Sermon Text: Matthew 1:17-2:12
Below is a sermon manuscript from December 22, 2024. Watch the sermon here.
Introduction
Have you ever received a present and been disappointed? Maybe it was something that you were wanting for a long time. I remember doing research into game systems that had been released the year or so prior and asking for one for Christmas. It was a big ask, and it would have to be a family gift. I didn’t know if we would get one or not. But then the day game, and I unwrapped a Sega Dreamcast! I was pumped. My brothers and I played Ready to Rumble boxing all day. But it wasn’t long after that Sega announced they were discontinuing the Dreamcast. This would mean they would stop making games. What had so much hope and anticipation now seemed like a bad choice. It wasn’t my parent’s fault; how could they foresee this? Maybe you have had something similar. Maybe it’s not a discontinued product, but maybe it’s a toy that quickly broke, something that didn’t live up to expectations. Would that be the case with the gift God’s people had been waiting for for years? Would the Messiah live up to expectations? Unlike our gadgets, our God surpasses every expectation. He delivers on every promise. And it’s more than we could ever imagine. That is what we see in the wonder of Christmas.
The Son of David is Here
Jesus is the Messiah King
Do you notice the theme within the genealogy? Look at verse 1 and verse 17. Here, we see this genealogy of Jesus being framed by these two verses. They give us the structure of the genealogy but also help us understand some important aspects of what the genealogy is doing. It would be interesting to have a full breakdown of the genealogy, but for our purposes this morning, I want to highlight what is highlighted. To draw our attention to what the author is repeating. What do we see? We see Jesus, then David, then Abraham in verse 1. And in verse 17, we see David, then Abraham, then Jesus.
By it, he highlights the Jewishness of Jesus’ lineage and especially his Davidic ancestry. (David is prominent in the genealogy in that he is the only ancestor of Jesus to be described with a title, “King” [1:6].) In fact, “son of David” is a favorite identity phrase for Jesus in Matthew (9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30, 31; 21:9, 15; 22:42) and is essentially synonymous with “Messiah.”[1]
D.A. Carson gives more insight,
With the rising number of OT prophecies concerning King David’s line (e.g., 2 Sam 7:12–16; cf. Ps 2:2; 105:15), “Messiah, or “Christ,” became the designation of a figure representing the people of God and bringing in the promised eschatological reign.
In Jesus’ day Palestine was rife with messianic expectation. Not all of it was coherent, and many Jews expected two different “Messiahs.” But Matthew’s linking of “Christ” and “son of David” leaves no doubt of what he is claiming for Jesus.[2]
Jesus’ lineage includes the nations
While I’m not going to discuss the full lineage, a couple of names would pop out at the original audience right away. What are those names? They are names and references to women. There is much speculation as to why these names were mentioned. One theory is that it shows the sin. Some use that to point out the scandal of Mary and the idea that the scandal isn’t unprecedented in the family line. But, of course, there is nothing nefarious here. Mary was not pregnant because of unfaithfulness but because of the grace shown to her. Still, it could be communicated Jesus redeeming the sinful line or that his line is not self-saving but itself needs redemption from the ultimate offspring. It also helps us with the honesty of the line. In a time when kings would scrub their history to make themselves appear better, we have something different here.
But there is another aspect as well. Perhaps more prominent. Each of these names is associated with other nations. Tamar and Rahab are Canaanite (Gen. 38:1–6; Josh. 2:1), Ruth is Moabite (Ruth 1:4), and Bathsheba’s nationality is not specified, but here she is referred to as Uriah’s wife – perhaps both a reference to David’s sin and also a reference to her gentile husband who was referred to in 2 Samuel 11:3 as Uriah the Hittite. Perhaps here, already in Matthew’s account, we have an understanding that blessing was to come to the nations. This was God’s intent all along. To bless others through a people and now the descendant of Abraham. If you were with us last week, we saw this in the covenant God made in Genesis 12:1-3. And we see it reiterated to Abraham in Genesis 22:18: “And in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed because you have obeyed my voice.”[3] Matthew’s gospel continues to signal the inclusion of Gentiles in this kingdom that is breaking in with the newborn king. We see the Magi, a roman centurion, a Canaanite woman, and Pilate’s wife.
The one who is here is from Abraham and for everyone. As we saw last week from Galatians 3:8-9,
And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.[4]
This lineage is Jesus’ through adoption
But how does this lineage come to Jesus? It is through his human father, Joseph. Jesus is not a physical descendant of Joseph – he is conceived of the Holy Spirit. But he is genuinely of the line of David through adoption. We can’t miss the fact that Joseph is the one who names Jesus. This is very important culturally. Naming is important for legal status.
