Matthew 3:7-12

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7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” ~ Matthew 3:7-12

Today, we continue our study of Matthew 3 where the narrative has moved along about 26 years to the Jordan River where the cousin of the Lord Jesus, John the Baptist, was preaching a message of repentance and that the kingdom of God was at hand. Many of those who went out to hear John believed his message and were baptized by him in the Jordan River. Baptism is an outward declaration of an inward change of heart. In today's passage, Matthew, while speaking of John, turns our attention to what John had to say to the Jewish religious leaders.

In v.7-10 of today's passage we read, "7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

The Jewish religious leaders in that day believed that since they were born Jewish, they were automatically included in the family of God. Since they believed it was about them, they taught the people that a literal obedience to the written law and to an unwritten tradition was a must for any Jew. It was evidence that they were in the family. But, no amount of goodness earns or maintains the acceptance before God. It is only through the Lord Jesus that we are made and maintained right with God. Since it is impossible for anyone to obey God perfectly, the "hypocrisy" of the Jewish religious leaders numbed their conscience toward the Lord and made them "incapable of repentance."

The religious leaders questioned John's authority, doctrine, intent, and theology. Since so many people were coming to him, the Jewish religious leaders saw John as a threat to their power. In response, John identified them as a "Brood of Vipers" akin to the serpent who introduced sin to man in the Garden of Eden. Brood means offspring. The Jewish religious leaders were the offspring of the serpent also called the devil. So, John "warned" the religious leaders of their phoniness. The word "warned" is a compound word signifying "to exhibit under the eyes." This word is only used six times in the New Testament. John used this hard hitting word to draw the attention of the religious leaders to the coming wrath of God which had been prophesied by the Old Testament prophets. 

The wrath of God is something that cannot be dismissed when the Bible is read. To sin is to miss the mark with God. In this, His judgment must be issued. The very holy nature of God demands judgement of sin. This is why the Lord Jesus had to ransom us through His death. The religious leaders saw no need for God's forgiveness and so they rejected God's provision for forgiveness and atonement of sin. For those who reject this free gift means that God's wrath, by default, remains upon them. The religious leaders of Israel were offered God's forgiveness through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ, but most of them rejected it. 

This is why John the Baptist challenged them to "bear fruits worthy of repentance." The word fruits is a metaphor used to describe that which comes from an individual to describe his essence. The Lord Jesus would later say that the state of a tree would determine the state of the fruit born by that tree. The point of John’s baptism was for people to reconsider their state before God, whether they were acceptable before Him or not. To the honest and humble, repentance was most necessary because they understood that no one can be good enough. For those who were baptized, they did so out of their honest reconsideration of their condition before God. The religious, on the other hand, were sons of the devil and were defined by the phony.

John’s words signified the impending judgment of God and every tree not producing good fruit would be cut down. John's message would be that which God used to point the people to the Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of sin. One thing we always notice about John the Baptist is that he always pointed people to his cousin. John knew that he was the forerunner to the Messiah. John knew that he was just the messenger and that the Lord Jesus was the message. 

Unbeknown by most, the Lord Jesus would be the antitype to all the lambs that were sacrificed since the Exodus in the Old Testament. And everyone who would turn to the Lord Jesus would be like the tree that produced good fruit. Interestingly, the trees mentioned in the Bible provide for us understanding. The fig, for example, consistently speaks of one's connection to God. The olive tree reminds us of the spiritual privileges that God gave to the people of Israel. The acacia tree is incorruptible, picturing for us the incorruptible Man and His work on our behalf, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

In v.11-12 of today's passage we read, "11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

John the Baptist had just told the religious leaders that any tree that did not bear good fruit would be cut down and thrown into the fire. Like all of the Old Testament prophets, John's calling was to get the people to repent from themselves and turn to God for forgiveness. John employed a metaphor that all in that day clearly understood. If a man had slaves, the lowliest job for the lowest slave would be to wait for the master to come through the door into the house. When he arrived, this slave would take his masters shoes off and then proceed to wash his feet. The Lord Jesus said of John, "Of all of the prophets, John the Baptist was the greatest," and yet, in his words John was unworthy to lift the sandals of the Lord Jesus. 

John next noted that the Messiah would "baptize them in the Holy Spirit." This baptism was of utmost necessity because without the indwelling Holy Spirit, there would be no connection for sinful man to God. For man to be restored to God, man's sin had to be atoned for and God's Spirit had to awaken his spirit to God. The baptism the Lord provides was compared by John with "fire" which describes the effects of accepting the Lord Jesus as our Savior through faith in His work on the cross. Even though we still live in these corruptible bodies, the purification that has come through believing the gospel is once and forever for the believer. That which was impure and which separated us from God has by the Lord Jesus been removed from us.  

John told the people that the Messiah would come with His "winnowing fan" in His hand. A winnowing fan was used to toss freshly harvested wheat into the air, where the useless chaff could be blown clear by the wind. The heavier wheat would fall back to the ground and be gathered up. In John's metaphor, the wheat represents those who repent and look to the Christ for salvation, while the chaff symbolizes those who reject Him. John declared that unbelievers will burn with unquenchable fire, referring to the eternal judgment of God's wrath mentioned by the Old Testament prophets. For the willing of heart, the Lord Jesus would earn and provide for them complete purification from sin. God Himself came to rescue sinful man out of our mess that we created in the Garden of Eden. The difference between the saved and those who are not is that the saved humbly and honestly express our need to God for His help and we have received from Him His salvation.

Matthew 3:1-6

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1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.'" 4 Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him 6 and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. ~ Matthew 3:1-6

Today, we transition into Matthew 3 where the fast forward button has been pushed and now we find ourselves witnessing the coming of the long awaited messenger of the Lord, John the Baptist. At the end of the previous chapter we learned that the Lord Jesus grew up in the Galilean city of Nazareth. According to Luke's gospel, John the Baptist was the cousin of the Lord Jesus. He was also the hinge between the Old Testament and the New, between the story of Israel and the story of the Lord Jesus Christ who came to enact the New Covenant.

