One of the many wonders of a newborn child is wondering who he will be. What is his personality? Will he be more like his father or his mother? What will he look like? What will be his vocation? Who will he marry? How many kids will he have? Who will he grow up to be?
Matthew doesn’t leave us wondering about who the infant Jesus will be. We don’t begin with Him as a baby, catching hints and clues along the way. Matthew begins with a full-fledged genealogy in the first seventeen verses (Matthew 1:1–17) to establish Jesus for who He was when Matthew wrote his book and who He is right now—the Messiah, the Davidic King, and the One who brings God’s wonderful promises to the world. In fact, even before getting into the genealogy, Matthew introduces Jesus this way in his very first verse (Matthew 1:1).
First, we see that Jesus is the Messiah.
This title comes from the Hebrew and is equivalent to the Greek Christ, both meaning “the Anointed One.” Exploring this title’s meaning, we remember that Matthew wrote primarily for a Jewish audience and often quoted the prophet Isaiah.
- Perhaps his readers recalled that the Messiah was to be “anointed” with the Spirit of God (Isaiah 61:1), “anointed” being a Hebrew verb that sounds like the title Messiah.
- Perhaps they could have recalled also from Isaiah that this Messiah would be the all-knowing, all-powerful King to rule the world (Isaiah 2, 9, 11, 42, 49, 61, 65–66).
- Perhaps they recalled Isaiah’s words of the Messiah’s suffering—an obedient Servant who was pierced, crushed, scourged, and chastened for sins not His own, a guilt offering for us all (Isaiah 52–53).
- Perhaps some readers were keen enough to notice that, in spite of His sufferings, He would see His people for eternity (Isaiah 53:10). This prophecy meant that He would be raised from the dead!
- As Matthew goes on to record the life of Jesus, we know with certainty that He came and lived obediently, died sinlessly, arose victoriously, and now sits gloriously in heaven above. Our Great Commission is to tell others about Him, teach them to be like Him, and look for His return one day (Matthew 28:18–20).
Second, we see that Jesus is the Son of David.
Matthew also identifies Jesus as the Son of David. In fact, Matthew recorded how Jesus Himself brought special attention to this title in order to help others understand it correctly (Matthew 22:41–46). Even though Jesus was a descendant of David, David called this Son “Lord” and prophesied that He would sit at the Father’s right hand in heaven (Psalm 110:1). The point is that Jesus is the Son of God and God the Son, infinitely greater than David.
This title also means that God promised David an eternal dynasty (2 Samuel 7:8–16)—not merely by a never-ending succession of kings, but through the eternal King Jesus who was successful over death, arose, and will come again to rule in perfection. Speaking of Himself as “the Son of Man,” Jesus told us that He would return to rule Israel and all the world: “in His glory… He will sit on His glorious throne” when “all the nations will be gathered before Him” (Matthew 25:31–32; cf. Psalm 2). May it be that we all gladly bow the knee to King Jesus when He comes again!
Third, we see that Jesus is the Son of Abraham.
As with David, we see that a son in the Bible can be descendant of someone many generations later. Jesus was Son to Abraham in this way.
Abraham looms large in Israel’s history. It was Abraham who received God’s promises of blessing, a people (Israel), and land (Genesis 12:1–7). Abraham is key to the history of the Jews.
In fact, he is key to the message of salvation for the world. God promised Abraham, “In you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). And through Jesus, Abraham’s divine Descendant, “all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 22:18; Galatians 3:16) as each one places his or her faith in Him (Galatians 3:26).
Conclusion
Jesus is the Messiah. He died for our sins, He was raised from the dead, and He is coming again.
As David’s Son, He is Israel’s King, He sits on the Father’s throne, and He will return to claim the world for Himself.
As Abraham’s Son, salvation blessing is to us by faith in Him.
This is just a little bit about Jesus in order to introduce us to Him. But, as we believe, it is enough for our salvation and to have an eternal relationship with Him.
May God bless us this Christmas season as we know Jesus for who He really is—the Messiah, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham, and the One from Whom all blessings flow!
—
Photo by Jon Carlson on Unsplash