THE KING’S BUSINESS
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Christ. He is also called “Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us”— - another evidence o f His deity. The name Emmanuel intimates that Jesus is more than the Jewish Messiah; He is actual God. Matthew lays emphasis on this fact in the Caesarea Philippi interview (16:13-20), in which Jesus asks the question, “Whom do men say that I the son o f man am?” The Apostle, Peter replies, “ Thou art the Christ, the son o f the living God.” Christ was born with a definite relation to the sins o f men, indeed, He is the one person that has ever been born with a defi nite relation to sin. The incarnation was for the purpose o f redemption (cf. 1 John] 3 :5 ; Hebrews 2:14). III. The Reception of the King, 2:1-23. W e have here recorded the reception Christ met at the hands o f the Magi and Herod, together with the scribes and priests. The Magi were probably Persian priests and students o f astronomy, who had come in contact with Jews o f the captivity and had learned something from them regard ing the coming Christ.1 Balaam speaks "of a Star coming out o f Jacob (Numbers 24:17). These wise men were doubtless looking for a Saviour because o f their own need o f Him. The Law had failed in Israel, culture and civilization had failed in Greece, power had failed in Rome. The cry o f humanity as a whole was for relief, and. irr-this “ fulness o f time” (Galatians 4:4) God sent forth His Son. The reception by Herod and the scribes and priests is different from that o f the wise men. W e can find Christ and He is o f comfort to us only when we really want Him. The news of Christ’s birth troubled Herod and the priests only because they were living sinful lives (cf. 1 Kings 18:17, 18). It was not because they did not know where the Christ was born that they did not find H im ; verse 5 shows that they knew His birth place. Compare Jeremiah 29:13. Here is another fulfilled prophecy—five
One wonders why the names o f four women, two o f whom were foreigners and three noted sinners, are mentioned in this genealogy. Why not mention such women as Sarah, Rebekah and Hannah rather than Tamer, Rahab and the w ife o f Uriah? May it not be to teach the lesson that Christ came through all kinds o f people that He might save all sorts and conditions o f . people ? II. The Personal Coming of the King— His Birth, 1:18-25. In a sense this section may be called the heavenly descent, as the preceding section was called the-'earthly descent o f our Lord. The expression, “on this wise” (v. 18), together with the statement in verse 16 “Joseph the husband o f Mary, o f whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ” (mark that Christ is here said to be born o f Mary and not o f Joseph), denotes that Christ’s birth was different in nature from those recorded in the preceding genealogy. T o say the least, there was something unique about the birth o f Christ. He was o f the “ seed o f the woman” (Genesis 3:15), “ born o f a woman” (Galatians 4:4 ), but not the child o f an earthly father. No law o f natural reasoning can explain the birth o f Christ. That His birth was super natural, as is here intimated, is reasonable in the light o f the prophecy o f which it is stated to be a fulfillment (cf. Isaiah 7:14 with Matthew 1:22, 23). That there are difficulties in connection with the incarnation is not strange when you consider the nature o f the person born. These verses give ns the Christian account o f Christ’s coming into the world. The event is not explainable (1 Timothy 3:16) any more than is natural birth or our spir itual birth (John 3:6, 7). This is the record o f a divine generation. The manger was hardly the place to stand with a micro scope, but with uncovered head and shoe less feet to worship. The names given to Jesus in connection with His birth are instructive. He is called Jesus, which means Jehovah is Saviour. Here is an intimation o f the deity o f Jesus
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