When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
Matthew 2:13
There are not many countries that can say Jesus visited them. Egypt is one of them. It’s part of the Christmas story in Matthew 2. When King Herod tries to kill Jesus, viewing him as potential competition for his throne, Joseph takes the family and escapes by fleeing to Egypt.
The Coptic (Egyptian) church has been around basically since the early days of the Christian faith. They have traditions of where the holy family journeyed while in Egypt. While the Bible is scarce on details, the basic logic is that they journeyed where groups of Jews dwelt, which makes sense. There were sizable Jewish communities throughout the Roman Empire and Egypt was no exception.
At the end of our first full day in Egypt we paid a visit to Old Cairo, the oldest area of the bustling city. Some churches claim Jesus and his parents stayed in the vicinity. Who knows?
One of the oldest churches in Egypt is the so-called Hanging Church, named because it’s situated on top of an old Roman tower. It dates back some 1300+ years, with possibly even older versions before.
Whether you are traveling or home this Christmas, take some time to remember the Savior, born in Bethlehem who escaped to Egypt. While life can be stressful at times, take comfort in knowing that the Messiah knew what that was like.