Matthew 2:19-23
When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.” Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazorean.”
Another dream. Actually, two dreams. One that it is safe to return from Egypt; another that it is not safe to go back to Bethlehem.
And with the dreams, two more acts of obedience.
And with the obedience, more fulfilled prophecy. Oh, not quite in the sense that we think of prophecy as magical predictions about the future coming true. Rather, fulfilled prophecy in the sense of God’s promises being kept, even when those who first uttered God’s promise – the ones we call prophets – and those involved in fulfilling it are unaware. Yet God is there, working always for the good of the world. And when we are caught up in that good, live into the future of grace the prophets announced, then prophecy is fulfilled.
Catching God’s dream, following it to the best of our ability, living into God’s promised future. Can the Christian life and gospel really be so simple?
I don’t know for sure. But I curious what would happen if we believed it to be…and lived it so.
Prayer: Dear God, inspire us through a vision of how you desire the world to be and work in us and through us to make it so. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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