QT 12/13/2022 Matt 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38, The Christmas Story from different points of view

Matthew 1:18–25 (ESV) —

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

 

Luke 1:26–38 (ESV) —

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

 

NOTE: The scriptures are really amazing. Matthew tells the story of the birth of the savior from the point of view of Joseph. The genealogy is also Joseph's, a legal descendant of David and of the kingly line, up through the last king. Luke tells the story from Mary's point of view. The genealogy in Luke's gospel is Mary's. By blood, Mary is a descendant of David, but her genealogy splits after David emphasizing her humanity and her link to David but not the kingship. One genealogy is legal, and the other is blood. There is a third genealogy, it is in John.

 

John 1:1, 14 (ESV) — 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

… 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

 

The genealogy in John is God's. Jesus was divine.

 

So Jesus was legally the King of Israel, was by blood, human and a descendant of David, and by the Holy Spirit was the divine Son of God.

 

You might wonder how the gospel of Mark portrays Jesus' genealogy. Mark portrays Jesus as a servant who came to die for us. There is no genealogy for a humble servant. The servant "immediately" goes to work. "Immediately" is used more times in Mark than all the other gospels combined.

 

Jesus was King and servant, and he was man (by blood) and God (by the Holy Spirit). What a wonderful savior we have.

 

PONDER:

1. The gospels were each written to portray different aspects of Jesus. When was the last time I read through the paintings of Jesus?

 

PRAYER: Father, thank you for the beautiful picture of Jesus. Thank you for our savior. Thank you for coming to earth and living among us. Thank you for the victory over death and the resurrected body. How I look forward to that new body and the opportunity to shed this weak and pained body, and to meet you face to face.