The Birth of a King: This is War
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I love the Christmas season.
I really do…
The sights, the sounds, the smells.
I love the Advent season.
I love the the decorations, the lights, the presents the food.
The Advent songs at church are wonderful.
The Christmas story has been romanticized. For the sake of nostalgia we often don’t read the Christmas story rightly.
Baby Jesus laying in a manger (away in a manger lyrics that are crap)
Mary and Joseph
The wise men
The shepherds
The Christmas star
The manger scene
reading the Christmas story through the lens of the cross.
This is how we are to read our bibles.
This is how we are to read our world.
with a cruciform vision. (even the Christmas story)
The Cross of Christ is the fulcrum of history.
The affects of the cross of christ stretches from eternity past to eternity future.
The cross literally reshaped history.
So to understand history, to understand the scriptures, to understand the world, to understand Christmas, we must look at everything through a biblical worldview… which is a cruciform worldview.
The gospels are written through the lens of the cross
The NT interprets the OT through the lens of the cross.
Every story, every event, every truth must be seen through a cruciform vision.
So when we look at the birth of Jesus, this too must be seen and understood in light of the cross of Christ.
And when we do that, we will see that true story of the Birth of Jesus is not one of kitschy sentimentality the way many Christmas traditions make it out to be, but when understood in light of the cross we see that the birth of Jesus is so much more…its a declaration of war!
And this is how Matthew sees and tells the story in his gospel.
in fact, Matthew tells the story of Jesus’ birth almost as if you are in the middle of a battle scene.
Foreign maji come from the east, following a star looking for the new born King of the Jews.
Herod hears of this, consults with the religious leaders to find out that the Messiah was prophesied to be born in Bethlehem, he then sends his troops to go and kill all the young boys 2 years and younger in that region.
However, first, an angel came to Joseph in a dream and told him to get Mary and Jesus together and flee to Egypt because Herod was on the hunt for the child.
Mary, Joseph and Jesus were in hiding in Egypt of all places until the evil King died.
This is the story Matthew gives us of Jesus birth.
Its a story of spies and deceit, its story of visions and dreams, its bloody story of mass murder, and a story of escaping, hiding, and waiting.
Its the story of the birth of a warrior king, the one who would fulfill the prophecies, and wage war on the powers of darkness.
Herod, Rome, the religious leaders… they are all puppets… Jesus came to destroy the the puppeteer.
This side of the story rarely makes it into our Christmas books, and its rarely reflected in our Christmas traditions…
Yet, the birth of Jesus as a declaration of war against sin and death is at the hart of the story.
Our Passage this morning is going to be Matthew 1:18-25.
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
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).
When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife,
but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
It is easy to read this passage and think of it just as a parallel passage to Luke chapter 1, when the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would give birth to Jesus.
However, this passage is more than just an announcement. But rather it is preparing us to see the birth of Jesus as an act of war against the enemies of God.
It is the announcement of the birth not just of a king, but of a warrior king.
There are three OT Warriors that Matthew alludes to in these verses… three men who each prepare us to receive Jesus not just as gentle and lowly… but as fierce and devastating.
The three men Matthew calls attention to are
King David
Joshua
And Samson
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
Look how the angel address Joseph, he says, “Joseph, son of David.”
Now, we know that Joseph’s father’s name was Jacob. We see this just two verses back at the end of Matthew’s genealogy.
in Matt 1.16 Matthew writes
and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
Joseph’s father’s name was Jacob, yet the angel calls him the son of David in verse 20
Matthew says this to emphasize not only the historical reality that Jesus is part of the Davidic line, but even more so to emphasize the reality that Jesus will be a king like David.
David
David
David was the greatest King in Israel’s history. Yet his kingship was marked not by peace, but war.
David was a man of war, a warrior king who spent his whole life in conflict, fighting his enemies.
In fact, from a young age David was fighter.
As a shepherd, David would fight and strike down lions and bears that would try and attack his sheep.
This of course the great picture of Christ, the good shepherd, the true king, who fights against anything that would seek to do harm to his sheep.
David’s most iconic battle was against Goliath, where the young shepherd/king defeated the giant with a sling and killed him by cutting off his head.
However, Before even fighting Goliath, David had a reputation as a man of war.
When King Saul was being tormented by a spirit, His servant suggested having David come and play music to fight against the tormenting spirit.
When describing David, one of Saul’s servants said,
One of the young men answered, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the Lord is with him.”
Even as young boy, David was called a man of Valor and a Man of War.
this verse describes Davids whole life as a king, warrior, and poet.
David’s whole life was marked by warfare.
From Lions and Bears, to Giants, to King Saul, and finally nations.
He defeated the Philistines
he defeated the Moabites
He defeated the king of Zobah
He fought and conquered the Syrians
he beat the Edomites
He even had to fight against members of his own household.
Everywhere that David went, the Lord gave him victory.
David, the man of war, fought for his kingdom, he fought for his people, he refused to shrink back from the enemies of God.
And the prophecies state that when Messiah would come, he would be a king like David, he would be a warrior King who would be given victory in all his battles.
And this is what Matthew wants us to see. Jesus is coming as a warrior king.
He is the greater David who goes to war not with the philistines and moabites, but rather Jesus sets his aim on the power behind these evil kingdoms.
Jesus has come to destroy the works of the Devil. He has come to crush the head of the serpent, he has come to conquer the evil one.
Which is why the demonic world goes crazy after Jesus is born.
This is why Herod was hunting him,
This is why the religious leaders tried to kill him.
When Immanuel comes, when the virgin gives birth, it is a sign that God has come to wage war on his enemies.
