Worship the King - Matthew 1:17-2:12

Marc Minter

FBC Diana

Christmas • Sermon • Submitted 4 months ago • Presented 4 months ago

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Main Point: The arrival of Jesus Christ was the climax of God’s plan to save sinners, and those who live between Christ’s first and second advent must worship Him.

Notes

Transcript

Introduction

“I have always thought of Christmas time… as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, [and] pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts… and to think of [other] people… as if they were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not [some other] race of creatures bound on other journeys.”

So says, Mr. Scrooge’s nephew when he comes to visit his uncle on Christmas Eve. He speaks of Christmas as a unique season, when all people think and act with more kindness and forgiveness than they do during the rest of the year. I’m not sure if that’s really true, but there does seem to be something special about Christmas time.

I don’t know anyone who is actually a Scrooge. Those who have a bit more than they need tend to share with others around them. Those who have children and grandchildren tend to enjoy giving them gifts that they wouldn’t typically do any other time of year. And some of those who don’t orient their lives around Christ or Christianity during any other week of the year tend to focus a great deal on the birth of the Lord Jesus.

For Christians, the birth (and the life, death, and resurrection) of Jesus Christ is something we celebrate every day. The good news of the gospel centers upon the reality that God the Son has become a real human, that He’s lived perfectly under God’s law, and that He’s died as the substitute for all those who look to Him with repentance and faith. Christmas, then, is (in some sense) just another day on the Christian calendar. The emphasis of Christmas touches a central feature of the hope we have every day.

But, in another sense, Christmas is indeed a special season, one during which our friends and neighbors and coworkers and family members are more interested to talk about and consider what it means that God the Son has become a man. With today’s sermon, I hope to edify our own hearts and minds, and also to give us some good content for gospel conversations with others.

Today, we’re looking at Matthew’s account of Jesus’s birth, and we’re going to walk through a portion of Matthew’s Gospel that aims to tell us (in no uncertain terms) that “The King has come!” And we’re going to read about two kinds of response to this announcement, one that’s exemplary and another that is an example of what not to do.

May the Lord help us to read this story with fresh eyes today. May God grant us joy and wonder, as we consider the climax of the whole biblical story. And May God help us to respond with worship to the King.

Please stand with me as I read Matthew 1:17-2:12.

Scripture Reading

Matthew 1:17–2:12 (ESV)

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

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.

2:1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.”

9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

Main Idea:

The arrival of Jesus Christ was the climax of God’s plan to save sinners, and those who live between Christ’s first and second advent must worship Him.

Sermon

1. The King Has Come (1:17)

Our text today explicitly cites two OT prophets (Isaiah and Micah), and it alludes to many OT passages, themes, and events. Each of the Gospel writers (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) aimed to tell the story of Jesus by placing it in its rightful setting. When Jesus was born, it was near the climax of a long-running story, and Matthew sets his Gospel account in that old story by naming two of the main OT characters – “father” Abraham and “king” David.

We didn’t read Matthew’s genealogy today, but the first 16 verses of Matthew’s Gospel are a compilation of “fathers” and their various “offspring.” Matthew divided his genealogy into three segments: “the generations from Abraham to David” (v17), the generations “from David to the deportation to Babylon” (v17), and “from the deportation… to [the arrival of] the Christ” (v17).

This is a very quick sweep of the entire OT storyline, with some of the most significant chapters highlighted for us. The OT begins with God (i.e., “In the beginning, God…”), but it quickly introduces us to “Adam” (the first man). Of course, many of us know how it goes… Adam was created “good” (along with his wife, Eve), but he sinned against God and earned God’s curse (Genesis 2-3). And embedded in the curse, God promised a blessing that was too good to imagine – an “offspring” who would ultimately conquer through His own suffering (Gen. 3:15).