This is our line as well through adoption. All who have faith in Christ are adopted into the family of God. This includes taking on the Spiritual lineage that came before us. As Paul taught, all who have faith in Christ are sons of Abraham. You see, genealogies stop at Jesus. Throughout the Bible, we see them over and over. But what happens when we don’t see genealogies after this point? Why? Because it was all leading to him. Generation after generation. Now the baby is born. And all who trust in him are engrafted into this great story that has been written since the very beginning.
The One Worthy of Worship Is Here
Jesus is the one who was to come. The one who was the offspring of Abraham who brings the blessing to the nations. But this is more than a mere descendant. We see it in right in our passage.
Jesus is worshipped by the Magi
Right in our passage we see pagan astrologers worshipping Jesus. The Magi see a star and make the journey. Doriani helps to clarify some confusion today,
Popular Christian images of the magi clash with Matthew’s account. The magi were counselors, not kings, and while they bore three gifts, their number (unstated) was large enough to cause a stir in Jerusalem (Matt. 2:3). Contrary to nativity scenes, they found Jesus in a house, not a manger (v. 11).[5]
Some dismiss this as a fabrication by Matthew. Surely he made this up. Like pagan myths of heroes being led by stars. They argue that this embellishment is meant to make Jesus look more spectacular. But to who? Matthew is writing to a primarily Jewish audience about pagan astrologers. Scripture prohibits astrology, and it mocks it. Why mention it? As we have already seen, the theme of pagan nations coming to worship the King is prominent in Matthew. We have God speaking in a way they understand to be led to the source of all understanding – Jesus.
The verse alludes to the messianic king in Psalm 72, listen to Psalm 72:10-11
May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands
render him tribute;
may the kings of Sheba and Seba
bring gifts!
11 May all kings fall down before him,
all nations serve him![6]
The the gifts are an allusion to Isaiah 60:6
A multitude of camels shall cover you,
the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall bring good news, the praises of the Lord.[7]
Both these allusions reinforce the idea of gentile worship. This is a King who is worthy to be worshipped by all.
Jesus is God with us
Mary was pregnant not through human relations but was with a child as a virgin through the Holy Spirit. Jesus was a new Adam. Creation was beginning again with him. It was preserved through the human line, but there was also distinction. This is not just the special creation of God, this is the Son of God who has existed from all of eternity now becoming man. To summarize the teaching of the early church fathers, “without ceasing to be what he was, he became what he was not.”
Ever since the beginning we see sinful man at odds with the plans and purposes of God, but here we see the plan and purpose of God to come and dwell with sinful man. We might think, how? But unlike the serpent who seeks to corrupt and destroy all who come near, here we have one who restores and rescues those who come near in faith. Sin brings rebellion, disease, disaster. But when Jesus was on earth, he forgave sins. People touched him, and they were healed. The dead came back to life. Over and over, we see the effects of the curse being lifted in the presence of Jesus. Sin meant that people were separated from the special presence of God. They were out of the Garden of Eden. But here we have Jesus entering into the world of sinful humanity, and with him comes healing and restoration.
Each of us has moments in our life where we sit and think, “This is not the way things are supposed to be.” Maybe you are coming to church this morning hoping for hope. Longing for some kind of answer or maybe even relief for what has been an excruciating week, month, year, decade. Or maybe you are just at the end of your rope and thinking, “I’ll give this a try.” I am so glad you are here. I do not want to give you a checklist of things to do, and everything will be ok. But instead, this morning I hope you get a glimpse of who Jesus is. The One who walked this earth and was able to reverse the effects of sin and death is able to do the same for people today.
The beauty of the gospel is not that we can somehow find a way to God, the beauty of the gospel is that God has come to us. We don’t need to make our way up a mountain of good deeds to maybe find God on top. No, Jesus came for us.
Jesus is God with us now
The withness of God is not something that was limited to those who came in contact with Jesus during his life. Jesus told his disciples that he was going but was sending the Spirit to be with them. Christians are united to Christ by the Holy Spirit. Jesus was both God and man; his disciples had his physical presence among them, but they only had glimpses of his divinity. For all who are in Christ by faith we are united to the whole Christ, the resurrected and glorified Christ. We join him in his victory through the mystical union of the Holy Spirit.
This union—often referred to in the Christian tradition as the “mystical union with Christ”—is the work of the Holy Spirit, who applies and actualizes Christ’s salvific work in the life of believers. It is through and in and by the Spirit that a Christian is united to Christ and drawn into the realm of Christ’s kingdom.[8]
This union is not only individual it is corporate as well. Calhoun writes, “God the Spirit conceived and prepared a physical body for the incarnation of God the Son; likewise, the Spirit establishes and prepares Christ’s spiritual and ecclesiastical body on earth: the church.[9]”
One of the workings of the Spirit is when our hearts say “Jesus is Lord.” When we understand and see Jesus for who he truly is. In doing this, we are brought into relationship with Jesus and with one another. John the Baptist, still in his mother’s womb, left for joy in coming near Jesus, and when the Holy Spirit draws us near to him, our hearts cannot help but leap for joy and run to the One who is worthy of worship.
