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Where is God in our suffering?
Where is God in our suffering?
JASON MARTIN
Jesus in the Gospels / Matthew 2
Matthew 1 told us that God is with us and the He would save His people from their sins. Matthew 2 asks if you still believe that when everything goes wrong.
• Have you ever wondered where God was when something terrible happened?
• diagnosis bad
• job loss
• child loss
• prayers unanswered
• Israel asked those questions for hundreds of years;
• Prophets were silent for 400 years
• God promised them a Kingdom, but they were occupied.......
• Rome ruled them
• Herod oppressed them
• Then Matthew starts his Gospel by announcing that the King has arrived. The long awaited Messiah. Immanuel, God with us....
• and He is immediately hunted, homeless, exiled, and surrounded by death.
Luke 2:1 ESV
1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
1. Who is Augustus?
a. Caesar Augustus was born Octavius. The roman senate changed his name to Augustus to honor his defeat and annexation of Egypt.
b. He restored order to the Roman empire after two decades of civil war (think Julius Caesar being assassinated)
c. He was responsible for ushering in Rome’s ‘Golden Age’ - an era known as the “Pax Romana” (which means “Roman peace”)
2. map slide
3. read Luke 2:2-4
Luke 2:4 ESV
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
1. map slide
2. Being from the line of David meant Joseph taking his very pregnant wife on the journey from Nazareth way up north, down to Bethlehem (which means ‘City or house of bread’)
3. read Luke 2:5-7
Luke 2:7 ESV
7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
1. house slide
2. The word used for ‘inn’ here is most likely the extra room of a home made for visitors. It’s the same word used in Luke 22:11 where Jesus would eat the passover with His disciples
3. There is a different Greek word for inn that’s used in Luke 10:34 in the parable of the good Samaritan to describe a public lodging house or inn
4. read Luke 2:8-11
Luke 2:11 ESV
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
1. Add these 3 new titles to what Matthew gave us last week
a. Jesus - YHWH saves
b. Immanuel - God with us
c. Savior
i. In Mary’s song of praise (Luke 1:47), this title applies to YHWH. Here, it is applied to Jesus
d. Christ / Messiah
e. the Lord
2. Notice that the angels didn’t go to the religious elite, but instead to shepherds.
3. read Luke 2:12-13
Luke 2:13–14 NKJV
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
1. This is a massive group of angels. Elsewhere in Scripture we see this term used both for the armies of Heaven and also stars in the sky
Luke 2:15 ESV
15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”
1. The angels visit these local shepherds on the day the Christ is born and that very same day, with haste, they went to Bethlehem and found the Baby Jesus
2. read Luke 2:16-18
Luke 2:18 ESV
18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.
1. What did the shepherds tell the people that had them all in wonder?
Luke 2:11 ESV
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
1. He’s finally here!
2. read Luke 2:19-22
Luke 2:22 NKJV
22 Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord
1. We can find these purification rituals instituted in Leviticus 12:1-4
Luke 2:23 ESV
23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”)
1. As Mary’s firstborn son, Jesus is consecrated according to the statute given in Exodus 13:2
Luke 2:24 ESV
24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”
1. The normal sacrifice here would have been a lamb. But Leviticus 12:8 makes a provision for the poor that couldn’t afford a lamb.
2. map slide
3. Joseph and Mary from Nazareth traveled all the way south to Bethlehem, delivered the child there, went to the Temple in Jerusalem, then returned to Bethlehem.
Matthew 2:1 ESV
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,
1. Who is Herod?
a. Herod the great was Idumean - an Edomite from the line of Esau, not Jacob / Israel - and so not part of the kingly line of David.
b. Rome named Herod king of the Jews around 40 BC and he ruled them on behalf of the Romans - a puppet king
c. Herod wanted the title ‘king of the Jews’ more than anything. He killed anybody that was a threat to that including 2 wives, 3 sons, and countless rivals. Augustus even joked that it was safer to be Herod’s pig than his son.
2. Who are the wise men?
a. map slide
b. They came from the East towards Babylon / Persia.
i. Scholars believe Daniel left a legacy that lasted for generations. Jewish exiles had created large communities in these areas centuries before Christ. Both Babylon and Persia were well known for their study of the stars, interpretations of dreams, and advising kings. We even see that Daniel served among them in Daniel 2:48
Daniel 2:48 ESV
48 Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.
3. The point isn’t really how many of them there were or where they were from. The point is that the local shepherds from Luke had already come to worship and now these Gentiles from far away (estimated between 550-1100 miles and would have taken months) came to worship. All while the rulers in Jerusalem were oblivious
Matthew 2:2 ESV
2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
1. What’s the problem here? Now the story has 2 kings and an emperor
a. “Which is the real king?” is going to be a theme in the Gospels.
i. notice that Herod was given the title ‘king of the Jews’ by the Romans - Jesus was born with it.
