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The text for this Sunday’s sermon is a combination of
passages. An examination of Luke 2:1-7 was given earlier in this series and
Matthew 1:1-17 is the companion text. The world situation was noted earlier
and must be remembered as this passage unfolds as well.
Matthew’s account is very Jewish in nature. It appears
he is writing to Greek-speaking Jews who would have understood Jewish traditions
and customs. They would have recognized the value of the genealogy of Jesus
and they would have known the many references to the Old Testament. Of particular
concern for this message is the genealogy.
Matthew’s life before encountering Christ must be remembered
since it affects the way he approaches his account of God through Christ.
Matthew was a tax collector: he liked lists and accounts. He was fond of groupings
and organization. He had a “prove it” perspective, validating
the claims he made.
Matthew begins his gospel narrative with the genealogy of Jesus.
This is a strange text to most people and is often avoided for that reason.
Rarely do preachers use the genealogy as a text for an inspirational Christmas
message. Yet, Matthew thought it important enough to include in his account.
The genealogy of Jesus is grouped in sequences of fourteen.
The first grouping is Abraham to David, the second is David to the Babylonian
exile, and then the Babylonian exile to the birth of Christ. These are nice,
tidy, compacted organized groupings that would be enjoyed by a former tax
collector or accountant.
However, Matthew did something unusual. He inserted in these
groupings four women. It is as if they do not fit the form of the passage.
They disrupt the flow. Every Jewish person would know their stories, and they
wouldn’t be stories that brought honor to Jesus. But, Matthew is intentionally
communicating something significant. Matthew is punctuating in particular
what he is communicating in general. He in essence says to his readers, here
is Tamar (v. 3), Rahab (v. 5), Ruth (v. 5), and Bathsheba (v. 6).
Tamar was guilty of incest with her father-in-law. Rahab was
a notorious prostitute. Ruth was a Moabite (the Moabites were hated enemies
of the Israelites). Bathsheba was an infamous adulteress. One was a Hittite,
another a Moabite, and all four were Gentiles. What are you doing with Gentiles
in the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of God? Why are enemies of the people
of God included specifically in the genealogy of the purported Son of God?
Mary is introduced in the lineage as a fifth woman. The Greek
construction of the language is important at this point. Matthew changed the
way he was writing and made it clear that Jesus was born of Mary and not Joseph.
His purpose was to show Jesus was of the house of David, but His birth was
not by human will or decision. It was strictly of God.
The story of Jesus is incredible, wonderful, magnificent, and
amazing! There is no other story like it in the history of the world. As we
celebrate the birth of our Savior and Lord, an underlying question begins
to emerge. Why did Jesus come? Why did God strap on humanity and enter a world
that did not want Him but desperately needed Him? Why would He come to us
. . . in our world and in our circumstances? Why would He leave the breathtaking
splendors of heaven to enter a world that takes your breath for a different
reason?
The answer to these questions can also be found in the answer
to the question of the greatest need in a person’s life: What do we
need most? What can we not truly live without? What is essential to the soul
of every human being? The answer to God’s entrance to our world and
our need is the same.
People have sought to answer these questions in a variety of
ways. We often hear Jesus came to us in order to fulfill prophecy. It is true
there were Old Testament scriptures pointing to the coming of the Messiah.
But this is not the deepest reason Christ came but a byproduct of His coming.
We often hear Jesus entered into our sin-permeated world to
deliver us from our bondage to the power of sin. It is true Jesus came to
do just that. Sin no longer has mastery over those who walk in right relationship
with Jesus. But, that is what Jesus came to do. There is still a deeper motivation
for His coming.
The answer to our questions can be seen in an array of Christmas
narratives. The underlying reason and motivation for the coming of God in
the flesh can be summarized in one word—love. God came in the flesh
because He loves us.
Our response is also in the form of a question. It is a question
we should ask ourselves continually. How can I respond to the divine love—the
greatest love the world has ever known? How can I respond to the unconditional
love shown to me . . . to us? I so desperately need to be loved and God so
lavishly loves me. How can I respond?
Now other words begin to enter the conversation. Words like:
surrender, commitment, repentance, sanctification, transformation, mission.
I best respond to the love God has given me by letting His love flow through
me to transform me, others, and our world.
(For the full manuscript
of this sermon go to www.preachersmagazine.org and click on “Sermons.”)
Preaching from the genealogy of Jesus is a great challenge.
People like to think about their own family lineage, but rarely enjoy hearing
of someone else’s. That is not quite as true for the believer when it
comes to Jesus, but it still colors the viewing of the text.
Also, by the time the fourth Sunday of Advent comes, people
have heard, read, sung, and told the Christmas story multiple times. So, the
challenge is to let it truly be heard.
There are several ways to approach and shape a sermon from these
two passages. Several are written earlier in this series on Luke 2 but Matthew
1:1-17 is more difficult.
I chose to raise the question why: Why did God come to us in
the flesh? I approached the question by focusing on the Old Testament prophecy
first. Then, I chose to approach it by focusing on the problem of sin.
The clue to the resolution is found in the four women highlighted
by Matthew. Add to this Luke’s inclusion of the announcement to the
shepherds (Luke 2:8-20) and the specific mention of Jesus being a Nazarene
(Luke 2:4) as well as Matthew’s inclusion of the visit of the magi (Matthew
2:1-12) and the fact Matthew was once a hated tax collector.
All of these point to the answer of love. Jesus came because
He loved us . . . all people . . . and particularly the unlovable, the disenfranchised,
the outcast, the unwanted, the nobody. All like to hear and all need to know
God loves us unconditionally. I conclude the message with an invitation to
accept the love of God.