Daily Bread for Oct 5, Mt 1-4

Today’s readings are Mt 1-4.

Matthew is written by a Jew to fellow Jews. Its primary theme is that Jesus is the Messiah, descended from David with full rights to sit on David's throne. Along those lines, Matthew places a strong emphasis on Jesus' teachings, recording five major sermons in great detail, all of which build upon traditional Jewish teaching and understanding of the Scriptures.

Matthew starts out with a lengthy genealogy. The emphasis here is on Jesus' Jewish lineage, beginning with Abraham. Jesus is descended from a wide variety of types. We see many familiar names in the lineup, not all of them desirable, some of them not even Jewish-born.

There's a profound lesson in this record of births and parentage that boasts of the nobility of kings but also is littered with people questionable of character if not outright evil. The message in the genealogy is this, God can use anyone He chooses to accomplish His work. No one is beyond redemption. At the same time, we also see a few of the wicked kings we read about in the Old Testament. As far as we know, none of them were redeemed. Yet, they were kings that sat on the throne of David. Although they were evil, God used them to fulfill His promise to David that there would always be one of his descendants on the throne. All the kings of Judah, good and bad, were part of God's divine plan to establish a throne for His only Son, Jesus. God is sovereign over all things. He can even use evil deeds and evil people to accomplish His plan. As proof, He used kings like Rehoboam, Abijah, Ahaz, the supremely evil Manasseh and Jeconiah.

In Mt 1:22-23, we see the birth of Jesus, fulfilling an eight-hundred-year-old prophecy (Isaiah 7:14) concerning the coming of the Messiah.

Mt 2 relates the visit of the Magi who are following a star. It's not exactly what we hear in the Christmas carol. They are not kings. Most likely they are astrologers. It is not the night Christ is born, but about two years after (see below). They are carrying precious gifts and are, quite likely, not alone but in a large caravan for safety as was typical for that day and time. As another indication of how things will eventually progress, we see the wise men, Persians (Gentiles), seeking God while Herod and the people in Jerusalem are reacting in fear and rejection, ultimately trying to kill Jesus.

Upon their arrival, the Magi meet Herod. The city is in an uproar motivating the king to make inquiries as to the birthplace of the child they've come to see. His people tell him the baby should be in Bethlehem, according to Scripture. Matthew is careful to mention Bethlehem as being another fulfillment of prophecy (Mic 5:2).

Herod, fearing this child would be a threat to his throne, orders the execution of all the male children 2 years and under, according to when the wise men saw the star. This is how we know they have arrived 2 years after the birth of Jesus. The wise men saw the star. For whatever the reason, it seems they arrive in Jerusalem 2 years later.

Before the order to execute the children can be carried out, an angel tells Joseph to take Mary and Jesus and flee to Egypt, another prophecy fulfilled (Hos 11:1). Joseph can do this and survive easily on the riches the wise men have brought him. God provides!

Tragically, due to the pride and fear of one evil man, the children of Bethlehem die fulfilling another prophecy (Jer 31:15).

Herod eventually dies. Joseph returns and settles in Nazareth, a city in the district of Galilee and another prophecy is fulfilled. (Isa 9:1)

The baby is small and helpless, totally dependent upon those around Him. Even as prophecy is being fulfilled in the events surrounding His birth, God ensures that all the other prophecies will come to pass by preserving and protecting the baby.

Consider the incredible chain of events throughout Israel's history, all of which lead up to this moment. Consider the way the events of those first two years of Jesus' life had to synchronize for the prophecies to be fulfilled and for the baby to survive. We see wise men traveling for months at a time to see the baby, kings trying to kill the baby, the earthly father, acting under divine revelation to protect his infant son, God's provision to enable that protection and more. God sovereignly aligns all human history to bring His plan of redemption to fruition with amazing accuracy and detail.

John the Baptist appears in Mt 3. Malachi ended with the promise of a Messiah. Then Israel was without a prophet for four hundred years. Now, John shows up and is regarded by the people as a prophet. John the Baptist is the last of the Old Testament prophets. He is the link between the Book of Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament and the first book of the New, the Gospel of Matthew. His job is to prepare the way for the Messiah.

John’s baptism is one of repentance. By the tone of the chapter, no one sees this as unusual. Baptism (immersion) was common back then, more so than most people think. Jewish tradition tells us there was a cleansing ritual in a pool known as a mikvah. It was used for worship utensils, women who had menstruated and new converts to Judaism as well as for a few other sacred rituals that required cleansing. The mikvah was a shadow of the true baptism to come. Even John's baptism is a shadow of what is to come. Both the mikvah and John's baptism of repentance represent the cleansing believers experience as they are immersed (baptized) in Christ.

Notice that Pharisees and Sadducees are coming to John's baptism. Either they are coming out to see what is going on or they are getting baptized. If they are being baptized, for most of them, it cannot be with contrite hearts as these are the very same people who will turn on Jesus and reject Him. In this, we see a biblical truth. The sacrament of Baptism neither bestows nor guarantees salvation. It must be done as a testimony of one who is already saved.

Jesus shows up and insists on being baptized "for us to fulfill all righteousness." This accomplishes two things: 

#1, Jesus does it according to the will of the Father.  #2, Jesus affirms John's ministry. 

All three members of the Trinity make a stunning appearance as Jesus comes up out of the water after being baptized.

Mt 4's description of the temptation of Christ covers three areas of typical human weakness, all of them based on self-centeredness. The temptation to turn stone into bread hits on two levels - first as a draw to be self-satisfying and second as an attempt to be self-sustaining. Both function apart from God, denying that He is the One who satisfies, He is the One who sustains.

The temptation for Christ to throw Himself off the pinnacle of the Temple was a temptation to try God and a temptation to get Jesus to distort Scripture to serve His own ego. We are told not to test God in any way other than in giving (Ma 3:10). Yet, many have a desire for God to prove Himself to them as if they are the standard by which God will be affirmed. The desire to test God is a desire to have authority over Him. In many ways, the temptation to distort Scripture for our own self-interests is similar. Using God’s word to elevate ourselves and make ourselves the object of attention or the recipients of His glory is never a good idea.

The temptation to worship Satan to acquire power and influence is nothing more than a temptation to make oneself into God.

These are the same temptations Adam and Eve fell victim to. Jesus refuses to succumb to any of them. In doing so, Jesus begins the process of undoing the impact of the fall, eventually gaining victory over the consequences of Adam’s sin. He is doing what Adam was unable to do, walking in sinless perfection, fulfilling His role as the second Adam while simply quoting the word of God. Significantly, Jesus never exerts His authority, never fights with Satan, never tries to reason with him. As we watch the Messiah in a face-to-face confrontation with the Devil, the only spiritual warfare we witness is the proclamation of God's word.