In v.1-2 of today's passage we read, "1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!'"

The events in this chapter happened some years after the death of Herod the Great. It was at that time that John the Baptist came as the herald of the coming Messiah. The name John is a contraction of two Hebrew words meaning  "The LORD has been gracious." John came "proclaiming in the wilderness of Judea" a message of repentance from trying to make it through this life apart from God. John also came heralding the coming of the Messiah. 

John introduced the concept of "repentance" which literally means  "to exercise the mind to the point of observing and comprehending." Thus, repentance means "a change of mind." John's message of "repentance" signified a mental assertion that the thought process of the people had been incorrect and needed a change in the opposite direction. The emphasis in all of John's messages was on a change of mind. 

While many believe repentance is to feel sorry for sin, a more accurate understanding of this word is that we come to the end of depending on ourselves to get life right. Many, incorrectly use the word repentance in a manner that is synonymous with removing sin from our life. The concept of repentance has been so misapplied that it no longer means to reconsider but to repair through action, something that is impossible for sinful man. The problem with this is that it makes the idea of repentance one of "fixing our life of sin before God will accept us." This is not the biblical understanding of salvation. The process of salvation is to hear the word, believe it and through reconsideration of who the Lord Jesus is and what He has done, depend upon Him for our salvation. 

In v.3 of today's passage we read, "For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.'"

John, the older cousin of the Lord Jesus, was the fulfillment of a prophecy spoken by Isaiah that there would be a forerunner to the Messiah. Understanding that, Matthew next wrote, "A voice of one hollering in the wilderness." John's message of turn from depending upon ourselves to turn to the Messiah whom we depend upon for our salvation was like the rebar of a newly paved street that would last on into eternity and beyond. 

Repentance is not a work we do to earn God's salvation. No one can repent and come to God for salvation unless God pulls that person to Himself. Repentance is something God gives and it is only possible because of His grace. No one can repent unless God grants repentance. All of salvation, including repentance and faith, is a result of God drawing us, opening our eyes, and changing our hearts. It is God’s patience and kindness that leads us to repentance.

In v.4-6 of today's passage we read, "4 Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him 6 and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins." 

John’s appearance and his food are equated here with his ministry. He came in the form of Elijah as a forerunner of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. John came preparing the way for the messianic ministry of the Lord. His words were words of coming judgment. Everything about how John is described is given to show us hints of what has already been learned from a full study of the Old Testament. 

The people of Jerusalem, despite having all of the religious leaders in that area, were spiritually bankrupt and hungry and wanted to know God. It was evident to the people who heard John's message that he spoke on the behalf of the Lord. Thus they believed and evidenced that belief by being baptized in the Jordan River for all to see. The New Testament order is always "believe and be baptized." It is not the means by which we are made right before God, baptism is God's way of having us proclaim to all others that we have by believing in His Son become right with Him.

This is the first time the word "baptized" is used in the New Testament. It is a transliteration of the Greek word meaning "to submerge." Baptism signifies full immersion. John was immersing the people "in the Jordan River" who had come to repent of their sin and were crying out to God. The word Jordan means "death" which is what sin delivers to us. John symbolically prepared the people for the coming of their Messiah by submerging them in the waters of death. 

Baptism is merely an "object lesson" of how our sins were washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ. Both archeology and church history testify that immersion was the mode of baptism used in the early church. The symbolism is best pictured by immersion. According to Romans 6:3-4, it pictures the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. According to 2 Corinthians 5:17, baptism also pictures the believer's identification with the Lord Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. Our baptism announces that the old us has passed away, behold, the new us has been raised to eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Matthew 2:19-23

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19 Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead." 21 Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. 23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, "He shall be called a Nazarene." ~ Matthew 2:19-23

Today, we continue our study of Matthew 2 where we have been considering the three responses to the birth of the Lord Jesus: the faith of the Magi, the indifference of the Jewish religious leaders and the faer of Herod. In our last study, Matthew cited Jeremiah 31:15 which is a prophecy about the women of Bethlehem mourning for their children. With that now complete, Matthew points us to the next main event, the death of Herod.

In v.19-20 of today's passage we read, "19 Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, 'Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.'"

Herod died in Jericho a horrible death whereby he suffered for years from chronic kidney disease which caused a rare infection that caused gangrene in his genitals. Josephus wrote that the pain of Herod's illness was so bad that it led him to attempt suicide by stabbing. His attempted suicide was thwarted by his cousin. Herod left three sons, and his kingdom was at his death divided between them. To Archelaus was given Judea, Idumea, and Samaria. To Philip was left Batanea and Trachonitis. And, to Antipas was given Galilee and Perea. Each of the three sons of Herod were also called Herod.

After Herod's death Mary's husband Joseph had another dream wherein God told him to return his family back to Israel. This time, however, it was outside of the land of Canaan. This proves God can speak to us anywhere at any time. It also proves that this story bears all the marks of a literal historical account, all designed to point us to the Savior of the sinful world, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

In v.21-22 of today's passage we read, "21 Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee."

Joseph had come a long way. He once was a man who was looking for a way to secretly divorce Mary but now he was perfectly obeying each revelation that God gave to him in his four dreams. Interestingly, from this point until Matthew 12, Mary will not be mentioned again. Even then she will be mentioned in passing. Clearly the Lord Jesus is the one we should be focusing upon. This is the consistent teaching throughout the Bible. The Lord Jesus shows up in all of its 66 books. 

In his book, Gospel Formed, Jeff Medders observes that in Genesis to Deuteronomy is discovered the foundation for the Lord Jesus. In Joshua to Esther is to be discovered the preparation for the Lord Jesus. In Job to the Song of Solomon is the longing for the Lord Jesus. In Isaiah to Malachi is the expectation of the Lord Jesus. In Matthew to John is the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus. In the book of Acts is the continued work and spreading of the fame of the Lord Jesus. In Romans to Jude is about living for the Lord Jesus. In the book of the Revelation is about the return, reign, and rule of the Lord Jesus.

