With the Christmas season well underway, Christians' the world over are
thinking of the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. The following
is one sermon Steve Zeisler preached about that very topic.
May God bless,
Carl
my website -- http://www.nettally.com/saints/
my blog -- http://www.anniemayhem.com/cgi-bin/wordpress/
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The Long-Awaited Son
by Steve Zeisler
I wonder what it would be like if we could transport one of the participants
in the first Christmas forward in time to our day-a shepherd or Zacharias or
Simeon, perhaps. Surely they would find it unbelievable that response to the
Savior's birth has become a matter of routine observance and tradition! The
nativity of Jesus is in a category by itself, unique. Our problem is that
the accounts of this event have become too familiar.
Many of us have difficulty embracing the Christmas season without getting
caught up in all of the distracting elements. Some folks find this the most
difficult time of year. Let me say a word about Christmas traditions before
we look at our text. Christmas is one of the most important seasons in the
life of our culture. It brings two different kinds of opportunities. One is
for ministry to those who are sorrowful at this time of year, those who feel
lonely and on the outside, who are discouraged and depressed. Another
opportunity is to build on acts of kindness and expressions of beauty, on
the good attempts to celebrate Christmas, in order to help non-Christians
understand its greater meaning.
When we go back into the text of the New Testament, however, we'll realize
that the event that brought about the modern Christmas holiday was very
different from anything that goes on during the month of December in this
culture. We're going to study Matthew 1.
Only two of the four gospels tell of the birth of Jesus: Matthew and Luke.
Of those two, Luke is the most familiar and most detailed. Most of the Bible
stories that leap to mind when you think of Christmas are in Luke: the
angels and the shepherds, the journey to Bethlehem, the baby in the manger.
Luke's telling of Christmas is very personal. He begins with an elderly
couple who have not had a child, Zacharias and Elizabeth, who are visited by
an angel and are finally able to conceive. The story unfolds as the angel
Gabriel comes to a young girl, Mary. Shepherds, hearing an angel choir,
their faces shining with wonder at the glory of the extraordinary
announcement and the angels' song, run as fast as they can to the place of
the Child's birth. We meet Simeon and Anna, two elderly saints who have
waited for the coming of the promised Savior. All of these people are filled
with the wonder of who this Child is. God has reduced himself, unthinkably,
to the size of a new-born infant.
Luke's account of the life of Christ frequently takes the perspective of
women. In his birth narrative, pregnancy is taken more seriously than it is
in Matthew, in the experiences of both Elizabeth and Mary. Luke tells of
Mary's journey from Galilee to Bethlehem, "with child." Mary was very likely
Luke's source for this information, and he records events as seen through
her eyes.
But my intention in these Christmas messages is not to go to the more
familiar stories in Luke, but to turn to Matthew instead. Matthew's birth
narrative is shorter and not quite as personal. Matthew writes from the
perspective of Jesus' royalty. Matthew tells us that Jesus' birth was the
fulfillment of ancient prophecies. It was the answer to human longings that
had existed for a very long time. This child was the King who had been
promised.
Luke includes Jesus' genealogy after the story of his birth, at the end of
chapter 3. Matthew's story of Jesus begins with a genealogy. Again, this is
a royal genealogy. This is the son of Abraham, the son of David, the
promised One whom we're meeting here.
The hope of his people
Matthew 1:1-17:
The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son
of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah was the father of Perez
and Zerah by Tamar, Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of
Ram. Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and
Nahshon the father of Salmon. Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz
was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse. Jesse was the
father of David the king.
David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah.
Solomon was the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and
Abijah the father of Asa. Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the
father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah. Uzziah was the father of
Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. Hezekiah
was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, and Amon the father
of Josiah. Josiah became the father of Jeconiah and his brothers, at the
time of the deportation to Babylon.
After the deportation to Babylon: Jeconiah became the father of Shealtiel,
and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was the father of Abihud,
Abihud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor. Azor was the
father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud.
Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan
the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by
whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.
So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from
David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the
deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.
This genealogy is that of the family line of Joseph. Jesus was Joseph's
legal heir, and therefore he inherited the right to the throne of David
through Joseph. Most scholars believe that the genealogy in Luke is that of
Mary's family line. She also was a descendant of David, and Jesus inherited
the right to David's throne through her as well.