The OT narrative in the early chapters of Genesis runs at a rapid pace, and in Genesis 12 we meet a man named “Abram” or “Abraham.” There was nothing especially noteworthy about Abraham (i.e., the Bible doesn’t say that he was particularly righteous or powerful or noble), but God graciously decided to bless him. And the blessing God gave Abraham was not only for himself, but also (and especially) for Abraham’s “offspring,” who would “be a blessing” to “all the families” or “clans” or “types of people” of “the earth” (Gen. 12:1-4).

So, when Matthew tells us that “Abraham” was the ancient grandfather of Jesus “the Christ” (v17), he’s telling us that Jesus is Abraham’s “offspring.” Now, Matthew tells us a lot more about what this means as his Gospel unfolds, but right here at the beginning, the reader is already taking notice that this Jesus is a really important figure in the long-running story.

And our notice is all the more stimulated when the name “David” appears in this genealogy as well. Not only is Jesus the “offspring” of Abraham, He’s also the “offspring” of king David. Nearly 500 years after God gave His blessing to Abraham, God had indeed formed Abraham’s descendents into an entire nation of people (i.e., Israel). For the sake of time, we will jump right over God’s miraculous deliverance of the people of Israel from their captivity in Egypt, God’s giving of His law at Mt. Sinai, and the spectacular way in which God began to dwell among sinners in the world.

Once the people of Israel had a nation, a land, and an ordered kingdom, they also got an earthly king. The first one (Saul) was not good, and he was only the beginning of Israel’s bad kings. But the second king of Israel was an unlikely leader of the people. David was small, he was the youngest of his family, and he was nothing like Saul. But God “anointed” David (or placed a divine seal of affirmation upon him), and David ruled well (mostly).

It’s important to the story that we understand that David was not a perfect king. He sinned against God in grievous and terrible ways. But overall, David led the people toward the right worship of the one true God, and that was the dividing line for all of Israel’s kings. If they were bad, they led the nation into idolatry; if they were good, they generally led the nation in the right worship of the true God.

Because of God’s gracious appointment of David to the throne, God also gave him a similar blessing to the one He had given Abraham. God promised that David too would have an “offspring” who would rule “his kingdom forever” (2 Sam. 7:8-17). This coming king would be “a son” to God Himself, and He would “build a house” for God’s “name” that would last forever (2 Sam. 7:13-14). And throughout the entire OT, there are repeated references to this coming “Messiah” or “anointed one” or “Christ” …who would one day arrive… and fulfill God’s promises in a way that no earthly king could do… And that’s why we hear “The King has come!” in Matthew’s introduction… But there’s more…

2. A Divine Announcement (1:18-24)

Not only does Matthew tell us that Jesus is “the Christ” by way of His family lineage (Matt. 1:1-17), but he also tells us that Jesus is God’s “anointed one” by way of His miraculous birth… which was itself the fulfillment of OT prophecy.

Matthew says, in v18, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way” (v18). And there are at least three features of Jesus’s birth that we want to note here: (1) it was a miraculous conception, (2) it was announced by a divine messenger, and (3) it was exactly as God’s prophet foretold more than 700 years earlier. All of this tells us that God was doing something really big!

First, Jesus was conceived miraculously. From the very beginning of the biblical story, the Bible teaches the reader to keep an eye out for babies born to unlikely wombs. It was from Eve’s womb (one that had never borne a child) that God said would come the “offspring” who would conquer Satan and the curse through (or by way of) suffering (Gen. 3:15). It was from Sarah’s womb (one that was too old to conceive) that “Isaac” came… the miraculous son of blessing for Abraham (Gen. 21:1-7). It was from Rebekah’s womb (one that was barren) that “Jacob” came… the unlikely son of blessing for Isaac (Gen. 25:19-26).

So, when Matthew tells us that “Mary” was the “mother” of Jesus “from the Holy Spirit” (v18) and “before” she was married (i.e., while she was still a virgin), we are to hear an echo of a well-established OT pattern. Jesus, like other miraculous babies before, showed God’s power and plan in the way He was born.

Similarly, Jesus’s birth was announced by a divine or heavenly messenger. Matthew tells us that Joseph was “resolved to divorce” Mary, because he assumed that the baby she carried was conceived in sin (v19). But “an angel of the Lord appeared to [Joseph] in a dream” and told him that all of this was God’s doing (v20). Jesus was no ill-begotten child; He was sent specially by God so that He would “save his people from their sins” (v21).