By looking to the Lord Jesus, we will not look elsewhere. Thus, we will avoid idolatry, immorality, and all other types of sin. By looking to the Lord Jesus, we will be defined by Him. When we are found actively looking for Him in all things, we will be best positioned to make sense out of an otherwise chaotic and confusing life.

When Joseph and his family arrived back in Judea they learned that Herod's son Archelaus was now in power. Archelaus possessed a cruel and tyrannical disposition similar to his father. At one of the Passovers he caused 3,000 of the people to be put to death in the temple and city. For his crimes, after he had reigned 9 years, he was banished by Augustus, the Roman emperor, to Gaul, where he died. Through this final dream that God gave to Joseph, the Lord directed his steps to take his family to Galilee. As the Lord Jesus grew up in Nazareth, more prophecy would be fulfilled in and through his life. 

In v.23 of today's passage we read, "And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, 'He shall be called a Nazarene.'"

Nazareth was a small town, situated in Galilee, west of Capernaum, and not far from Cana. It was built partly in a valley and partly on the downward slope of a hill. According to John 4:46, Nazareth was a place, at that time, known for its wickedness. This man who grew up in Nazareth has fulfilled 300 Old Testament prophecies. That is enough for me to believe that He is the One all the Old Testament prophets pointed us to.

In Isaiah 9:1-2 we read, "1 Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, as when at first He lightly esteemed the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward more heavily oppressed her, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles. 2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined." 

That light is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. His death and resurrection are at the foundation of the gospel. The prophecies that He fulfilled concerning His death and resurrection speak loudly to validate His message. According to Exodus 12:21-23, we discover Him as the Passover Lamb. In Exodus 12:46, we learn that none of His bones would be broken. In Leviticus 17:11 we were told that He would die and pour out his blood for the atonement of sins. In Numbers 21:9 we see that He would be lifted up. In Psalm 22 we were told that He would be forsaken and mocked and that He would thirst while on the cross and that mouth would be dry and that His hands and feet would be pierced. The Lord Jesus Christ has met every criteria to be the Savior of the world.

Matthew 2:16-18

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16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 18 "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more." Matthew 2:16-18

Today, we continue our study of Matthew 2 where we are given three responses to the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem. The Magi demonstrated their faith in the new born king by traveling two years from beyond the Euphrates River. The Jewish religious leaders were just ten miles away from where the Messiah was born and they were indifferent to Him. Then there was Herod who was fearful and so threatened by the Lord Jesus that he sought to eliminate Him.

In Revelation 12, Satan is described as a dragon that was desperate to destroy the coming Child "who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron." In Revelation 12 we learn that Herod was carrying out the desires of Satan. In Revelation 12:4, we read "the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it." Satan was working through Herod to try to kill the Lord Jesus at His birth but to no avail. This only proves that the righteous sovereign plan of God will never be thwarted. 

In v.16 of today's passage we read, "When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi."

Once Herod realized that he was outwitted by the Magi, he went maniacal. The word translated as "outwitted" is a contraction of two words, "in" and "play" which literally means "to mock someone." Almost every use of this word in the Bible describes the mocking directed to another. Particularly, this word was used to describe the Jewish religious leaders and the Roman soldiers when they mocked the Lord Jesus while He was on His cross. In today's passage, it was Herod's understanding that the Magi mocked him when they departed to their own country without providing him the information he requested. Because of this, Herod was "exceedingly enraged." This word translated "furious" is used only here in the Bible. It signifies to be full of anger and seething with rage. 

Herod's anger resulted in him giving the orders "to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under." These children had done nothing deserving of death. Therefore, they were innocent in the sense that Herod unjustly had them killed. The fact that Herod did this stands as a witness to his depravity. Before we get on our high horses, though, we must be careful because such wickedness is within all of us. And, the more that we are aware of this the better. It is only due to the fact that God is in my life that I do not act on the depravity that I find within my soul more than I already do.

Sadly, in our world today, the Herod's of this world are those who support the killing of unborn children through abortion. They are the ones who target young minds for perverse agendas, like transgenderism, and who abuse little children through sexual perversion. When left unchecked evil metastasizes into maniacal chaos bent upon destruction. Of course, this is the agenda of the evil one. In John 10:10 we read, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."

In v.17-18 of today's passage we read, "17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 18 'A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.'"

The horrible event of the killing of these children fulfilled a prophecy concerning the slaughter of the children of Bethlehem. God didn't cause this to happen, He just knew in advance this would be what Herod would do at this time. Matthew cited Jeremiah 31:15 as is seen here in v.18. Ramah was a city located five miles north of Jerusalem on the border between the Old Testament kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Jeremiah spoke of Rachel, the wife of Jacob, the mother of Joseph and Benjamin weeping to symbolize all the Jewish mothers who were weeping over their children being taken away in the Babylonian captivity in 586 B.C. Matthew quoted this passage to point us to the Jewish mothers in Bethlehem who were weeping over their children being taken away from them in death by Herod.

This passage reminds us that it is impossible to avoid the spiritual conflict that is daily raging around us. These Jewish two year old boys and younger did not deserve to die at the hands of a madman, but were murdered nonetheless because he desperately tried to destroy the Lord Jesus who was a threat to his kingdom. In one sense this was the work of a king who wanted to destroy a potential rival, but in another sense, this was the work of Satan who wanted to destroy God’s Son. Amazingly, God yet gave Herod another opportunity to side with the truth.

When the Magi came to Jerusalem and met with Herod, he was given, yet again, an opportunity to repent and to turn to God. The Magi didn’t need to approach Herod. We read later that the star actually came to rest over the very house where the Lord Jesus was located. If they had just kept following the star, they would have eventually found their way to the Lord Jesus. But they entered Jerusalem, and they spoke with Herod. That gave Herod and the spiritually bankrupt religious leaders in Jerusalem another opportunity to get right with God. The grace, mercy, and love of God is only accessed by those who are willing enough to humble themselves before Him. It is these who are the only ones who will enjoy these aspects of God but for those who reject Him, they will experience His wrath.

