Imperative: Matthew 2 (no imperatives)
There are no imperatives spoken by Jesus in Matthew 2.
The chapter contains two sections:
Mat 02:01-11 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem
Mat 02:12-23 And being warned in a dream
1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying,
2 “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him.”
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;
4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet:
6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel.'”
7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared;
8 and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.”
9 When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy;
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.
12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
13 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 till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”
14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt,
15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt have I called my son.”
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage, 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 which he had ascertained from the wise men.
17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they were no more.”
19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying,
20 “Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.”
21 And he rose and took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel.
22 But when he heard that Archelaus reigned over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee.
23 And he went and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”
Context: Can we infer commands from this context? Use the questions below to consider this.
S.O.W. QUESTIONS
S. What does it say?
A star in the heavens can move us to action.
Assumptions can be dangerous. The “wise” men went to Herod.
The knowledge of where the Messiah was to be born was not widely known, as bible experts needed to be called. This contradicts the typical assumption that the coming of the Messiah was everyone’s obsession. Perhaps to the cultists like the Essenes.
Assumptions can be dangerous. The “wise” men went to Herod.
The knowledge of where the Messiah was to be born was not widely known, as bible experts needed to be called. This contradicts the typical assumption that the coming of the Messiah was everyone’s obsession. Perhaps to the cultists like the Essenes.
The star must have reappeared to the wise men to lead them to the exact location of the baby. This is why they rejoiced. Otherwise they would not have come to Herod’s palace.
Providence: the gifts given by the wise men are portable wealth – easy for Joseph and his family to immediately flee.
O. What does it say that I need to obey?
No commands.
W. Who needs to hear this? Generally? Specifically?
Those seeking God’s will with and through government entities (Herod)
NOTE (my commentary)
DISCERNMENT QUESTIONS
What does this quote say?
What does it say that I should obey?
What is the wish? What are the outcomes?
What are the basic steps?
What are the obstacles?
Who needs to hear this?
RESOURCES
SOURCE – Footnotes:
Link to text:
Link to Greek Interlinear text: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/matthew/5.htm
What are the commands of Jesus Christ which we need to obey? In disciple-making, Jesus commanded the following in Matthew 28:20: “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you…” What are the commands that we are to follow and teach others as identified by Jesus’ use of the imperative mood in the Greek?
Please review the page How and Why We Use Quotes.
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