It’s important for us to understand that the God of the Bible does not perform miracles on every other Tuesday. There are basically four major high points in human history when God miraculously invaded His creation. This is not to say that God does not act at any other times (He is always ruling and reigning over every molecule of His creation by His providence). But this is to say that God lights up the pages of human history with miracles and divine messengers when He means for us to sit up and pay close attention.

One of those occasions was at creation. God Himself spoke the universe into existence. He told those things that are not to be, and everything obeyed! God reached down into the dirt and formed humanity in His own image, and He established man and woman as the apex of His creation.

When God chose Abraham and his lineage, God did perform several miracles here and there, but the next major occasion when God lit up history was in the giving of His law and the establishing of the people of Israel as those who would dwell on earth with God in their midst. No other tribe or nation in the world heard God speak, no other people knew the fear and the hope of having God among them, and no other group saw God miraculously act on their behalf.

And yet, the people of Israel seemed completely unable to bear the responsibility of having God among them. Israel sinned and rebelled and followed everyone and everything except the God who made Himself known to them. So (the third occasion when God did great miracles in history), God sent prophets to the people of Israel… and the most notable of these were Elijah and Elisha. God’s prophets spoke the word of God, they performed miracles as validation of their divine commission, and they experienced God’s unusual power and presence.

But hundreds of years passed between these high points of human history when God worked such profound miracles, showing His power and revealing His plan. And again, each occasion was to point everyone watching toward that coming climax when God would perform the greatest miracles of all. In fact, when Matthew tells us that an angel “appeared” to announce the arrival of the one who would “save his people from their sins” (v21), this was a break in God’s silence which had lasted 400 years… since the prophet Malachi gave the final OT word.

At the birth of Jesus, then, the fourth occasion of God’s miraculous invasion of creation began. And throughout Jesus’s earthly ministry, He was performing miracles left and right. Jesus healed sick people, He delivered possessed people, and He even brought dead people back to life again! This occasion of major miracles was unlike the others… not only because of the number and kind of miracles, but most profoundly because the God of all creation had become a man and was performing miracles with His own human hand.

This brings us to the third feature of Jesus’s birth that I said we ought to note here… it was exactly as God’s prophet foretold more than 700 years earlier… and the prophecy was about the one who would be named “Immanuel” (v23). Matthew cites the prophet Isaiah (7:14, specifically). Isaiah lived and prophesied more than 700 years before the birth of Jesus. Isaiah made many predictions about who “the Christ” would be and what “the Christ” would do, but the one Matthew points us to here highlights two extraordinary things – (1) that Jesus’s birth was exactly according to God’s miraculous plan (foretold by a prophet), and (2) that the Christ-child was not only a real human but also the real God… His name is “Immanuel” (v23), and Matthew adds, “which means, God with us” (v23).

All of this leads us to see here a divine announcement… a proclamation from God Himself… that “Christ the King has come!”

But we also see that not everyone received this announcement with joy.

3. A Lowly Inauguration (2:1-6)

Each of the Gospel writers used the literary tool of contrast in some way. John (for example) contrasts light and dark, and true belief with false or superficial belief. But Matthew contrasts throughout his Gospel two different groups of people – the outcasts with the powerful, and the unrighteous with the religious leaders. And that’s exactly what we see here in Matthew’s account of Jesus’s birth.

Now, I’m going to have to blow up a Christmas myth and destroy at least one popular Christmas song in order to walk through these several verses, but I’m giving you a fair warning… so hopefully you won’t be too mad at me.[i]Matthew says, in chapter 2, verse 1, “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men [or “magi” (NASB, NIV)] from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him’” (2:1-2).

You’ve probably heard the song, “We Three Kings,” and you’ve probably seen a depiction of these three guys in most every nativity display. But (I’m sorry) most of what is popular about these men is wrong. And I’m not telling you this in order to be that “actually” guy… who likes to pour cold water on fun stuff. But in order for us to see what Matthew is doing here, we need to know what is true about these “wise men” from the “east.”