The Savior of Sinners is Here
The descendant of Abraham, the Son of David, was more than a mere man, and his mission was more than to immediately establish a physical kingdom. There was more at stake, and we see it in his very name – Jesus.
His name is salvation
Jesus didn’t just say sins were forgiven. He himself secured the salvation of sinners. The baby in a manger is more than a cute object to put on a Hallmark card. It’s the one who lived a true and complete human life in our place. He was faithful where Israel failed. He was faithful where we have failed. It is in and through him that we find forgiveness.
This was given in his name, Jesus. The angel instructed Joseph to name the baby Jesus, why? Because that was the number one name in the baby name book that year? No, the reason is given – because he will save his people from their sins. The name is from Hebrew Joshua meaning God is salvation. Here, this angel helps us see how the name functions. Not only is God salvation, but there is a special application in this child. Through Jesus will come salvation from sin. It is only later that we see how this will take place. How is a baby going to bring salvation from sin? Is it from other people out there? He will help the righteous conquer. He will usher in a new day for the Jewish people as their King. Some of that is true, but not in the way that may be expected. He will help the righteous conquer sin by both taking on the punishment of sin and making them righteous in the first place – birthright isn’t going to cut it all needs forgiveness. He will usher in a new day but this new day is not in a military victory but in a seeming defeat on the cross. His mission is through and for the Jews but not exclusive; he is the savior of the world. But how? Later on, he would tell his disciples as he broke bread and poured wine, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”[10] The baby in the manger was on a mission that would mean death.
We need a savior because we need saving
Sometimes, this can seem familiar for us. But think this. We can trivialize the whole idea of a savior. Some say that someone is their savior when they let them move up in line at the store so we don’t have to wait another 10 minutes. Some say someone is their savior when they pull them out of a long conversation. I do not mean to limit the word by giving examples, but we can lose meaning in a sea of uses and forget the beauty of what it means that Jesus is our savior. It’s important to relate it to something specific. Jesus is not saving us from inconvenience; he’s saving us from sin and its consequence, hell. Before you nudge the person next to you and say, “What kind of fire and brimstone preacher mentions hell in a Christmas sermon,” we need to be aware of what that might also be communicating. Again, another avoidance of the inconvenient. But if we are unwilling to sit with the difficult. If we can’t discuss the harshness of sin, then we can’t fully appreciate the beauty of salvation. A doctor who successfully removes cancer has done something categorically different than a barber cutting unwanted hair. Jesus isn’t here to give us cosmetic makeup; he’s here to save us from sin and its consequences. He did that by taking on the consequences for us. It’s not just a doctor removing the tumor, it’s the doctor doing a heart transplant by giving you his heart, knowing it will cost him his life – but it’s the only way. It’s the only match. Jesus is the only match for us. The only one who lived a perfect life. But he was more than just a man. His life and death can save more than just one person; they can save all who place their faith and trust in him.
This is the gift of salvation. It’s a gift that doesn’t disappoint. My plea to you to receive Christ is not like the plea of a child for a Sega Dreamcast. No, this gift is guaranteed. Because it’s secured by the One who holds history in the palm of His hand, it’s promise isn’t a flashy ad, but it’s secured in our resurrected Lord.
Conclusion
Matthew’s gospel tells of the baby who is here. But it’s not only in his birth that we see – This king with authority, the one who came from the line of Abraham to bless the nations, the one who is worthy of worship, the savior of sinners. We see this on display in his life. We also see it in his commission to the disciples at the end of the book. A commission that we are called to carry out as well. Listen to the words of Matthew 28:18-20 with all that we have discussed in mind. The baby who came did what he set out to do and now calls us to participate in a great work.
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
[1] Jeannine K. Brown, Matthew, ed. Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton, Teach the Text Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2015), 11.
[2] D. A. Carson, “Matthew,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 8 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984), 61.
[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ge 22:18.
[4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ga 3:7–9.
[5] Daniel M. Doriani, “Matthew,” in Matthew–Luke, ed. Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar, vol. VIII, ESV Expository Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2021), 57.
[6] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 72:10–11.
[7] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Is 60:6.
[8] Susanne Calhoun, “Union with Christ,” in Lexham Survey of Theology, ed. Mark Ward et al. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018).
[9] Susanne Calhoun, “Union with Christ,” in Lexham Survey of Theology, ed. Mark Ward et al. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018).
[10] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Mt 26:28.
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