Matthew 2:12-15

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12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. 13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” ~ Matthew 2:12-15

Today, we return to our study of the book of Matthew. While Matthew 1 gives us the good news of the birth of the Savior, Matthew 2 gives us the different reactions to the birth of the Savior. The Magi were moved by the Scriptures to make a two year long journey in search of the Savior. The Magi, with biblical faith in their hearts, gifts in their hands, and worship in their spirit stopped at nothing to get to the virgin-born Savior. In stark contrast, the religious leaders yawned, even though they were experts on the Scriptures. They didn’t have to travel a long distance, they were near where it all happened. They had the promises that it was going to happen, but none of them made a move to journey in His direction. And then, there was Herod who was threatened by the Lord. Excitement, indifference and fear are the three responses in today’s passage of the birth of the King.

In v.12 of today's passage we read, "And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route."

The Magi came to worship the King. Then, after being divinely warned by God through a dream that Herod was a threat to their lives, the Magi traveled back home a different way. There are six different dreams recorded in Matthew’s gospel. There are a total of 21 dreams in all of the Bible. God led the Magi into His will for them through a dream. This begs the question: Does God still speak to us through our dreams? In Joel 2:28 we read, "And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions." If God chooses to speak to a person in a dream, the message of that dream will be consistent with, and will not contradict the teachings of the Bible. The obedience of the Magi saved their very lives.

In v.13 of today's passage we read, "When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. 'Get up,' he said, 'take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.'"

Then there is yet another dream. This dream through which God instructed Joseph was to take Mary and the Lord Jesus down to Egypt. Egypt was southwest of Judea about 60 miles and it was at that time a Roman province. There were many Jews still living in Egypt, holdovers from the days of Jacob’s son Joseph. God told Joseph, the husband of Mary, to take his family to Egypt and to remain there until He gave to him further instruction. 

In v.14-15 of today's passage we read, "So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'Out of Egypt I called my son.'"

Joseph and his family made their departure at night. The focus here in this verse is on the obedience of Joseph, even though the Lord Jesus was the primary focus of the passage at large. There is one Mediator between God & men, the Man Christ Jesus the Lord. Joseph heard the word, and he immediately obeyed. The same Lord who spoke to Joseph through His messenger speaks to us today through a variety of means but primarily through His word. In fact, His word will always bear the litmus test to such revelation.

A word is used here in v.15 that is never used again in the Scriptures: It is the word "death." Of course, there are other words translated used in the Bible, but this one is only used this time. And, in this case, this word described Herod's death which was awful. As for the event itself, many have difficulty with the dating of Herod’s death. Herod died in the thirty-seventh year of his reign. We are not certain as to the year Herod began his reign, and hence it is impossible to determine the time that Joseph remained in Egypt. The best chronologers supposed Herod to have died somewhere between two and four years after the birth of the Lord Jesus, but the specific date has not been determined.

The words, "that it might be fulfilled, having been spoken by the Lord through the prophet," indicates that God foresaw these events and spoke of them in advance, using the prophetic word to provide His people with the assurance that what had come to pass was a part of His unfolding plan. The dream that Joseph had, their trip to Egypt, and then their return wasn’t something that occurred on the spur of the moment. Rather, it was intended to happen this way so that God could fulfill His word concerning these matters. 

As for what was spoken through the prophet, "Out of Egypt, I called my Son," this prophetic word is a reference to Hosea 11:1 which reads, "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son." Matthew saw in the verse from Hosea a parallel to what happened to the Lord Jesus. None of the surrounding text follows this thought, and yet, it is repeated by Matthew because of his understanding that what happened to Israel in the Exodus was a type fulfilled in the Lord Jesus. The type was Israel who had traveled down to Egypt as recorded in Genesis 46:3. According to Exodus 3:8 Israel was called out of Egypt by the Lord. And, according to Exodus 4:22, Israel is the Lord’s firstborn son. Likewise, the Lord Jesus went down to Egypt. He was called out of Egypt by the Lord. And, He is God’s only begotten Son. 

When we read through the Old Testament, Israel is given as a type of the coming of the Lord Jesus again & again. They are equated to a vine, while the Lord Jesus described Himself as the true vine. They were to be a sort of light to the nations, while the Lord Jesus said He was the Light of the world. While the temple was the place where God would dwell among His people, the Lord Jesus was the true Temple and dwelling place of God. On and on throughout Scripture, such patterns are seen. But not all of them are explicitly highlighted in the New Testament. 

In citing the words of Hosea as Matthew did in this verse, it is a call for those who read Scripture to look for other such connections as well. The Lord Jesus is the fulfillment of what Israel anticipated. In understanding this, and in looking for types and pictures from the Old Testament Scriptures, we can gain a fuller understanding of the Person and the work of the Lord Jesus as detailed in the New Testament. One of the things about properly elicited typology from the Old Testament is that it helps settle what is to be considered sound theology in the New. It is argued whether there is still a role in the world for Israel the nation or has the church replaced them.

In properly understanding types and pictures from the Old Testament, it becomes perfectly clear that Israel the nation has a future role in redemptive history. Like the Jewish religious leaders we can choose to believe in a god of our own making or we can believe in the God of the Bible with whom we are often perplexed because we lack all of the knowledge it takes to believe. Like Nero, we can improperly fear God or we like the Magi can bow down and worship with reverence. The choice is clearly ours.

Matthew 2:3-11

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3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: 6 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah. Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.'" 7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also." 9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ~ Matthew 2:3-11

Today, we continue our study of Matthew 2 where the Magi have come from the east of Jerusalem on a two year trip to worship the King of the Jews, the Lord Jesus Christ. When they arrived in Jerusalem the Magi inquired from the Jewish religious leaders where the King of the Jews would be born. Evidently, the Jewish religious leaders told Herod of the Magi's inquiry and that alarmed him deeply. In today's passage, we are given the details of how Herod responded to the coming of "the King of the Jews."

In v.3 of today's passage we read, "When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him."

