmless, and even made date palms bend down to his mother to yield their fruit.  In truth, it was simply a long, arduous trek into the unknown.

Parents can learn a lot from Joseph.  He readily interrupted his work and sacrificed his own comfort in order to protect his family from danger.  Clearly, he viewed   his family as a sacred trust from Jehovah.  Parents today raise their children in a perilous world, a world full of forces that would endanger, corrupt, or even destroy young ones.  How admirable are those mothers and fathers who act decisively as Joseph did, working hard to protect their children from such influences! 

Next time: Joseph Provided for His Family

The Watchtower, 2012