Sunday, February 6, 2011
The Matthew Series, Chapter 1 Continued…
The rents
Imagine being an adolescent, engaged to a man (just as binding as marriage), in a culture where honor is so important, and being found pregnant could bring judgment, even death stones. And then this divine being asks you to carry the Son of God in your womb, the Messiah, who would save His people. Could you say no? I mean, you’re being asked to be placed in a very vulnerable situation, and yet this is God, all-knowing and all-mighty.
And think about how Joseph must of felt, a young man of honor and your bride-to-be is prego. He also would of endured shame and ridicule. But he, “being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.” (Mat ) And then an angel of the Lord appears to him and reassures him… “Your bride is alright, it’s just the Son of God that she’s carrying!” Could you imagine? “Honey I’m pregnant! And it’s the Saviour of the universe!” Talk about responsibility! But this Mary and Joseph, although they’re young and poor and simple people, they have what God is looking for. Good hearts, willing to trust in Him and accept this challenge.
“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel’ which means, God with us.” (Mat 1:22-23) Matthew quotes the prophet Isaiah who died more than 700 years earlier! Prophecy is a foretelling or forth-telling of God’s word about a truth, the present or the future. God uses such prophecies to bear witness to His authority, Kingship, faithfulness, and love. And he uses unlikely candidates, often an underdog, so we know where the glory goes. I think He knows we need confirmation, and I think He likes showing up and showing off when we seek Him. I think He loves us that much.
Isaiah 7:14
The Matthew Series, Chapter 1
The begats
The book of Matthew starts off with a genealogy of who begat who, the family tree of Jesus. This genealogy is evidence of a kept promise, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:15) In other words, God promised a Hero from the line of Eve, and although He would suffer, He would defeat the deceiver.
It’s also a “royal blood line,” the heritage of the King. Interestingly, this blood line isn’t all noble. Look at the women who are listed: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, “the wife of Uriah” aka Bathsheba, and Mary. Widowed Tamar made it with her father-in-law to avoid being destitute, Rahab was a prostitute who helped save the Israelites in Canaan, Ruth was a foreigner who got Boaz drunk to sleep with her (to avoid destitution), Bathsheba was called upon by King David although she was married, and Mary was super young (maybe 13) and engaged… with someone Else’s baby. These women have a beautiful story, although they’re not “holier than thou,” and yet God cherished them and placed them in His royal blood line. Our God is able to see past the junk and chooses to redeem us from it.
The Matthew Series, Intro
Back ground info (from the Reformation Study Bible)
Whoever wrote the book of Matthew forgot to write their name on it (or didn’t think it necessary). However, tradition claims it was Matthew, the former tax collector who became one of the 12 disciples of Jesus. The book was written in both Hebrew and Greek, perhaps in Antioch
The book of Matthew is one of the four Gospels in today’s Bible. The Gospel message is about Jesus the Christ, His life, His teachings and His identity as the Messiah (the One who would bring ultimate reconciliation between God and His people.) The word Christ comes from the Greek Christos, which means “anointed,” as does the Hebrew word Messiah. In Hebrew culture, one was anointed with oil as a prophet, priest, or king. God promised “the coming of the righteous Servant of the Lord (Is 42:1-9), who will be a prophet like Moses (Deut.18:18-19), a priest like Melchizedek (Ps 110:4), and a king like David, the Lord’s anointed (Is 55:3-5; Jer 30:9; Ezek 34:24; Hos 3:5; Zech 12:8).” Jesus became all three and fulfilled Old Testament prophecy.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Why am I?
The oversimplified rant
From my short experience on this world, I have learned that we are all flawed (and anyone who claims to be otherwise is crazy or hiding something.) I’ve also noticed a common void in people. Imperfect (or absent) parenting, harsh realities, whatever we blame for this hole we try to fill, somehow everyone has it. And I suspect that nothing ever satisfies it, at least not for long. Circumstances change, hardships come, our addictions take their toll, and we eventually realize our desperation as nothing, not even our own lives, is in our grasp. This pursuit of happiness seems to have no destination or fulfillment. So what’s the purpose of life? And are we to ever be satisfied? I didn’t arrive on this planet of my own accord; surely I’m not here for my own purpose. If I could figure out my purpose, could I find fulfillment? Am I even able to fulfill my purpose being that I’m… flawed? I asked God, “What’s the big idea? Why am I?” and in my finite heart I heard something like, “To express Myself.” To simply be, with the knowledge of Him, is oddly satisfying the more I get know Him.
(Creator God, I must be an abstract afterthought. Lol!)
Isaiah 55:2-3
the King
From what I’ve gleaned of the Gospel story
As an American, it’s hard to really comprehend or relate to a monarchy or kingship. Historically, a king was considered to be chosen of God or a god himself. Because of this “divine right,” a king’s subjects were truly loyal. They had (for the most part) a sense of love, fear, commitment, submission, and reverence for the king. I haven’t found this in our culture. (I’m not sure if it could be found in a democracy or a republic.) This lack of experience or knowledge often challenges me in my approach to God, and I see the same struggle in other seekers. It seems like people are shopping for a god with the right credentials. But who are we to create such a standard? What if the true God doesn’t meet our personal check lists? Would we ever find Him? I think some of us would, those of us who could submit our authority.
I feel this way because God did something amazing in Jesus. The Most High King took the place of the most humble subject, becoming a child of a poor Jewish couple. He lived life in such away that He could relate to His people, even the outcasts, and at the same time show us how to live with love towards one another and without the fears that poverty, dictatorship, and ostracism impose. This King also paid for the crimes His people made against Him (mostly the crime of disloyalty). He took what should have been our punishment, dieing the most shameful death of that age… being innocent and a King. Why? Why would He get to know us, help us to live a better life, and then take the blame for our hang-ups when we’ve rejected Him? For God so loved the world, that He jumped in front of a bullet to save us. The thing is, our God seeks us. And not because we’re so amazing, but because He is. I’m not a parent (yet), but I understand the desire to have children, and I can understand the desire to take a bullet for them, even if they rejected me.
John 3:16
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