Dem Run Comot for Night

One hand touch shoulder for darkness. Mary. Wake up. We must go. Now now. No lamp. No noise. Just one baby wey dey sleep wey dem carry from im bed, and one small family wey quietly comot from Bethlehem before sun come out.

Only few days before, wonder full dis house. Travellers from di east kneel down for floor and put treasures for di feet of one small boy: gold, frankincense and myrrh. Then dem go home through another road, because God warn dem for dream make dem no go back to King Herod. And Herod no be king wey like make people ignore am. E don old, e dey suspect everybody, and e dangerous, and e don hear say one new king of di Jews don born for Bethlehem, just few miles from im palace for Jerusalem.

Dat night, Joseph dream. No be di first time wey angel of di Lord don talk to am for dream. One time before, one angel tell am make e no fear to take Mary as im wife. Now di message short and sharp. Get up. Carry di young pikin and im mother, and run go Egypt. Stay there until I tell you. Herod go search for di pikin to destroy am. Joseph no wait for morning. E no argue. Matthew just talk say e get up, carry di young pikin and im mother for night, and comot go Egypt.

Imagine di road. South and west, far from di hills of Judea, down go di coast and then cross di dry land where Judea dey turn to desert. One carpenter wey never go far from home before, one young mother, one pikin wey never fit understand wetin dey happen. Maybe dem carry di wise men gifts with dem. Maybe na dat gold dem take chop for road. Matthew no tell us. E only tell us say dem go, and say God go before dem. Di baby wey people go one day call di King of kings start im life as refugee, wey dem carry cross border for night.

And for Egypt dem stay, Matthew talk, until Herod die. Then e add one line from di prophet Hosea: Na from Egypt I call my son. Hosea dey remember di exodus, di time wey God bring im people Israel comot from slavery for Egypt, and e call di whole nation im son. Matthew see di same story dey happen again. One time, Israel go down to Egypt, and God bring dem out. Now Jesus go down to Egypt, and God go call am out too. Di story of di people dey happen again for one pikin life.

Why Egypt? E near, na journey of some days, no be weeks, and e dey outside Herod power. Egypt don be Roman province since Cleopatra die, and na there one of di biggest Jewish communities for di whole world dey live. Di Jewish writer Philo of Alexandria, wey live for di same time as Jesus, talk say no less than one million Jews dey live for Egypt. Family from Judea no go dey alone there.

Dem Run Comot for Night. You go find am for Matthew chapter two, verse thirteen reach fifteen. Joseph hear, and Joseph go, for darkness, without knowing how long dem go stay away. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. When God ask you to do something wey hard, how quick you dey obey?