Herod’s father was named Antipater who had helped Julius Caesar win a battle over the Egyptians, so Julius Caesar gave to Antipater the area of Judea to rule over as a gift. Antipater then put his son Herod in charge who was then given a Roman army to rule over Judea. Herod at that time gave to himself the title, "The King of the Jews." When Herod discovered that the Magi had traveled so far to make a visit to the child they referred to as "the King of the Jews" he was literally shaken to his core. All of Jerusalem was disturbed because they knew how erratic Herod was when he was threatened.

Herod came from the other side of the Dead Sea in the country of Jordan. He was an Idumean which made him an Edomite, a descendent of Esau. The Jews hated Herod. Since Herod was so hated by the Jews, he did a lot of things to try to garner their favor. For example, he built for them a temple in Jerusalem. He also married a Jewish girl. 

Since Herod was so paranoid, he sought to kill anyone who threatened his kingdom. In fact, he eventually killed his wife because he didn't trust her. He killed his two oldest sons so they couldn't take his throne. He also killed his brother-in-law because he thought he was trying to steal his kingdom. It was so bad that when Herod was on his deathbed, he ordered all of the prominent citizens of Jerusalem to be executed when he died, this would mean there would be mourning in Judea when Herod died. All of this explains Herod's paranoia when the Magi came. 

In v.4-6 of today's passage we read, "4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 So they said to him, 'In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: 6 But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah. Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.'"

Bethlehem is where King David had grown up. This is why Bethlehem is known as the City of David. Bethlehem means the place of bread, it was the breadbasket of Israel. The best wheat was grown in those valleys around Bethlehem. In v.5-6 Matthew quoted Micah 5:2. This meant God had told all who cared to know that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Along with their study of Micah 5:2 and other Old Testament passages like Daniel 9 the Magi from the east knew the whereabouts and the timing of the Messiah's birth. So, they came seeking "the King of the Jews."

Sadly, the religious leaders of Israel did not make the short trek to Bethlehem when the Lord Jesus was born. Like them, we can know a lot about the Bible, we can even quote chapter and verse and yet miss the main point which is a personal relationship with God. The religious leaders of Israel were inoculated with a knowledge of the Bible and they were rendered immune from God. They got just enough of the Bible but they were inoculated to the truth. Being exposed to the truth isn’t enough. We must repent and allow God penetration into our heart. The only avenue through which we can access a personal relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ is only through humility. Humility allows us to give up on our way and embrace God's way.

In v.7-8 of today's passage we read, "7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, 'Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.'"

Earlier to this moment, Herod had secretly petitioned the wise men to determine from them what time the star appeared to them. He sent them to Bethlehem, instructing them to search carefully for the young Child and once they had found Him, to bring back word to him, that he might come & worship the Lord also. Herod pretended to be a worshipper. It is people like Herod who will hear the words "Depart from me for I never knew you" from the Lord Jesus. Our faith in the Lord Jesus enables us to move into such a relationship with the Lord that He knows us in a relational way resulting in our access into His presence eternally.

In v.9-11 of today's passage we read, "9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh."

At this point, the baby had become "the young Child." And, the Magi worshipped the Lord Jesus only. They didn't worship anyone else, including Mary. And, when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him including gold, frankincense and myrrh. These three gifts were the richest of gifts that could be offered to a newborn king. They gave to the Lord Jesus gold which stood for His kingly status. Within the Tabernacle and the Temple was the Most Holy Place also known as the Holy of Holies. It was the place where the priest would encounter the presence of God and offer a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. The Most Holy Place and the altar within it were completely overlaid with gold.

The frankincense given to the Lord Jesus points us to His divinity, and the myrrh His sacrificial death. Frankincense is a gum resin that priests offered with the meal offering. It denoted the Lord Jesus as the great high priest. Interestingly, frankincense hardens into these little crystals and it doesn't give off its scent except when crushed. When it is crushed, it gives off a sweet aroma. In Isaiah 53:5 we read, "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed."

Like frankincense, myrrh was made from a gum resin, dried and compressed and burnt to produce an aromatic smell. Myrrh was also used as an embalming fluid. When the Lord Jesus died, 100 pounds of spice myrrh it says and aloes were mixed for His burial. And, without His sacrifice there would be no hope for any of us because we would still be found in our sin. It was through His cross that God forgave us of our sin. This means that having trusted in the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the cross, hope remains supreme because our sin has been forgiven.

Matthew 2:1-2

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1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." ~ Matthew 2:1-2

Today, we return to our study of Matthew. The second chapter of Matthew's gospel begins with, "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea." With these words, Matthew points us to the prophecy found in Micah 5:2 which reads, "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting."

Micah was a contemporary of the prophet, Isaiah, and his book is of a similar style. The book of Micah is often called "Isaiah in miniature" because it is a much briefer presentation of essentially the same message as the prophecy of Isaiah. Micah means "Who is like YHWH?" When the wise men came out of the East looking for the one born king of the Jews, they asked, "Where is he that is born king of the Jews?" The chief priests of Israel said to the wise men, "You will find him in Bethlehem." The chief priests knew this because 700 years before, Micah had informed them.

In v.1 of today's passage we read, "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem."

It was "in days of Herod the king" that this happened. Judea was a province of the Roman Empire which the Romans had seized about 63 years before the birth of the Lord Jesus. Herod received his appointment to rule Judea, and had reigned at the time of the birth of the Lord Jesus for 34 years. Herod was commonly called "Herod the Great" because he had distinguished himself by displaying great talents in governing and defending his country. Many of the Jews liked Herod because he helped to repair their Jewish temple. 

The words, "Behold, wise men" in v.1 have been widely misunderstood. Although in most manger scenes the wise men were at the birth of the Lord Jesus. This is inaccurate information as we will see that they arrived up to two years after the baby Jesus was born. In fact, there were more than three wise men, perhaps as many as 12. These wise men came from the east of Israel where the great empire that replaced the Babylonians was located. Daniel and his friends had been exiled to Babylon in 605 BC. However, Babylon was overrun by the Medes & Persians. When Babylon was destroyed, the new empire received all of the ancient Jewish writings which would have been incorporated into their empire. The Bible does not say how many wise men there were. The Bible does not mention their names, because their names do not matter. What matters is what they did when they arrived in Bethlehem. What matters is that they sought out the Lord Jesus Christ and they honored and worshiped Him.