The references to "fourteen generations" here is a style choice that Matthew
made. There were actually more generations than he records. He wanted to
have lists of fourteen, perhaps making it easier to memorize, and possibly
also because of some numerological concerns that were important to Jews.
Three groups of fourteen equal six groups of seven, and that would have had
significance for them. However, that will not be my emphasis in considering
these genealogies.
Verses 18-25:
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been
betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with
child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and
not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he
had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a
dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your
wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She
will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His
people from their sins." Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken
by the Lord through the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall be with child and
shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which translated
means, "God with us."' And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel
of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin
until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.
Matthew indicates two names for the child-one spoken by a prophet, the other
by an angel. In Isaiah's prophecy, his name is Immanuel; in the words of the
angel to Joseph, he will be called Jesus. Those names both carry great
significance, as we will see.
The genealogy we just read consists of name after name after name, with the
same phrasing repeated throughout. How can this benefit us? There are a
couple of points to see. The first is that God has staked himself on a
particular line of promises. Abraham's family is the family of promise
(Genesis 12:1-3). Then Abraham's family through his son Isaac is the family
of promise (Genesis 17:15-21; 22:16-18; 26:1-5), then through Isaac's son
Jacob and his twelve sons (Genesis 28:1-4, 10-15). Then of the twelve sons,
it is Judah from whom Messiah would be born (Genesis 49:8-10; Micah 5:2-5).
Eventually there is David the king from Judah's line, and it is one of his
descendants who is coming as the promised Ruler who will set things right (2
Samuel 7:8-16). There is no other line from which Messiah can come than this
line. The promises of God are certain. He has made them from the beginning,
from the call of Abraham, indeed from the time of Adam and Eve, when he
foretold that Eve would have a child who would defeat the evil one (Genesis
3:14-15). The world has been waiting for the Savior to come all this time,
but he will come only through these forebears.
There's a contemporary businessman from Korea who claims messianic standing.
There are many reasons his claims fall flat, but among them is that he is
not from the right family. There was a psychotic preacher in Waco who made
messianic claims not too long ago, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds
of innocent people. There were many reasons to reject his claims, but one of
them was that he was not from the line of promise. Jesus is. Jesus came at
the right time from the right place, answering the hopes that had been
raised by God as he spoke through Scripture.
Genealogies are a record of faith. The godly people of every generation were
asking, "Lord, will the awaited Son be born in my lifetime?" There were
fourteen generations and fourteen more generations and fourteen more. Each
time, the hopes were dashed. He did not come. Yet they couldn't stop hoping.
They longed for God to do something, but came to their end without seeing
their hopes realized. We can draw inspiration from centuries of faith, and
recognize that we are privileged to live in the days when Messiah's name is
known to us.
God with us, our Savior
The names given to this Boy are very important. God's companionship is at
the center of his identity. Immanuel, "God with us," means God knows us, God
walks with us, God never forsakes us. It means we have the companionship of
God when we are in the most desperate circumstances. The promise of the
Savior's having this name is that he will never go away. There is no place
we can go that he will not go with us. Even in our sin, he goes with us. In
our extremities and in our fears, he goes with us.
Joseph was told to name the Boy Jesus. Jesus means "The Savior." He would
break the power of the guilt of our past sins. He would destroy the fountain
of sin within us that makes us want to speak and act in ways that are
hurtful to others and demeaning to us. And someday he would wipe the
universe clean of every vestige of sin. He's the Savior! He's the King, the
powerful leader of the armies of heaven. He's going to destroy everything
that ruins those he loves.
Again, Matthew's telling of Messiah's arrival is not as tender and personal
as Luke's. We don't see as many faces close-up. Luke told of Simeon and
Anna, of Mary, of shepherd boys. There is not very much of that in Matthew.
But there is one exception in chapter 1. One individual is prominent:
Joseph. (There are later references to the Magi, who were not there in the
first weeks after Jesus' birth, and Herod.)