2. What is His star?
a. There are various ideas of what the ‘star’ in the sky would have been. Let’s focus on what it represented. The arrival of the Messiah.
b. While trying to curse the Israelites, the LORD spoke a prophecy through the mouth of Balaam
Numbers 24:17 ESV
17 I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.
3. Who are the wise men asking about where this King is?
a. The people of Jerusalem in general. We have what seems to be a caravan of foreign dignitaries making quite a scene as they enter Jerusalem looking for the newly born King of the Jews.
Matthew 2:3 ESV
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;
1. Herod was a violent tyrant. Everybody knew this would be messy
2. read Matthew 2:4-6
Micah 5:2 ESV
2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
1. Matthew is citing this Messianic prophecy from Micah 5:2 and applying it to Jesus.
a. Notice that His coming is both in the future and from the past. He is the eternal God.
2. The wise men knew that the King had been born and were looking for Him. The rulers knew where the Christ was to be born but paid no attention to the signs of His arrival.
3. Another prophecy regarding this is found in Isaiah 60:1-6.
Isaiah 60:1–6 ESV
1 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. 2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. 3 And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. 4 Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip. 5 Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. 6 A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the Lord.
1. read Matthew 2:7-12
Matthew 2:11 ESV
11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
1. Scholars estimate that Jesus was between 6-18 months old by the time the wise men reached Him. No longer a baby in a manger, but a child in a house.
2. At Babel, humanity was scattered into exile and the nations were disinherited
a. God calls Abram and Israel became God’s portion / inheritance
b. Now the nations are coming back before Jesus preaches a single word.
i. no thunder or lightning
ii. no armies
iii. God working through a star and a dream
iv. God is working even when nobody sees Him working - a theme throughout Scripture and something we need to know in our hearts.
1. read Matthew 2:13-15.
2. Put yourself in Joseph and Mary’s shoes. There are soldiers marching the 5 miles from Jerusalem to Bethlehem and they’re looking for your son to kill Him.
Matthew 2:15 ESV
15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
1. Now Matthew is quoting Hosea 11:1
Hosea 11:1 ESV
1 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.
1. The nation of Israel is called YHWH’s firstborn son in places like Exodus 4:22
Exodus 4:22 LSB
22 “Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “Israel is My son, My firstborn.
Matthew 2:16 ESV
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.
1. Where else have we seen a tyrant drunk with power killing innocent children?
Exodus 1:22 ESV
22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.”
2. This is the Egypt that YHWH called His son out of in Exodus 4:23
Exodus 4:23 ESV
23 and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’ ”
1. The LORD gave Pharaoh 10 chances before carrying out His judgment. That is Divine patience and praise God for that when it comes to our stumbling.
2. Historians believe the slaughter would have killed around 25-50 children that night in a town the size of Cridersville. Could you imagine?
3. read Matthew 2:17-18.
Matthew 2:18 ESV
18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”
1. Now Matthew is quoting from Jeremiah 31:15.
a. The context of children being slaughtered and Jesus’ family being uprooted parallels the context of Jeremiah’s prophecy. But it ends with a promise that we might recognize in Jer 31:31-34
Jeremiah 31:31–34 ESV
31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
1. read Matthew 2:19-23
Matthew 2:23 ESV
23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.
1. We might expect Jesus to return to Jerusalem as King. Instead, He went and lived in a tiny village called Nazareth - which literally means ‘stick town’ and a Nazarene would be ‘stick man’ or ‘branch’
Isaiah 11:1 ESV
1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
a. David’s kingly line appears dead - stumps as though all chopped down trees
b. then a branch grows from a seemingly dead stump
c. Nazareth becomes a picture of God’s way of working;
i. life comes from dead places
ii. hope comes from overlooked places
iii. the King comes from a village
iv. Salvation comes from a cross
2. Why is Matthew spending so much time telling us these details? He is retelling Israel’s story through Jesus. Look at these parallels;
a. Son of God
b. enters Egypt
c. called out of Egypt
d. The next stories Matthew gives us will be Jesus going through the waters of baptism paralleling Israel fleeing Egypt through the Reed Sea
e. the they enter the wilderness and are tested
3. Jesus will succeed where Israel failed. He is the new and better Israel
4. Matthew never explains the suffering - and neither does God
a. We want explanations, but what God offers is His presence.
5. The entire chapter is tied together with these threads;
a. The magi show us God is working among the nations / Gentiles
b. Egypt teaches us God is working in exile
c. Rachel teaches that God is working through suffering
d. Nazareth teaches God is working in obscurity
Where is God when He seems absent?
Where is God when He seems absent?
1. among outsiders
2. among the grieving
3. among the forgotten
4. With us Matthew 28:20
Matthew 28:19–20 ESV
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Exported from Logos Bible Study, 9:55 AM June 26, 2026.
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