A careful reading of Isaiah 44 reveals they possessed the book of Isaiah. Therefore, the ancient prophecy of a coming Messiah would have been known to these wise men. Of them, Matthew notes that they were "from the East." This prepositional phrase is most accurately translated "from sun risings." And note that the verse goes on with, "they came to Jerusalem." This means they saw the star from the east as they looked to the west and they followed it. Then, the Magi asked about "the King of the Jews." It is significant that they didn’t inquire specifically about the Messiah. Then, they asked where the King would be born. They were biblically informed about the Messiah. Many today reject the Lord Jesus because they are biblically ill-informed about Him.

In v.2 of today's passage we read, "saying, 'Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.'"

The words of the wise men came in the form of a question, but their words are also just as much were an assertion. By stating it as they did, they proclaimed that they were certain that the person they were looking for existed. Their question wasn’t, "Has He come?" Rather it was, "Where is He?" Understanding this, they continue with, "has been born?" Again, their question was an assertion. They did not ask, "Where is the King who has been coronated?" Instead, their question was about His birth. Amazingly, God arranged the sky to announce the coming of His Son. He used the stars to shout the supremacy of the Lord Jesus. He directed nature and the nations toward His purpose of solving mankind's problem with sin and death.

The Magi had studied Daniel 9 and their study prompted them to accept that a divinely appointed birth had taken place for the One who was the Messiah and who would be the "King of the Jews." The reason for their worship of Him is next explained in their statement, "For we have seen His star" which was referred to in Numbers 24:17-19. God spoke to the Magi in a language they understood. From studying this star they were able to decipher the general whereabouts of the coming King by His star.

The Jewish religious leaders attempted to hide the fact that the Lord Jesus fit the biblical narrative. Had they really been students of the Old Testament and had they believed its message, they would have been there in Bethlehem to greet the Messiah. By doing as they did, they established the assertion that the Lord Jesus was not the promised Messiah although He fit every description given by God in His word. These supposed men of God missed the fact that their Creator had woven Himself in the robe of virgin flesh.

The Bible records the facts, and they are sufficient for us to know that Christ has come according to the plan and purposes of God. The spiritual journey made by the Magi is a journey that is required of anyone who is to enter the kingdom of God. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Regardless of who you are, where you grew up, whether you are wealthy or poor, to know the Lord Jesus is to bow down and to become low, to recognize your sinfulness and your helplessness, and to receive God’s free gift of forgiveness of sin through His grace. God’s Word says that one day everyone will be a worshiper. Every knee will bow, but for those who have resisted the Lord Jesus as King, it will be too late. For the truly wise we do well to bow and worship while there is still time.

Matthew 1:22-25

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22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” 24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, 25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus. ~ Matthew 1:22-25

Today, we complete our study of Matthew 1. In our previous study, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him to name the child to be born to his fiancee Mary, Jesus because He would save His people from their sins. The virgin birth paved the way for God to be born a man and yet not be tainted by sin. He had to be a man in order to save man from his sin. The virgin birth made it so God’s mercy and grace wouldn’t compromise His justice. God’s mercy and grace creates within is a profound degree of gratitude. It also produces in us a greater degree of dependency because God does not take dependent people and make us independent. Our need for His grace and mercy will never end, even into eternity.

In v.22-23 of today's passage we read, "22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 'Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,' which is translated, 'God with us.'"

Here, Matthew employed an Old Testament prophecy found in Isaiah 7 to explain the virgin birth. In Isaiah 7:10-14 we read, "10 Moreover the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 11 'Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above.' 12 But Ahaz said, 'I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!' 13 Then he said, 'Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.'"

The Lord invited King Ahaz to pray, to request of Him a sign. King Ahaz refused to do so. Despite the King's refusal, the Lord, gave a sign to the "house of David." The sign was about the virgin birth of the Messiah who was to come. This sign was elaborated upon by two of the four Gospel writers, Matthew and Luke. While Luke shared his gospel through Mary’s eyes, Matthew presented his through the eyes of Joseph. Both stories are about the same miraculous birth. 

When Mary was found to be with child, Joseph was completely blindsided. Horrified by what Mary had undoubtedly done, Joseph planned to divorce her quietly. He did this because he didn’t want to expose her to public disgrace. He still cared for Mary, but he couldn’t have her as his wife. The girl that he thought he knew and loved turned out to be somebody that he thought he didn’t know. Joseph’s life had taken a very unexpected turn, in the blink of an eye, and he really wasn’t sure how to proceed. He was stunned! Joseph later discovered God had a plan for him the whole time. It wasn’t Joseph’s plan, but it was much better which is always the case with the Lord. When life takes us on a detour, it is very comforting to remember that God always has a plan that cannot in the end be thwarted. And when we believe that, and trust that, there is almost no detour too great to cause us to lose our way in our faith in the God of the Bible. 

"Immanuel" means, “God is with us.” As Immanuel, the Lord Jesus is the "with us God." This idea of God in the flesh with us shows up throughout the entirety of the Book of Matthew. It shows up here at the beginning, it shows up in the middle and then in the end. Here in the beginning, we read that Jesus is Immanuel, God with us. In the middle, in Matthew 18:20, the Lord Jesus reminded His disciples, "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them." Then, the final words of the Lord Jesus are found in Matthew 28:20 which reads, "Behold, I am with you always to the end of the age."

No matter what unpredictable event takes place in our lives, the Lord Jesus promises to be with us, guiding us into the truth. In Joseph’s case, God guided him by an angel appearing to him in a dream. God in many ways appears to us, and He guides us in this life. It might be through a Bible verse that we come across at just the right time. It might be a well-timed phone call or a visit from a friend. It might be a verse of a hymn that we had not noticed before. It might be in some completely unexpected and surprising way. But when we have the eyes of faith, and when we trust that God is with us, we will recognize His leading. 

