In this Gospel Jesus’ family flees to Egypt and lives there till the death of Herod. They live the hard life of refugees because of the threat of death, and can return only when it has gone (Matt 2:13-22). Why is Matthew so interested in telling hi Jewish readers about Jesus’ stay in Egypt? The mention of Joseph going to Egypt would remind his readers immediately of another Joseph, son of Israel, who was sold by his brothers into slavery in Egypt, but saved his whole family from famine. They would also think of the most important event in the whole history of their people, the exodus, how through Moses God liberated them from a life of slavery in Egypt, made a covenant with them in the desert and brought them to the land of promise (Gen 37-50; Ex 1-14). Matthew sums up these events by quoting Hosea 11:1 Where, the prophet tells how God loved his people and called them out of Egypt, took care of them and made a covenant with them which they continued to break throughout their history. For the Jews this liberation from Egypt and the covenant enacted at mount Sinai constituted the birth of their nation and they celebrated it every year as if they were living it again. In their celebrations they rekindled their hopes that one day the Messiah would bring them full liberation. Matthew shows to the Jewish Christians that their hopes are now fulfilled in Jesus. Jesus is the new Moses coming out of Egypt to liberate his people. In the way Matthew writes the story of Jesus, Jesus seems to be reliving the history of the people of Israel. If we, the new people of God, follow Jesus our teacher, the new Moses, we will have the strength to overcome all our trials and temptations.