When the Plan Changes

When the Plan Changes
A Reflection on Matthew 2:13–23

December 28 is a strange Sunday.
Christmas is technically over, but the decorations are still up. The lights are still glowing. The tree may still be standing—or maybe it came down yesterday. We find ourselves in an in-between space. The excitement has faded. The exhaustion has set in. And quietly, many of us are asking the same question:

What now?

As I look ahead to the coming year, that question feels especially real. Our family has walked through flooding, grief, and loss. A new year is coming—but with it comes uncertainty. Joseph, the quiet figure at the center of Matthew 2, likely asked that same question.
From his perspective, the hardest part should have been over.
The child had been born.
The angels had spoken.
The visitors had come.
God’s promises were clearly unfolding.
And then God shows up again—not with celebration, but with urgency.
“Get up. Take the child. Run.”
No timeline. No familiar destination. Just movement—and trust.
This is the part of the Christmas story we rarely linger over. We prefer tidy endings, especially as the calendar turns. But Matthew reminds us that God’s work doesn’t pause just because the season changes. Sometimes obedience begins after the celebration. Sometimes faith looks like adjusting plans when we thought everything was settled.
Matthew 2:13–23 is a passage for the days after Christmas—for moments when plans change, roads turn unexpectedly, and God calls us to trust Him in the in-between.

God’s Guidance Often Comes One Step at a Time

Matthew writes:

“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.’”
(Matt 2:13, ESV)

The Magi are gone. The danger is real. Herod is threatened and violent. Joseph is warned—but only with the next step.
Flee.
Remain.
Wait until I tell you.
Joseph doesn’t receive a full roadmap—only enough light for the next faithful step. And he responds immediately:

“And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt.”
(Matt 2:14, ESV)

No delay. No bargaining. Obedience costs Joseph convenience, stability, and familiarity—but he trusts God more than comfort.

Jesus as the New and Faithful Israel

Matthew continues:

“And [they] 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.’”
(Matt 2:15, ESV)

Matthew is quoting Hosea 11:1—a passage originally referring to Israel. Just as Israel fled to Egypt and was called out in the Exodus, Jesus retraces Israel’s story. But where Israel faltered, Jesus remains faithful. He brings Israel’s story to completion.
Jesus does what Israel could not.
He obeys fully.
He trusts completely.
He moves toward the promise without rebellion.

Evil Is Real—but It Is Not Ultimate

Herod’s response is horrifying:

“Then Herod…became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem…who were two years old or under.”
(Matt 2:16, ESV)

Fear and wounded pride give birth to brutality. Earthly kingdoms often defend themselves through violence. But God’s kingdom arrives in vulnerability—a child in a manger, not a tyrant on a throne.
Matthew quotes Jeremiah to give voice to the grief:

“A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children…”
(Matt 2:17–18, ESV)

Scripture does not minimize suffering. It names it. And yet, in Jeremiah, mourning does not have the final word—restoration does. Grief is real, but it is not the end of the story.

God Continues to Guide Faithful Obedience

When Herod dies, God speaks again:

“Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.”
(Matt 2:20, ESV)

Tyrants are temporary. God is faithful.
Joseph obeys again—step by step. Even when another ruler arises and a new adjustment is needed, Joseph listens, trusts, and follows. God’s greatest work often unfolds in overlooked places—like Nazareth.

Walking into the New Year

As the calendar turns, many of us long not just for a fresh start, but for a clear plan. Joseph didn’t get a plan. He got directions—one step at a time.
And none of the uncertainty stopped God from fulfilling His promises.
Matthew 2 reminds us that God does not ask us to see the whole road—only to walk faithfully on the part we can see. Joseph never knew how the story would unfold, but he trusted the One who did.
So maybe our prayer for the new year isn’t:
“God, show me the whole plan.”
Maybe it’s simply:

“God, help me to get up, listen, and follow—wherever You lead.”

Because the same God who carried the Christ child through danger and uncertainty is the God who goes with us into whatever comes next.
Amen.