He Will Save His People

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
Matthew 1 (click the link)


KEY PASSAGE:
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21, NIV)


REFLECTIONS:
Tres has a knack for assigning me these offbeat chapters (maybe I shouldn’t call the Bible offbeat, but you know what I mean). Anyway, Matthew 1 is not normally a hotbed for devotional fodder, but there is more here than you may realize at first glance. The long genealogy that takes up the majority of the chapter serves an important purpose, especially to the original readers.

N.T. Wright reminds us that…  

“tracing one’s family pedigree is regarded by many societies as enormously important… For the Jewish world of Matthew’s day, this genealogy was the equivalent of a roll of drums, a fanfare of trumpets, and a town crier calling for attention. Any first-century Jew would find this family tree both impressive and compelling. Like a great procession coming down a city street, we watch the figures at the front, and the ones in the middle, but all eyes are waiting for the one who comes in the position of greatest honor, right at the end. 

“As though to emphasize that Jesus isn’t just one member in an ongoing family, but actually the goal of the whole list, he arranges the genealogy into three groups of 14 names—or, perhaps we should say, into six groups of seven names. The number seven was and is one of the most powerful symbolic numbers, and to be born at the beginning of the seventh seven in the sequence is clearly to be the climax of the whole list. This birth, Matthew is saying, is what Israel has been waiting for two thousand years.”

By the way, this genealogy does not strive for completeness by documenting every instance of a father’s immediate offspring. The verb translated “the father of” does not demand immediate relationship, but may only mean “was the ancestor of” or “became the progenitor of.” It is therefore not surprising to find hundreds of years accounted for by only a few generations. 

Something else that is very intriguing is the inclusion of four women in an otherwise male genealogy (Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba). While women are occasionally listed in genealogies, the oddity of Matthew’s list is the mention of these four particular women. Their precise role in the genealogy has been the subject of much discussion by scholars, but I’ll summarize by saying that the presence of four Gentile women foreshadows how Matthew shows Jesus breaking the ethnic and social divisions in the new community of faith (see 8:5-13; 15:21-28; 28:18-20). Early in Matthew’s story we learn that neither one’s ethnic origin, gender, nor one’s social status proves to be an obstacle to full participation in the blessings of God.

Matthew goes on to describe Mary’s miraculous conception and the drama that followed. Joseph interprets Mary’s pregnancy as evidence of sexual immorality, demanding some sort of legal action (since engagement was the legal equivalent of marriage and any sexual impropriety constituted adultery). 

Joseph is described as a righteous man, meaning that he took seriously the Old Testament law. In view of the Mosaic ruling concerning the unfaithfulness of “a virgin pledged to be married” (Deuteronomy 22:23-27), Joseph could not in good conscience fulfill his marital obligations with Mary. The only options apparent to Joseph were either to expose Mary to public shame by initiating legal proceedings (perhaps the procedure outlined in Deuteronomy 22), or to pursue a private settlement by simply handing her a bill of divorce in the presence of two witnesses (see Deuteronomy 24:1-4). Joseph’s decision to pursue the latter course of action is reflective of his effort to fuse his obedience to God’s law with his compassionate regard for Mary. Joseph’s blending of righteousness with compassion surely had an impact on and foreshadows Jesus’ own character.

POINT OF ACTION:

Matthew declares that Jesus’ messianic mission is to “save his people from their sins.” Interestingly, being saved from sin is not what the people were looking for; it was not a major Israelite expectation of the Messiah. But Matthew is reminding us that Jesus came not to liberate people from political oppression, but from the tyrannical hold of sin, the ultimate oppressor of the people of God. 

We should let that sink in. 

Sin is literally translated “missing the mark”… being less than what God has in mind for us. Way back in high school when I was being “discipled” by my youth pastor, I learned the three “P’s” regarding Christ’s work dealing with sin. Jesus came to rescue us from the Penalty, Power, and Presence of sin. 

The church has greatly emphasized the freedom we have in Christ from the penalty of sin; and we have even strongly lauded that one day when the kingdom of God is fully come, we will be free from the presence of sin. But I could use a reminder that I have also been rescued from the power of sin. Right now!

Though once powerless against the sinful nature, we are now being transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit in our inner being. Followers of Christ are truly free to choose righteousness over sinful living, if we will but die to ourselves (no easy task). 

Whatever sin we may be currently struggling with (and there are tons to choose from!… unforgiveness, unbelief, worry, slander… lust, envy, lying, greed… whew, I’m getting depressed just writing this). Let’s remember that we really are free from the power of sin. We can truly break its hold and enjoy lives that honor God and reflect his dreams for us. 

By his power and grace, we can forgive from the heart rather than be bitter; we can be thankful for what God has given us rather than envious and greedy. We can trust God for our future, that his plans for us are good, rather than worry. We can speak the truth in love, as best we understand it, and let the chips land where they may, rather than manipulate and massage the truth to control other’s opinions. 

Jesus came to save us from our sin. So, what sin do you need rescuing from?

PRAYER:

Right now, discuss with God the sin(s) that come to mind, asking him to give you the power to live righteously, from the heart, today. And remember, Jesus gave his life to rescue you from the penalty of sin, therefore “there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Even though others may remind you of your past sins, and even paint your future by them, your heavenly father forgives you and empowers you to live the abundant life in all righteousness.

WHO AM I?

My name is Greg Bland. Reading the genealogy in Matthew 1 made me think of my kids (and dream of future grandkids!). I am so proud of my children (Alexander, Morgan, Jordan, and Hailey), and I don’t tell them enough how precious they are to me. This summer we will have several weeks with all the kids home under one roof. It’s going to be wonderful!

This horrendous picture is an example of the silly things dads will do to make their kids laugh. This was a progression a while back of me shaving my beard, coming out to pose with each new stage. Pretty goofy looking, I know, but they laughed.