These guys were not from the “orient,” but from the “east,” which was very likely Mesopotamia or present-day Iraq. The Bible never tells us how many there were, but the number “three” likely comes from the number of gifts they brought (gifts which are significant as fulfillment of OT prophecies as well, and gifts which anticipate the work Jesus came to earth to do).

These guys also don’t belong in any nativity scene, since they “came to Jerusalem” sometime “after Jesus was born in Bethlehem” (v1). In other words, they weren’t there when Jesus was lying in a manger. They came sometime later, maybe as many as 18-24 months later.

But the most confusing myth I need to confront here (the one that has the biggest impact on the way we read our text today) is that these guys were not “kings,” but magicians, or what we might think of as ancient wizards. The word “magi” (translated “wise men” in the ESV) carries the meaning of powerful men who deal in ancient magic… like reading the stars, interpreting dreams, or performing pseudo-miracles of some sort. Something like the men who turned their sticks into snakes for the Egyptian pharaoh when Moses did the same in Exodus, or like the men other ancient kings turned to in order to interpret dreams and omen.

In other words, these were heathens! And this is incredibly important to Matthew’s account because of the way Matthew contrasts the “great joy” (v10) of the “wise men” or “magi” with the “trouble” or “anxiety” or “alarm” (NET) of Herod and “all” the people of “Jerusalem” (v3).

The magi were pagan stargazers, but they were seeking to “worship” the child who was “born king of the Jews” (v2). Whereas king Herod and all Israel seem to be uninterested (at best) or even hostile toward the coming of the Messiah. Matthew tells us that the man who was the earthly “king” of the Jews (i.e., Herod), along with the “chief priests and scribes” of Israel (who knew the OT prophecies about the Messiah), and even “all” the people of “Jerusalem” (who were the main people who should have been celebrating His arrival)… they were all “troubled.”

As we read further in Matthew’s Gospel, king Herod even tried to eliminate the would-be king by ordering the execution of every boy “in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under” (Matt. 2:16). And the ultimate response of the people of Israel was to oppose the Messiah of God at every turn and to crucify Him in a concerted effort between the leaders of Israel and Rome.

Matthew’s point here is that Jesus’s inauguration as King was a lowly one. The King had come, alright, but the people who should have heralded and celebrated His arrival were the very ones declaring war on the King! The lowliness of Jesus’s inauguration as King is punctuated here by the fact that He was born not in Jerusalem but Bethlehem. Matthew says that the Jewish priests and scribes knew the prophecy of Micah, which says, “And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means best among the rulers[or “princes” (KJV)] of Judah, for from you shall come a ruler [or “Governor” (KJV)] who will shepherd [or “rule” (KJV)] my people Israel” (v6; cf. Micah 5:2). The picture here is of a “shepherd-king” who will “pastor” or “shepherd” or “rule” the people of Israel as God’s anointed one.

But Jesus wasn’t received by those people who should have received Him. Instead, Jesus was received (and even worshipped) by the unlikeliest of people… secular or pagan “magi,” who knew at least some of the ancient prophecies, and who sought out the lowly King.

Friends, this seems to be the pattern throughout the Bible, and it also seems to be the pattern throughout history. Those who seek the glory of this world seem unable to see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. We too are in danger of having our eyes darkened to the glory and beauty and wonder of Christ if we are looking for a powerful earthly king who dominates His people and His enemies through coercion or violence.

There is most certainly coming a day when King Jesus will return in all His spender to destroy all His enemies and to finally save all His people. But until that day comes, Christians worship a lowly King, who has first and foremost revealed Himself as the suffering servant, and not as the conquering warrior. This is the message of Christmas… this is the heart of the gospel… and this is why we must respond to Christ ourselves with worship, and not with indifference or hostility.

4. Two Kinds of Response (2:7-12)

These last several verses of our passage today show us two starkly contrasting responses. One is the response of the magi, and the other is the response of Herod and the people of Israel.

