Advent Identity - Part 1

It’s December and you know that that means? Every sermon you hear in church will be about the birth of Jesus! I’m not complaining about this; the Incarnation is worthy of our deepest reflection, so we can devote a month to humble and grateful contemplation.

I also like the term “Advent” that sacramental churches use for this season. It derives from the Latin phrase ad venire which means “to come to” or “important arrival.” And of course, that’s what Christmas is all about; we’re celebrating God coming to us in Jesus Christ. As you may know, of the four gospels, only Matthew and Luke cover aspects of the birth of Christ; Mark and John don’t. But since all four gospel writers lay out the story of Jesus, they have to introduce Him to their readers in one way or another.

How then does each gospel begin telling the story of Jesus and what does their material reveal about His identity?

That’s the question I want to address this month, so today, let’s look at Matthew.

Here’s the opening verse:

“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham” - Matthew 1:1 (NKJV) If you launch a biography with a genealogy, you must really want to establish the pedigree of the person you’re writing about! Matthew lists the ancestors and relatives of the Lord in vss. 2-16 to reinforce his contention that Jesus is the Messiah, alternately identified as the Son of David and the Son of Abraham. So from the very first verse, Matthew identifies Jesus as the Christ (Greek term) or Messiah (Hebrew word). He does this by crafting a numerically precise genealogy.

“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.” - Matthew 1:17

Based on vss. 1-17, we can observe several emphases in Christ’s genealogy: Abraham, David, the exile, and Christ Himself.

Abraham

Abraham is the father of the Jewish people, the great patriarch through whom God promised to create a nation and bless the world.

“Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; 2and I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing; 3and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.’” - Genesis 12:1-3

Fantastic promise, but Abraham and Sarah were childless. That didn’t seem to bother God; He kept promising them that He’d give them descendents through a son (Genesis 13:15-16; 15:4-5, 13-21; 17:2-21; 18:10-15).

When Joseph was distressed over Mary’s report about the virginal conception, the Lord sent reassurance.

“When he had thought this over, 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. 21She will give birth to a Son; and you shall name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’” - Matthew 1:20-21

Isaac was a miracle baby, a gift from God!

Centuries later, so was Jesus!

Through Isaac, the prophecy of a nation of blessing began to be fulfilled.

Through Jesus, the blessing of forgiveness would be realized.

David

David is the beloved king of Israel, the one whom the Lord favored.

“He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.’” - Acts 13:22

God honored David by promising him an everlasting royal lineage (2 Samuel 7:12-16). Matthew sees this fulfilled in Jesus, whom he frequently refers to as the Son of David (Matthew 9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30-31; 21:9, 15; 22:42, 45). While many of David’s descendants were unfaithful to God, Jesus was certainly like David, “a man after My heart.”

Exile

Yet the promises to Abraham and David seemed broken when the Babylonians carted off the Jews into exile for 70 years. God would make Abraham a nation–but that nation was conquered. God would preserve David’s royal line, but it ended in 586 BC.

Yes, the Persians gave permission for the Jewish people to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city and the temple, but they remained under Gentile domination. The Greeks took over the Persian Empire, and the Romans conquered the Greeks, but Judea stayed subject to the Gentiles.

How would the Lord keep His word?

Messiah

Through Jesus Christ!

He’s the ultimate Son of Abraham who provides the blessing of forgiveness. He’s the Son of David who rules with righteousness.

And the genealogy of Jesus backs this up!

This is how Matthew introduces us to Christ.

Have a blessed Advent!

(The verses in this post are from the NASB20 version of the Bible unless otherwise indicated.)

(Image is from https://images.fineartamerica.com/images/artworkimages/mediumlarge/3/the-angel-visits-joseph-mike-moyers.jpg.)