If you plan a pilgrimage in the footsteps of Jesus, you probably will not include Egypt in your itinerary. What does Egypt have to do with Bethlehem, Nazareth, the Jordan River, and the Sea of Galilee? Egypt is exciting as the land of the pyramids and the Sphinx, but we don’t instinctively think of it as part of our Master’s story.

But it belongs to his story, in a strange and wonderful way. You’ll find it in the Gospel of Matthew. When the wise men came looking for Jesus, they stopped in Jerusalem to seek further directions. They explained that they were looking for the newborn king of the Jews. This word quickly reached King Herod. He had ruled the area for many years and was insanely jealous of his power. When he heard there was a baby in Judea who would someday be king, he made up his…