马太福音
拜访东方三博士和飞往埃及/从婴儿期到成年-Visit of the Magi and Flight into Egypt/From Infancy to Manhood
拜访东方三博士和飞往埃及/从婴儿期到成年-Visit of the Magi and Flight into Egypt/From Infancy to Manhood
The rite of purification takes place 40 days after Jesus’ birth and ordinarily would have required the offering of a yearling lamb and a pigeon. However, the law permits poor parents, such as Joseph and Mary are, to offer a second pigeon or dove instead of the lamb, which they cannot afford. Thus, even by his parents’ offering of purification, it can be seen that Jesus comes humbly into the world.
Despite these lowly beginnings, news of Jesus’ birth spreads quickly throughout Judea and even beyond its borders. Matthew records the account of a visit to Bethlehem by certain philosopher-priests who, interestingly enough, may even be pagan Zoroastrians from Persia. Their presumed contact with Jews of the Dispersion has undoubtedly made them familiar with the Jewish Messiah of prophecy. The Magi are prompted to travel the great distance to Jerusalem because of a star which appeared at the time of Jesus’ birth. It is not known how many make the long journey (certainly no compelling evidence exists for the traditional three), but they apparently arrive some six months after Jesus’ birth and inquire as to the child’s whereabouts. By this time Joseph and Mary have found accommodations in a house, and it is in this house that the Magi’s gifts are offered to the newborn “King of the Jews.”
King Herod is alarmed by the Magi’s visit because he believes Jesus’ birth poses a political threat to his reign. Because of this, Herod sends his soldiers to Bethlehem to kill all male children who might have been born within the timeframe suggested by the Magi’s calculations. By Jewish reckoning, any child over 12 months is considered two years old. Since apparently six months have passed following Jesus’ birth, Herod makes his order broad enough to prevent any mistake by including all of the estimated 40 to 50 baby boys in Bethlehem who would be up to 12 or 13 months old at this time.
As will be seen, however, Joseph will be warned about the slaughter and will quickly depart for Egypt, where he and Mary and the child Jesus will stay until after Herod’s own death.
After their brief stay in Egypt, Joseph and Mary return to their home in Nazareth of Galilee, where Joseph resumes his trade as a carpenter. Over the next ten years Jesus continues to grow physically, mentally, and spiritually. There is no further record of Jesus until, at the age of 12, he is taken to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. At age 12, Jesus has reached the point at which a Jewish boy is soon to become a “son of the law,” which law he is expected to learn and obey. But Jesus’ understanding of the law is far greater than that of other boys his age. After the Passover celebration is completed, Jesus’ parents lose track of his whereabouts until they discover him in profound conversation with the learned rabbis. When his parents express their concern about his leaving them, Jesus gives a response which indicates that, even now, he is aware of his divine sonship and role as the Messiah.
Little more is known of Jesus’ first 30 years. It is known that Jesus has at least four brothers—James, Joses, Judas (Jude), and Simon—and also some sisters, who are not named. Because there is no further reference to Joseph, it appears that he probably died while Jesus was still a relatively young man. The support of his mother and younger brothers and sisters, therefore, would naturally fall upon Jesus as the firstborn. For many years, then, Jesus evidently has provided for his family by working as a carpenter, having learned the trade from his father.
Now at about the age of 30—the Jewish age of spiritual leadership—Jesus turns from the work of supporting his earthly family to the task of spiritually feeding the whole family of man.
# 马太福音(MAT)
## 耶稣降生博士来拜
[2:1] 当希律王的时候，耶稣生在犹太的伯利恒。有几个博士从东方来到耶路撒冷，说：
[2:2] 「那生下来作犹太人之王的在那里？我们在东方看见他的星，特来拜他。」
[2:3] 希律王听见了，就心里不安；耶路撒冷合城的人也都不安。
[2:4] 他就召齐了祭司长和民间的文士，问他们说：「基督当生在何处？」
[2:5] 他们回答说：「在犹太的伯利恒。因为有先知记着说：
[2:6] 『犹大地的伯利恒啊，你在犹大诸城中并不是最小的，因为将来有一位君王要从你那里出来，牧养我以色列民。』」
[2:7] 当下希律暗暗地召了博士来，细问那星是什么时候出现的，
[2:8] 就差他们往伯利恒去，说：「你们去仔细寻访那小孩子，寻到了，就来报信，我也好去拜他。」
[2:9] 他们听见王的话就去了。在东方所看见的那星，忽然在他们前头行，直行到小孩子的地方，就在上头停住了。
[2:10] 他们看见那星，就大大的欢喜。
[2:11] 进了房子，看见小孩子和他母亲马利亚，就俯伏拜那小孩子，揭开宝盒，拿黄金、乳香、没药为礼物献给他。
[2:12] 博士因为在梦中被主指示，不要回去见希律，就从别的路回本地去了。
## 逃到埃及
[2:13] 他们去后，有主的使者向约瑟梦中显现，说：「起来！带着小孩子同他母亲逃往埃及，住在那里，等我吩咐你，因为希律必寻找小孩子，要除灭他。」
[2:14] 约瑟就起来，夜间带着小孩子和他母亲往埃及去，
[2:15] 住在那里，直到希律死了。这是要应验主藉先知所说的话，说：『我从埃及召出我的儿子来。』
## 屠杀男孩
[2:16] 希律见自己被博士愚弄，就大大发怒，差人将伯利恒城里并四境所有的男孩，照着他向博士仔细查问的时候，凡两岁以里的，都杀尽了。
[2:17] 这就应了先知耶利米的话，说：
[2:18] 『在拉玛听见号咷大哭的声音，是拉结哭他儿女，不肯受安慰，因为他们都不在了。』
## 回国到拿撒勒
[2:19] 希律死了以后，有主的使者在埃及向约瑟梦中显现，说：
[2:20] 「起来！带着小孩子和他母亲往以色列地去，因为要害小孩子性命的人已经死了。」
[2:21] 约瑟就起来，把小孩子和他母亲带到以色列地去，
[2:22] 只因听见亚基老接着他父亲希律作了犹太王，就怕往那里去，又在梦中被主指示，便往加利利境内去了。
[2:23] 到了一座城，名叫拿撒勒，就住在那里．这是要应验先知所说，他将称为拿撒勒人的话了。
By: Lydia ٩(●˙▿˙●)۶…⋆ฺ
