The Advent season compels us to reflect upon the profound narratives that surround the birth of Christ, and within this sacred context, the land of Egypt holds an essential and often underappreciated role,. Egypt is inextricably woven into the nativity narrative because it served as a crucial place of refuge for the Holy Family,. Following a divine warning, Joseph and Mary were compelled to flee their home and seek sanctuary in this ancient land. It is fascinating that Egypt was part of the nativity—the whole birth story of Jesus and the Holy Family’s flight—a concept that becomes especially vibrant during this time of remembrance.

The scriptural basis for this flight is found in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter two, a narrative that introduces Egypt immediately following the departure of the wise men,. The wise men had located the child and Mary, his mother, falling down to worship him and offering gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. The very next thing recorded is the direct intervention of God: “Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child to destroy him'”. Joseph rose, took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt, remaining there until the death of Herod—a detail that functions as a significant time marker.

Herod, upon realizing the wise men had tricked him, became furious. In response, he committed an act of astonishing cruelty, sending men to kill all the male children in Bethlehem and the surrounding region who were two years old or under. This calculation was based on the time Herod had ascertained from the wise men,. This was an act of mass child killing intended to extinguish the prophetic child. This response mirrors other periods in biblical history where a “crazed world leader” attempted to shape history and prophecy by employing the tool of mass child killing, such as Pharaoh during Moses’ time. The book of Revelation, chapter twelve, with its imagery of a great dragon ready to gobble up the child as he is born, really serves as a picture of Herod ready to gobble up Jesus by killing all the male children in Judea and Bethlehem at that time,.

The age of Jesus at the time of the flight is calculated based on Herod’s actions. Because Herod killed all babies two years old and younger, the traditional understanding suggests he went on the high side of the time window ascertained from the wise men to ensure the Messiah was killed. Jesus could have been six months old or closer to two years old when they fled. The willingness of Herod to kill the many just to kill the one speaks volumes about his disregard for human life,.

The fulfillment of prophecy is central to understanding the placement of this event. The flight to Egypt and subsequent return was required to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “out of Egypt, I called my son”. The story of Jesus’s life often appears to fulfill what would seem like contradictory prophecies, such as the prediction that he would be born in Bethlehem, but also the fulfillment of the prophecy concerning the call out of Egypt, and later, the prophecy that he would be a Nazarene because he was raised in Nazareth,. It is through the fulfillment of these prophecies that we gain an “aha moment” of understanding,.

Although we lack detailed scriptural records of the specific experiences of Mary, Jesus, and Joseph during their time in Egypt, the indications suggest it was not a brief hiatus of merely a week or two. This period was significant, lasting possibly between one and four years until Herod’s death. It is possible that during this time in Egypt, Jesus took his first steps or learned to talk and eat solid foods,. For those who travel there, standing among the ancient wonders of Egypt makes the narrative come to life, offering the closest experience to walking in the actual footsteps of Jesus,,.

Coptic Egyptian Christian traditions further illuminate this period, featuring narratives about where the Holy Family went, where they stayed, and things the baby or young Jesus did,. Icons and mosaics created by the Egyptian government and Coptic churches depict Mary, Joseph, and Jesus floating on boats down the Nile or traveling past the pyramids on the back of a donkey,.

One cannot visit Egypt without confronting the ancient pyramids,. The Great Pyramids of Giza, which are one of the ancient wonders of the world, are immensely old, having stood for 4,500 years or more. When Jesus was born, these structures were already 2,500 to 2,600 years old. Unlike some famous historical sites that require a lengthy journey, the pyramids are easily accessible; if you are in Midtown Cairo, you can be walking among the pyramids in 25 or 30 minutes, as they are just right on the outskirts of the city across the Nile in Giza,. It seems likely that during his flight to Egypt, the young boy Jesus could have seen these pyramids,,.

The time spent in Egypt came to an end upon the death of Herod. An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream in Egypt, instructing him: “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel. For those who sought the child’s life are dead”. They returned to the land of Israel but chose to withdraw further north into the region of Galilee, specifically Nazareth, perhaps avoiding the remnants of hostility in Bethlehem. This resulted in Jesus being raised in Nazareth, fulfilling another prophetic element of the story,.

When we review scripture, Egypt is often recalled as a place of slavery, oppression, and harshness, especially when recounting how the Hebrew nation was called out of slavery. However, we must also recognize that God used Egypt in wonderful ways in the history of the Hebrew nation; He protected them, multiplied them, allowed them to flourish in the land of Goshen, and enabled them to plunder the Egyptians and acquire wealth. In the time of Jesus, Egypt provided necessary protection and refuge. Furthermore, it was a friendly place to Judea because a large group of Jewish people lived in Egypt during Jesus’s day, meaning the Holy Family did not stand out as the only Jews passing through.

Even today, Egypt continues to be a place where deep spiritual conflicts manifest. While the time of Pharaoh and the 400 years of enslavement is not the whole story, the ancient tragedy of mass child killing in Egypt is not solely a thing of the biblical past; it is a present-day reality,. Children are being slaughtered wholesale by abortion in Egypt. Though the laws against abortion are very restrictive—Muslims largely reject abortion as child killing—this restriction has driven the practice underground, making it a clandestine, back-alley occurrence,. This secrecy means that the Egyptian church and local pastors can easily dismiss abortion as something that does not happen often or is not a major problem in their society. Because abortions are kept secret, they flourish in the darkness.

We are reminded that whatever God is doing in Egypt, He is overcoming some of the deepest and darkest assaults on human nature and the innocent. It is true that Egypt is a harsh place for the Gospel and may not seem like fertile ground for ministry efforts. However, the core truth for the Advent season and beyond remains: “for nothing will be impossible with God”. If the Lord is actively working, even rocky, hard soils become fertile ground for the Gospel. We must pray with faith and discernment, knowing that the breakthroughs will come from the Egyptian Christians with whom we work,. Like the prophecy of the stump of Jesse—a thing that looks cut down and dead, from which the savior shall arise—God declares that when He is ready to move, He moves, and no man can stay His hand. It is a time to exercise our prayer and faith muscles, trusting that God will provide growth even in the harshest of climates.

This article is adapted from the episode transcript.