Behold the Messiah

As my husband and I eagerly waited for the birth of our baby, we watched for signs of his imminent arrival and longed for that day to come. Have you ever waited for the arrival of someone so important to you?

The Israelites waited a very long time for the arrival of the Messiah God promised them. As they waited, God gave them even more promises. Some foretold His virgin birth while others spoke of His death, burial, and resurrection. Other Messianic prophecies are still to be fulfilled. Some scholars consider the following the most important ones regarding Jesus’ birth.

“Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14 KJV

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”                         Isaiah 9:6 KJV

“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”                   Micah 5:2 KJV

Jesus’ genealogy is given in three of the gospels: Matthew 1, Luke 3:23-38, and John 1:1-14. Matthew traces this genealogy from Abraham, Luke traces it from Adam, and John shows that Jesus is the Son of God. Why are these genealogies so different?

Some people point to the differences as evidence of errors in the Bible. However, the Jews were meticulous record keepers, and it’s ridiculous to think the gospel writers wrote these different genealogies by mistake.

Many Bible scholars believe the different genealogies give a more complete picture of the Messiah. They believe Luke is recording Mary’s genealogy while Matthew is recording Joseph’s. Matthew follows the line of Joseph (Jesus’ legal father) from David’s son Solomon, while Luke follows the line of Mary (Jesus’ mother) from David’s son Nathan. Since there was no specific Greek word for “son-in-law,” Joseph was called the “son of Heli” by marriage. Through Mary’s line, Jesus is a blood descendant of King David and is therefore eligible to be the Messiah. Tracing a genealogy through the mother is unusual, but so was the virgin birth. Luke’s explanation is seen in Luke 3:23. “And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph…”

Matthew wrote to a Hebrew audience. He wanted to show from Jesus’ genealogy and fulfillment of prophecies that Jesus was the Messiah, the promised King or “Son of David” who would sit upon the throne of Israel (Matthew 9:27; 21:9).

Mark, an eyewitness to the life of Christ and a friend of the apostle Peter, wrote for a Gentile audience. He shows Christ as the suffering Servant who came to give His life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). Mark doesn’t include a genealogy since that wasn’t important for a servant.

Luke, Paul’s physician and companion, wrote the gospel of Luke and the Acts of the apostles. Luke is a diligent historian and the only Gentile author of the New Testament. He states that it’s his intent to write an orderly account of the life of Christ based on eyewitness reports (Luke 1:1-4). He wants to show that the Christian faith is based on reliable historical events. Luke refers to Christ as the “Son of Man.”

The gospel of John, written by John the apostle, is different from the other Gospels. It contains theology about Christ and the meaning of faith. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the “Synoptic Gospels” because they give a synopsis of the life of Christ. The gospel of John begins with the Son of God before He became man (John 1:14). It emphasizes the deity of Christ. In John’s gospel, Jesus affirms His deity with several “I Am” statements. In John 8:58 Jesus states that “…before Abraham was, I am.” John also emphasizes Jesus’ humanity to show the error of a religious sect, the Gnostics, who didn’t believe in Christ’s humanity.

John’s gospel explains his purpose for writing. “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” John 20:31

It’s important to remember these facts.

1.         Jesus is the Son of God. He’s a blood descendant of Mary but not of Joseph.

2.         Genesis 3:15 says the Messiah would come from the seed of the woman.

3.         In Jeremiah chapter 22 God pronounced a blood curse on Jeconiah. Jeconiah’s blood descendants could not become king. Joseph is Jeconiah’s descendant. Joseph’s biological descendants could not become king.

By having the distinct yet accurate accounts of the Lord Jesus, we see different aspects of who Jesus is. He’s the Son of God and the Son of Man. He’s the Messiah.

Simon Greenleaf, a well-known authority on what constitutes reliable evidence in a court of law, examined the four Gospels from a legal perspective. He noted that the type of eyewitness accounts given in the Gospels is typical of reliable, independent sources that would be accepted in a court of law as strong evidence. The independent nature of the Gospels, agreeing in information but differing in perspective, details, and which events were recorded, indicates that the record of Christ’s life and ministry as presented in the Gospels is factual and reliable.

The Messiah was born just as the Scriptures promised. As we prepare our hearts and homes to commemorate His first coming, remember that He’s coming again. Are you ready? If you’re saved, are you living for Him? If you’ve never trusted in Christ as your Savior, it’s not too late. You can do that today!

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” John 3:16-17 KJV