Housegroup Study on Matthew 2 V 13 23

Housegroup study on Matthew 2 v 13 – 23

Icebreaker (to warm up)

Share experiences and thoughts about dreams and their possible meanings.

Looking at the text (for exploration and understanding)

Look back at verses 1 – 12 to see the context of this passage.
Joseph has three dreams through which God speaks to him in this passage. Look back at his first dream in chapter 1 verse 20. Why do you think God spoke to him in this way?
Consult Wikipedia (or other sources) about Herod the Great. Discuss the background of his insecurity regarding the birth of a new king.
v 15 The quote is from Hosea 11 v 1. Hosea is referring to the nation of Israel but Matthew sees Israel’s history as pre-figuring the life of Jesus.
v 16 Try to imagine what this was like.
v 17 The quote is from Jeremiah 31 v 15. Matthew quotes from the Old Testament 47 times in all.
Archelus was the son of Herod the Great and ruled for 10 years from 4 BC to 6 AD. Optional: You may like to find out more about him and the reasons why he was deposed. Do you think that Joseph’s actions here were intended by God all along?
v 23 Does this verse suggest that Joseph and Mary were not from Nazareth in the first place?
The final quote in this passage is not actually from the Old Testament. Perhaps Matthew is linking into the prophecies that the Messiah would be despised – because to call someone a Nazarene at this time was to be saying that this is what they were (it was a common expression). Or, perhaps, there is a play on words: the word ‘branch’ in Hebrew sounds like Nazarene, and there is a prophecy in Isaiah 11 v 1 that says that the Messiah will be a branch from the house of Jesse.

Applying it to ourselves (for discussion)

Explore whether dreams are a good source of guidance and help today. Should we take more notice of them? Should the church be helping people to understand them?

Discuss why it was so important to Matthew to show that the life of Jesus followed a pattern of Old Testament events and fulfilled certain OT prophecies. Do you feel that Matthew was justified (and/or led by the Holy Spirit) or does he take liberties too far?

Have a look at (or ask someone to do this in advance). How helpful would the Refugee Council have been to Joseph and Mary? Is there any action you would like to take to help refugees as a result of this study?

Action (for thinking about)

Take time, individually, to think of one action or thought or change in attitude that you are going to leave the group with. Then move into prayer.