Matthew tells us that “Herod summoned the wise men secretly, and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared” (v7). Herod told the wise men that his desire was to “worship” the new-born king himself (v8), but we know from what Herod did later that his real goal was to eradicate his opposition.

It’s also implied in the text here that most of the people of Israel were (at best) indifferent to the heavenly announcement that the King had come. None of the Gospel writers tell us that anyone but the magi and some obscure shepherds came to see the new-born King. In other words, there was no crowd with joy-filled celebration to visit Jesus and Mary and Joseph.

Then, as now, many hear the announcement “Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Let earth receive her King!” and they simply dismiss it and go on about their business. So too, some who hear that Christ has come “to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found” and they respond with hostility, desiring to maintain their own fake kingdoms and their own backward laws. They seem bent on striving to renew their own lives (which they are powerless to do), and they do not want a better king to tell them what to do (they only want to follow their own desires, even though that only leads to destruction).

But, friends, the fact that Christ has come is something we all have to deal with. Because the Christ or the Messiah has come, that means that all God has revealed in His word is true. There really was a miraculous creation at the beginning… there really was a sinful fall, initiated by Adam and Eve, which echoes down through the ages into our own lives… There really was a divine promise of gracious blessing given to Abraham, and there really was a kingdom promised to David and his “offspring” forever… And there really was a lowly inauguration of the Messiah who came, not to rule by conquering, but to conquer through suffering… And there really is only one way for sinners to enter back into right fellowship with the God who has made us.

And Matthew holds up the exemplary response of the magi for us to consider today. These men, pagan as they were, took note of the signs and prophecies that God Himself indicated would be evidence of the arrival of His appointed Savior-King. These men, sinful and ignorant as they were, when they beheld “the child” for themselves, they “fell down and worshipped” Him (v11).

And the gifts they brought were the fulfillment of ancient prophecies as well (Isaiah 60; especially v6), which spoke of a coming day when God’s anointed one would make the days of mourning come to an end (Isaiah 60:20).

Friends, we live in the time between Christ’s first coming (or advent) and His second… a time when the promises of the gospel are already and not yet. The King has truly come, and we who respond with worship… we who see our sin for what it is… we who look to Christ as the one who has lived and died in the place of sinners… we who hear of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus as a foretaste of that same resurrection from the death Christ has promised to bring about for all His people… We may worship today… not because we are more noble or more powerful or more righteous or more loving or more forgiving than others in the world… but we may worship because the Savior-King has opened His kingdom to all those who enter by repentance and faith.

May God grant us eyes to see His wisdom and grace in the person and work of Jesus Christ today. And may God grant that we would be like the magi, who though they were not counted among the people of Israel, were nevertheless counted among those who responded rightly to the King… the very one God has sent for the salvation of His people.

Endnotes

[i] If you’re interested to study this further, then I highly recommend this brief and informative article from Greg Lanier. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/three-kings-orient-arent/

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Aland, Kurt, Barbara Aland, Johannes Karavidopoulos, Carlo M. Martini, and Bruce M. Metzger, eds. Novum Testamentum Graece. 28th ed. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2012.

Chrysostom, John. Saint Chrysostom: Homilies on the Epistles of Paul to the Corinthians. Edited by Philip Schaff. Logos Research Edition. Vol. 12. A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, First Series. New York, NY: Christian Literature Company, 1889.

Ciampa, Roy E., and Brian S. Rosner. The First Letter to the Corinthians. Logos Research Edition. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. Logos Research Edition. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

Sproul, R. C., ed. The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition). Logos Research Edition. Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Logos Research Edition. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016.

The Holy Bible: King James Version. Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009.

The Holy Bible: New International Version. Logos Research Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984.

The NET Bible First Edition. Logos Research Edition. Biblical Studies Press, 2005.

Vaughan, Curtis, and Thomas D. Lea. 1 Corinthians. Logos Research Edition. Founders Study Commentary. Cape Coral, FL: Founders Press, 2002.

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