We are reminded of this promise in a very powerful way at the very end of Matthew’s gospel. After the Lord Jesus had been arrested, crucified, and raised from the dead, He again gathered His disciples together to send them out to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Before He sent them out, He reminded them of this promise. The last words spoken by the Lord Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel would echo the words spoken by the angel to Joseph before the Lord Jesus was even born. Words which are at the heart of the Gospel, "And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." This also is His promise to you and me. 

Joseph and Mary were confronted with circumstances beyond their control. They were undoubtedly confused, frustrated, and scared. And, to their utter surprise, God was right in the middle with them. God became like one of us to be with us. Our preoccupation everyday should be to look for Him in everything. In the Lord Jesus, God became fully man while remaining fully God. This is the most extraordinary miracle in the whole Bible. The truthfulness of Christianity hinges upon this miracle. And, since this miracle is true, everything else in the Gospel accounts make total sense. We do not find it strange that the Lord Jesus walked on water or that He fed over 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish. It’s not strange to see Him healing the sick and commanding demons to leave the possessed. It’s not strange that He conquered sin and death as He rose from the grave. In the incarnation of the Lord Jesus, God Himself came to be with His people, never to leave us. Since our sin separated us from Him He became known as YHWH who saves the willing from the penalty of our sin.

In v.24-25 of today's passage we read, "24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, 25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus."

God's goal in becoming a man was to remedy our sin problem and thus enable us to enjoy His personal presence in our lives. Most think we enter into His kingdom through our goodness. But no one enters the kingdom of heaven because of their excellent moral resume. There is no such thing. Matthew makes it clear that those who come into the kingdom of the Lord Jesus have to be "saved" into His kingdom. The Lord Jesus came to bring us back to the Father by taking the penalty for our sin upon Himself while on the cross of Calvary.  

The Lord Jesus secured the kingdom for us by dying on that cross where He took our wages for us. In the Lord Jesus, God has done the unthinkable. The Lord Jesus died to save us from a life being defined by the self. To put it another way, the Lord Jesus died to save us to God’s definitions of life. I close with a quote from Charles Haddon Spurgeon who said, "The way to grow strong in Christ is to become weak in yourself. God poureth no power into man’s heart till man’s power is all poured out."

Matthew 1:19-21

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19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." ~ Matthew 1:19-21

Today, we return to our study of Matthew 1 where we discover that the mother of the Lord Jesus, Mary, was betrothed to Joseph. To be "betrothed" in the first century meant that they were married but they had not yet consummated the marriage. The consummation would come at the end of the year long betrothal period or their engagement period. Their betrothal was tantamount to a legally binding marriage without consummation. But, Mary was with child.

In v.19 of today's passage we read, "Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly."

Mary was with child, and Joseph was not the father. Joseph was a righteous man who loved Mary and wanted to protect her from public embarrassment. So then, he quietly sought a way to  divorce Mary. Since Mary’s actions were to result in stoning as required by Deuteronomy 22, Joseph determined to put her away secretly. 

In v.20 of today's passage we read, "But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.'"

The timing, location, and circumstances of how to divorce Mary weighed heavily on Joseph’s mind. But while he was considering these things, it was then that he fell asleep and had a dream. In that dream "an angel of the Lord appeared to him." The word, dream, here is found in the Bible only six times, and all six usages are found in Matthew’s gospel. In his dream, the angel appeared, "saying, 'Joseph, son of David.'"

It was Joseph’s relationship to King David that precipitated the events that transpired. In order to establish the male line of ancestry leading back to David for the rights of inheritance, Joseph's betrothed wife was selected by God to be the one through whom the Messiah would come into this world. No one else could have fit the bill and because of presumption, Mary was almost disqualified. Through the virgin birth, God went to great lengths to rescue us. He went to great lengths to redeem our broken lives. He went to great lengths to forgive our sins and to bring us back to Himself.  

To Joseph the angel said, "do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife." For first-century Jews, betrothal was a legally binding pledge between a man and a woman that they would be married. Once they were betrothed, they were legally bound to one another, so to call the wedding off would be the equivalent to divorce. Their engagement was supposed to last for a year. At the end of the year, Mary was supposed to move into Joseph’s home and the marriage would be consummated at that time. Joseph was not to fear to complete their union, because Mary was already set apart to be Joseph's wife. This is obvious because Joseph was planning on divorcing Mary, something one can only do with a wife. The angel gave unto Joseph the absolute assurance that Mary’s pregnancy was not of adultery but of God.

In v.21 of today's passage we read, "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."

The angel’s explanation of the purpose of God entering the world as a baby came in these words: "He will save His people from their sins." God entered human existence in order to save His people from their sins. But wait! The Jews thought that their adherence to the Law of Moses saved them. They believed their obedience to God earned them just enough favor with God to get them into heaven. To this day, observant Jews look at the law as fully capable of saving them. But no amount of human goodness bridges the gap created by our sin. God's standard is perfection and our goodness is far from perfect. When man first sinned all humans were separated from God. This is what is known as "spiritual death." This is why God Himself had to enter into human existence in order to rescue His people. He was born without sin. As He was born to Mary, the espoused bride of Joseph, He was born under the law. The law that He gave to Israel, and which no person under that law had ever been able to fulfill. This is why the burden had to be placed upon Him.

As He was born without sin, He did what no human could do, obey the law perfectly. The Lord Jesus obeyed and substantiated the entire law without erring. This is the ultimate message of the four gospels which were written to give testimony to the life of the sinless perfection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Entrance into the New Covenant is what brings freedom from sin, and it can only be obtained through  the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is why Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." 

Our sin separated us from God, so, the Lord Jesus Himself ransomed us. In 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 we read, "3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve."

Genesis ends with Joseph’s death. Deuteronomy ends with Moses’ death. Joshua ends with Joshua’s death. The Gospels end with Jesus’ resurrection. And that changed everything. Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. He was then buried. Then, He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. This is the message that we proclaim. God in Christ has done it. He alone prevailed over sin because He had no sin. And He offers His sinless perfection to anyone who will come to Him by faith. 

