Preparing

The death of Jesus on our behalf brings forgiveness and reconciles us with the Holy God. Amazing, isn’t it? Wherever you are in the Old Testament, God the Father is preparing us for God the Son.

They were minding their sheep and minding their business when the angel suddenly appeared. In an instant, the darkness of night turned to brilliant light. The angel, coming from the presence of God, brought with him God’s glory and the place lit up! No wonder the shepherds were terrified. But the angel addressed their fears.

Without any pomp or circumstance, a royal baby was born. In the chaos of the Roman Empire, the Prince of Peace entered the human race. All heaven looked on as God wrote his story of love in living letters. Jesus became, in Paul’s words, “the image of the invisible God.”

In our busy lives, it’s hard for some people to make room for Jesus. They keep him at a distance. The things of life fill their hearts with temporary satisfaction. But sooner or later temporal things fail to satisfy. The heart of the person who makes room for Jesus is filled, changed, and transformed.

When God sent his Son into the world, he did not make it easy for the parents or the child. He stripped the Anointed One of every royal privilege. Already tagged as an illegitimate child, Jesus breathed his first breaths of air in a musty stable. Jesus learned obedience through suffering…all the way to the cross.

The virgin birth, however hard to explain, is something we need to know. Every aspect of our faith and hope for eternal life hinges on this truth. If Jesus were simply a product of a man and a woman, His life and death mean nothing more than yours or mine.

There are some surprising people included in Jesus’ genealogy. Yesterday we considered several observations about Matthew’s list (Matthew 1:1-17). Today we will consider four women in Jesus’ lineage.

Matthew’s genealogy answered the important question that a Jew would ask of the person who claimed to be the Messiah. Jesus is a royal descendant from King David and has the rightful lineage of the Eternal King.

God was with John as he grew and “became strong in spirit.”