A King is Born

This week’s passage: Matthew 1:18-25

The Birth of Jesus

Having established the bloodline of Jesus, Matthew shares the story of His conception and birth, laid out in a “let’s get to the point” sort of way. Matthew is writing to a Jewish audience roughly 30 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. God uses Matthew’s analytical mind throughout this gospel to point out to these men, who know scripture by heart, that Jesus was the fulfillment of the hundreds of prophecies in the Old Testament announcing the coming of Christ, presenting to them the facts that would shine the light boldly on the Messiah!

In the world today we often get bored by the facts. The lack of "colorful" language might leave us a bit unimpressed, but did you really read Matthew’s account? A young woman one day finds that she is pregnant even though she knows without a doubt that it is impossible because she had never been with a man. She learns that the man she is to marry is a merciful and godly man because instead of reacting immediately and exposing her to the community he decides to “sleep on it”. During this time an angel comes to him in a dream and explains that he should not be afraid by the situation, but he should rejoice because she is carrying a child that will be the Son of God, and oh….by the way…. He will save God’s people from their sins! So, Mary escapes death by stoning because an angel visits her fiancé in a dream and he is so overtaken by the experience that he weds Mary, protects her and her virginity until after the birth of her son, becoming the adoptive father of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. WOW!

“But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” (Mat 1:20-23 ESV)

The more I understand the culture in that day and the struggles this situation must have created for both Joseph and Mary, the more I am amazed by their faith in God and God’s grace and provision for them. Much later, Matthew’s audience would remember the prophecy written hundreds of years before.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6 ESV)

I believe that Matthew’s account of this event would have been an incredible message in that time, one that stirred up emotion and piqued the interest of people and as God intended, point many to the truth of Christ. The amazing thing is that it does the same in today’s world, there is no other text out there that can have as much relevance today as it had 2000 years ago, none.

I’m not saying that all “entertainment” is bad, and the Internet cannot be used for good because there are many ways in which it can and is being used to bring knowledge and encouragement to so many people, so many beautiful resources are made available to billions of people through the Internet, including the bible in every translation available. What I am saying is that you should know it for what it is and always look at things through the filter of Christ. Don’t take anything at face value and be sure you are not being fooled into thinking something is true about God because you saw it in a movie or a tv program.

Lies can be presented in such an attractive way, deceiving us into believing the life of Jesus is just another “story”. The Bible holds the truth about God, listen to the Holy Spirit, He will let you know when something you or your children are reading, watching, or playing online should be avoided. This goes double for any article, blog, (yes, even this one!) movie or tv show about God or the Bible, the litmus test is always your Bible – ALWAYS.

Let’s intentionally refer to what we read in the Bible as an account of events so that we clearly communicate to others that it is a historical text, and not a bunch of “stories”. The people we learn about are not “characters”, they are real, and their lives were recorded so that we can understand what is expected of us here on earth and of the joy that awaits us in heaven. Don’t let anyone take the truth of that away from you!