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of our Christian faith. During the 40 days following His resurrection, the Lord Jesus showed Himself alive from the dead to as many as 500 at one time. He appeared many times and places to many people who told others what they had seen and no one refuted it. I close with a great quote from the late C.S. Lewis who once said, "I believe in Christ, like I believe in the sun — not because I can see it, but by it I can see everything else."

Matthew 1:18

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Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. ~ Matthew 1:18

Today, we continue our study of the gospel according to Matthew who was the seventh disciple called by the Lord Jesus. The first three Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, are known as the Synoptic Gospels, because they follow a synopsis. The synoptic gospels all have basically the same material and basic layout. In his gospel, the Apostle John departed from the approach of the other three gospel writers. Each of the four gospels all have a particular emphasis to them. Matthew emphasizes the Lord Jesus as the sovereign King predicted in the Old Testament. Mark portrays the Lord Jesus as the Servant of God while Luke portrays Him as the Son of Man. In his gospel, John places the spotlight on the Son of God.

It was 700 years before the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to this earth that we were given Isaiah 7:14 which reads, "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." Long before the Lord Jesus came, God told us that a young girl who had never had sex with a man would deliver the Son of God into this world. A virgin simply cannot be with child, this had to be a miracle of God. Interestingly, we were first told of this in Genesis 3:15 which reads, "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." These words were spoken by God to the fallen Lucifer after he deceived man to take of the forbidden fruit. Without a doubt we have here a most remarkable prophecy of the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. This prophecy cannot be explained in any other way other than that it is the fulfillment of the virgin birth. This concept of the seed of the woman is unique. Nowhere else in the Bible do we find such an expression. 

Everywhere else in Scripture descent is reckoned through the male line. It is the seed of the man that is the line of descent and all the genealogies of the Bible trace the line of descent through the male. The father's name is given and when the mother's name is given it is only incidental, as referring to the wife of some man. This is the first Messianic prophesy in the Bible right here in Genesis 3:15. Here, right after the Fall of man into sin, God stated that the woman will have a male Seed, an offspring who will eventually crush the devil.

There are those who argue that Isaiah used a word which could mean young girl. However, Matthew’s use of this word demands it be translated “virgin.” When speaking of genealogies, it is always the seed of man referenced. Never is it the seed of the woman because we know the woman has no seed. But in Genesis 3:15, we read of "the Seed of the woman." A careful consideration of that passage reveals it was the Seed of God. Due to this, we believe the Lord Jesus to be fully God & fully Man. 

In Matthew 1:18 we further read, “She was found with Child through the Holy Spirit.” Mary was a human and this Child was the product of her womb, and thus this Child was human. The Holy Spirit is God, not a human. If one then accepts the obvious interpretation of Scripture, then Mary’s Child is the Son of God. Humanly speaking there was no seed involved because Mary and Joseph had not yet consummated their marriage. The seed was of our heavenly Father and it was that Seed that determined Mary’s Child to be the Son of God.

What we have here is the most incredible occurrence which has ever come to pass in all of time. The creation of the universe pales in comparison to everything else. When God created, He created everything ex-nihilo or “out of nothing.” By the power of His spoken word, time, space and matter came into being. Everything that we see, even to the farthest reaches of the universe, came into existence at that one moment. It is an incredible thing to contemplate, but it is of far less significance to the enormity of what occurred in the womb of the teen named Mary.

In a flash as brief as the utterance of the word of creation itself, life sprung into existence in her womb. The Lord Jesus had always existed, even before creation, He had no beginning. What a paradox & yet what an event on the greatest scale. God united with His creation in that teenage womb. Amazingly, it was at the very moment of conception that a bright flash of life marked this incredible event. For Mary, there was darkness in her womb, and then there was the Light. The Light of the world had come. God stepped into our darkness and began to reveal Himself!

The God who brought all things into existence by a mere utterance limited Himself in the womb of a teen. The light of ten trillions suns combined are not as bright as the Light who created them. This same Light sparked in the womb of Mary as 

“She was found with Child through the Holy Spirit.” In this Light, there is no darkness, thus there is no fear. And yet, the temple of God, pure and undefiled, was prepared in a human body of a young teenage girl. How vulnerable of God to do this.

The Light stepped into His creation in order to restore all that had gone astray. What a marvel occurred in the dark recesses of that virgin womb! The Deliverer came to set captives free! 

The Light of the world had come as God’s divine beacon to rescue man from himself. The Lord God Almighty condescended in order to be among us. While I prepared for this message, I thought, “Is it that we are in darkness that we choose the darkness?” Then I thought, "No, wait… that can’t be it. In the perfection of the Garden of Eden Adam was surrounded by light and he chose the darkness. Only after making the choice did he want the light once again and that wasn’t immediate. That must be it then, without knowing one from the other we can’t know which one we want. That must be why God allowed it all to happen, and then to step in and give us a choice as to which we would choose. The genius of the Almighty!

The Light of the world came to show us the contrast. We can love the Light, or we can love darkness. The choice is ours. And sure enough, this is what the Light Himself said in John 3:18-21, while talking at night with Nicodemus, the Lord Jesus said to him, “18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

The distinction can be seen, the choice must be made, and all will pursue only one of two paths: to pursue the Light or to remain in the darkness. God created all things out of nothing. 

He created something separate from Himself and yet which is contained within His omnipresence. And then He joined together with that which He created, all for the sake of frail, fallible, rebellious beings who otherwise had no hope at all.

In that stupendously marvelous act, God has given us a choice. We can continue on in the darkness, or we can come to the Light. The perfection of the Lord Jesus Christ is seen from His moment of conception, through His birth in a lowly manger, in each step He ever took, and in each word He ever spoke. The perfection of the Lord Jesus Christ is seen in His ability to stand up under a torturous death on a wooden cross.

Yes, I know He died, He had to in order to defeat death because only life overcomes death. This is why His blood had to be shed and it was through His perfect blood that our sin was carried away as far as the east is from the west. And, through His resurrection do we see the victory which He has now shared with us who believe. The Child in the womb, the Baby in the manger, the Teacher on the mountain, the lifeless Body on the cross, is the God-Man who now stands victorious over death.