There are four main sub-headings within Matthew 2: "Visit of Wise Men, Flight into Egypt, Herod Kills the Children and Jesus returns to Nazareth". I found this to be an interesting chapter, as it somewhat negates the traditional nativity scene that I had known my whole life.
Firstly, it is interesting to note that the number of wise mean is never mentioned. We hold to three wise men traditionally based on the three gifts mentioned, but there may have been many more. Also, despite the traditional nativity scene of the wise men at the stable, Mat. 2:11 clearly indicates the wise men went into a house; Joseph and Mary were not still in the stable by the time the wise men arrived. Something else that JM makes note of is every time Matthew mentions Mary in connection with Jesus, he always puts Jesus first.
Herod, the king at that time, heard about Jesus ala his chief priests, scribes, and of course the wise men; Herod became very jealous. He lied to the wise men saying he wanted to also come and worship Jesus so he told them to come back once they found Him; they were warned by God not to go back the same way they came, so they never reported to Herod. Joseph was also warned to get up and flee to Egypt with Jesus in order to both escape Herod and to fulfill a prophecy out of Hos. 11:1 which reads "Out of Egypt I called My Son".
Once Herod found out he had been tricked, he ordered all male children two years old and under killed; this fulfilled a prophecy out of Jer. 31:15 which speaks of great mourning, weeping and wailing.
After the death of Herod, Joseph originally was told to go back to the land of Israel by an angel but Joseph heard that Archelaus (a notoriously brutal and ineffective ruler) was ruling that part of the land and he was afraid; furthermore, he was warned in a dream by God not to go back. Instead, Joseph headed to Nazareth.
It is interesting to note here that Matthew writes in verse 23b-c "This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets 'He shall be called a Nazarene'" Nazarene is found nowhere in the Old Testament, so either it was an oral prophecy never written down or the word Nazarene is a synonym for despised and detestable. If the latter is true, then Matthew is referring toPs. 22:6-8, Is 49:7, and 53:3
