This Sunday I will be preaching the homily for the Third Week of Advent on Matthew 2.13-15. In this passage Jesus is exiled to Egypt in preparation for his exodus back to the land of his people. These two themes of exile and exodus will be the focus of my sermon.
I read Edward W. Said‘s essay “Reflections of Exile” in preparation. This is the opening paragraph, which I find captures exile quite well (from Reflections on Exile and Other Essays, p. 173):
“Exile is strangely compelling to think about but terrible to experience. It is the unhealable rift forced between a human being and a native place, between the self and its true home: its essential sadness can never be surmounted. And while it is true that literature and history contain heroic, romantic, glorious, and even triumphant episodes in an exile’s life, these are no more than efforts meant to overcome the crippling sorrow of estrangement. The achievements of exile are permanently undermined by the loss of something left behind forever.”
The story of the Jews is one of exile. Adam exiled from Eden. Abraham exiled from Ur. The children of Jacob from the land of Abraham because of famine. Israel exiled into Assyria. Judah exiled into Babylon. The Great Diaspora in 70 CE because of the Romans was the final, great exile.
Jesus’ exile into Egypt embodies this, yet Jesus experiences exodus as well. Exodus is the solution to exile. Abraham’s exile was his exodus as well. Moses led “the Exodus” out of Egypt. The Jews relived exodus out of Babylon. Jesus is the exodus.
the archives near Emmaus 
Not so sure that exodus is the “solution” to exile. When the children of Israel are delivered from Egypt they go, not directly into landedness, but rather into wandering in the wilderness. Indeed exodus seems less to be about moving out exile, than into exile. Likewise Jesus’s call to his disciples is a new exodus, but it is not the end of exile but a calling into exile, into diaspora for the sake of mission to the world.
For clarity then we might say it is part of the solution to exile. And while it is true that Jesus calls the church into a new exile this is made possible by former exodus and seems to seek future exodus. The elements of “promise”–land, earth, New Jerusalem–seems to be part of the solution as well.
@Brian,
I’m with Halden.
Glad that you are reading Said.
@Rod: I agree with Halden’s corrective that exodus is not the solution to exile, but I maintain that it must be part of the solution. We aren’t exiled for the mere sake of exile. Even the church awaits “exodus” from the “already, but not yet” age into the “New Heavens and the New Earth”. Exodus is the precursor for reoccupying “the land”.
Thank you, Brian. A thought I had in reading what you’ve written and quoted: In the Exodus of Israel, the journey of return to the homeland was extended and quite difficult, because of the disobedience of the nation at Kadesh Barnea. But in the Exodus of Holy Family, the journey appears to be direct and not extended, as Joseph was obedient to God’s call, both in leaving Egypt and in settling in Nazareth. So there really seems (to me, anyway) to be a true “fulfillment” at work here, besides the simple occurrence of the move back to Israel. What do you think?
Looking forward to hearing you preach on Sunday!
@Ken: Yes, indeed. Jesus’ “exodus” seems to be what exodus should have been for Israel. This follows Matthew’s motif quite well wherein Jesus reenacts Israel’s history and each time he does it better than Israel did it or as Israel should have done it.