In chapter 2 Matthew continues his carefully constructed two fold theological argument:
1) Jesus is who he claims to be - The Messiah
2) Humanity is in desperate need of a savior
After Jesus' birth, word immediately begins to spread. Magi arrive from the east - a mysterious group we are left wondering much about. One fascinating possibility rests in the book of Daniel. The greek term for Magi translates to "Magician," the same word used in the book of Daniel to describe those to whom Daniel had been given charge as "chief of the magicians."
We see in Daniel 9, Daniel delivering a detailed prophecy of a timeline pointing directly to the coming of the Messiah, "70 weeks of years." This is during the Babylonian exile, and if his teaching took root there, it's possible this particular message was preserved for generations. Four hundred years of silence separated Malachi from the birth of Jesus, but perhaps God's word was burning in the hearts of these Magi across generations and now they have readied themselves for the fullness-of-time Himself to arrive.
One cannot be dogmatic about this view, but I find it compelling enough to consider that these Magi may have been watching and waiting, not knowing where the Messiah was to be born, but when. We know the came from the east, likely near Babylon or the Medo-Perian territory. So, while Israel's own leadership is blindly unaware, these foreign kings have traveled from afar to seek "The King of the Jews" and deliver him gifts.
Three gifts are chosen. Gold, fit for royalty. Frankincense, use in the priestly duties. And Myrrh, an oil used for embalming and often associated with suffering and death. Here we see Matthew subtly weaving Jesus' full identity into his account, foreshadowing Jesus' role as our great High Priest, the King of Kings, and the Sacrificial Lamb.
After the Magi's visit, Joseph receives another dream, the third in Matthew's narrative, telling Joseph to flee to Egypt to protect Jesus from Herod's murderous rampage. And just as before, Joseph responds with immediate obedience.
For Matthew's target audience, a Jewish reader, this would have triggered deep historical memories. A desperate, life preserving decent into Egypt. A sovereign decree to kill children. And a deliverance from the authority of man by the authority of God. Fingerprints of the Exodus story are everywhere.
Just as God's metaphorical "adopted son" Israel went down to Egypt for preservation and later was delivered, so now the true Son moves through these same redemptive grooves God has etched into Jewish history. And Herod's slaughter of the innocent tragically reminds us of the hostility Man's empire displays toward God's kingdom.
And what does God use to guide and direct this Exodus re-telling? Dreams.
Just as the original Joseph, "that dreamer," faithfully received providential instruction and demonstrated immediate obedience, so now another Joseph, Jesus' earthy father, is directed through dreams - a total of five recorded in these opening two chapters.
Eventually, the family is led to safety in the town of Nazareth, fulfilling yet another prophetic truth: "He shall be called a Nazarene." That's five dreams now paired with five prophecies.
By the end of Chapter 2 we see Matthew weave together prophecy, exile imagery, royal identity, priestly symbolism, suffering and death foreshadowing, gentile inclusion, and Jewish resistance. And perhaps the most astonishing of all - the first recorded worship of the Messiah comes not from inside Israel, but from foreign Magi.
This is without a doubt, a staggering layering of systematic storytelling that would've left a Jewish audience provoked to the core.
And Matthew is just getting started.