The father of the divine Son
There's a story I read somewhere about how every year the manger scene comes
out, and you have to arrange the various figures in it. Of course Baby Jesus
is in the middle, and Mary is next to him with a halo, and there are cuddly
animals over there. The shepherds have drawn near with beaming faces, having
just seen a choir of angels whose song is still ringing in their ears. But
where is Joseph? He's at the back, behind a bale of hay. You never know
where to put him. And there's something to that, because he is a figure who
recedes from view easily. But it's Joseph we meet in Matthew 1. Let's
consider the choice God made in putting Joseph in the story where he is.
In contrast to Mary, Joseph is a very quiet individual as we meet him in the
New Testament. Mary talks a lot. In most settings where she appears, she has
something to say. You always know what she was thinking. When she heard
Elizabeth's prophetic greeting, she broke out in praise of God (Luke
1:46-55). At one point in Jesus' public ministry Mary thought he had become
deranged (Mark 3:21, 31). She was the quintessential Jewish mother, it seems
to me. I think she was a powerful personality and an expressive person. But
there's no recorded statement by Joseph anywhere in the New Testament.
Mary, of course, was predicted by Isaiah. "The virgin shall be with child
and shall bear a Son...." For centuries, she had been anticipated in this
prophetic statement. She recognized of herself, "From this time on all
generations will count me blessed" (Luke 1:48.) As I mentioned earlier, she
was probably the one from whom Luke got much of the information for his
gospel. She was a member of the early church (Acts 1:14).
Joseph almost certainly died before Jesus' ministry. We know that he was
alive when Jesus was twelve. There's a scene that takes place when Jesus
goes into the temple in Jerusalem and confounds the teachers; and his
parents, not knowing what has become of him, search for him for days before
they find him. Even then, his mother is the one who quizzes him. "What in
the world do you think you're doing?" (Luke 2:48.) Joseph doesn't say
anything.
There is no reference to Joseph during Jesus' ministry, so the best guess is
that he probably died sometime between Jesus' teens and late twenties. But
Joseph had a crucial role to play. Jesus had to learn to be a man from
somebody when he was growing up. He would have learned to pray from his
father. He would have learned to care about important things and handle
difficult things, and would have been given a skill to earn a living from
his father. This man in the back of the manger scene is the man the Lord
chose to be the human father of the Son who would save the world. I think he
deserves to at least be out in front of the bale of hay!
There are three things we can tell about Joseph from this text. The first is
his tenderness of heart. Matthew says that "Mary [who] had been betrothed to
Joseph, before they came together.was found to be with child." I'm sure he
was not able to talk with Mary about her condition. He learned of her
pregnancy without being informed of its meaning. It may have been during the
time when she was visiting her cousin Elizabeth in Judea during Elizabeth's
pregnancy, when she was newly pregnant herself. Joseph cannot have concluded
anything else except that his wife preferred someone else to him, that she
had rejected him and had a lover. This was the woman he loved and had
intended to marry. Yet he looked for a way to end their betrothal and allow
her to move on with her life without humiliating her. His instincts were
tenderhearted. He wanted to be a blessing to someone else even when he was
hurt and angry.
The second thing we observe about Joseph is that he was "a righteous man."
He cared about what God cared about. The way of God was foremost for him. He
must have been a man who worshiped often and prayed deeply, who acted on
truth when he learned it. That's what it means to be righteous.
Finally, he was an obedient man. Verse 24: "Joseph awoke from his sleep and
did as the angel of the Lord commanded him...." There are three times in
Matthew 1 and 2 when Joseph gets a word from an angel to do something, and
the very next line all three times is, "He got up and did what the Lord
commanded."
I think all of these things must have figured into God's choice for him to
be the human father of the divine Son: tenderheartedness, a love of
righteousness, and a willingness to obey.
The accounts of Jesus' birth present a story without parallel, an event of
unique beauty and significance. I hope we find a way in the midst of the
familiar themes of Christmas to reclaim the opportunity: "Come, let us adore
Him!" (1).
As a last thought, I would commend Joseph to you. He was God's choice of
father for his own Son, and his example can be life-changing and challenging
for us.
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NOTES:
(1) Ascribed to John Francis Wade, translated from Latin by Frederick
Oakeley, O Come, All Ye Faithful.
Scripture quotations are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE
("NASB"). © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by
The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
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