And like David, Jesus is victorious.
Another aspect of this story, is that throughout the bible we see the enemies of God dying by their own weapons.
Abimelech, Saul, the foolish man in proverbs, and Goliath. After David knocked Goliath down with the stone, he ran up and took his own weapon and killed him by cutting off his head.
Jesus, the greater David, likewise destroys satan with his very own weapon.
Satan wielded death like a sword, and it was through death that Jesus destroyed the works of the devil.
Matthew wants us to see Jesus as a new David, but he also wants us to see him as a new Joshua.
Joshua
Joshua
Look with me at verse 21,
She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
The Angel tells Joseph that the child’s name is to be Jesus.
naming a child is one of the great joys of parenting.
Looking at the etymology of names, and the meaning of names, the family history of names, all goes into naming a child.
However, God the Father has a name for his son, and he makes it abundantly clear to both Joseph and Mary, that the name of his son is to be Jesus.
The greek name of Jesus is Ἰησοῦς.
This is the greek translation of the Hebrew name Yeshua.
Which translated to English is Joshua.
So Jesus’ Hebrew name was Joshua - which means, YHWH saves.
In his divine creativity, God not only wants us to see Jesus as the new David, that warrior King, but he also wants us to see Jesus as a new Joshua.
The Mighty warrior who led Israel into the promised land.
Joshua’s legacy is the legacy of a fierce and unrelenting warrior.
He was one of the two faithful spies, he led Israel through the conquest, fighting and defeating the dark powers that sought to lay claim to the land God had given to his people.
Joshua was a type of Christ, as he led Israel into the promised land.
In the same way, Jesus is the new Joshua, he leads his church through the conquest of this world as we wage war, not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil.
He leads us through this conquest of discipling the nations,
he guides as we wage war against the dark powers of this world when we raise our voices to sing.
He gives us strength fight against the dark powers by discipling and disciplining our children,
When we stand firm on the promises of God, when we pray with our kids, and when we feast with our friends, we are waging war against the enemy.
And it is Jesus, the greater Joshua, who leads us on this path.
And then, he will, like Joshua, finally bring us into promised land, in to the new heavens and earth, where we will rest in in the eternal rest of our savior and King.
Both David and Joshua were mighty warriors who followed YHWH faithfully .
Samson
Samson
However, there is another great warrior in Israel’s history that Matthew wants us to see as a type or a sign that prepares us for the Messiah.
This clue comes in verse 21
She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
When Matthew says, “for he will save his people from their sins.” he is doing two things.
First, he is giving some definition to the name Jesus, which means, “YHWH saves”
However, there is also a clue in this phrase that the early church would have heard and picked up on.
This phrase is very similar to another phrase used by an angel, talking to a mother, announcing that a miraculous birth would soon to take place.
The Father’s name was Manoah. And his wife was was barren and had no children. And the angel of the Lord appeared to her and told her, that she will conceive and bear a son. And that God has set apart this child from the womb for his own purposes.
for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”
The Philistines are a constant image of demonic powers.
From Goliath, the Philistine giant who dresses in scales to look like a dragon, to Dagon, the demonic god who was shamefully defeated by YHWH in his own temple.
God raised up Samson, the greatest single warrior in all the bible, for the purpose of beginning the war that typologically is finished by Jesus.
LIke David and Joshua, Samson is a type of Christ, a hero of Israel who wars against the enemies of God in order to bring peace to his people.
Samson’s life in many ways images that of Christ.
Both Jesus and Samson had angelic birth announcements
they both were set apart for God’s work
They both saved their people from the enemy
Samson and Jesus are the only two people in the bible who tell riddles that needed to be interpreted
Both Jesus and Samson are the two men who most acted in the power of the Spirit
Both were treated harshly by their own people
Both were mocked and tortured before their deaths
Both were betrayed by those closest to them
Both died a sacrificial death with their arms stretched out
And both conquered more in their deaths then they did in their lives.
Samson’s life pointed to the greater judge who would come, who would defeat the enemy of God both in his life and and even more so in his death.
The same powers of darkness that waged war against David, and Joshua and Samson, those same dark powers had enslaved God’s people into the darkness of sin and death.
And when God sent Jesus, to be conceived by the Holy Spirit and come into this world through the womb of a virgin, it was a declaration of war!
A King Greater than David has arrived
A Warrior greater than Joshua
And Judge greater than Samson has come, and he has come to wage war against the Sin and death. He has come to save his people from their sins.
This announcement of Jesus birth is not only the announcement of a greater, David, Joshua and Samson, but it is the announcement that the promised seed, the seed of the women has now come, and he will crush the serpents head under his feet.
The writer of Hebrews see Jesus coming into the world as warrior when he writes in 2:14
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,
He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.
His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.
He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.
And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.
From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
Church, that first Christmas morning was more than just the birth of a savior, it was more than just the fulfillment of prophecy, but it was the birth of the warrior king, and a declaration of war that shook the very pits of hell!
From his first to final breath, Jesus was singing the song of victory. For he came to trample down the enemies of God and crush the head of the serpent.
And he has called us to follow him as he leads us in triumphal procession to victory.
He has called us to follow him, to stand firm, to fight the good fight, to wage war on the dark powers that would seek to lead you and your loved ones away from the truth.
he has call us to
Eph 6 13-17 “... take up the whole armor of God, that we may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
He has called us to Stand firm, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
He tells us that In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,”
Church, when we look at Christmas through the lens of the cross, we see the birth of a new Samson, who defeats all his enemies, a new David who rules and reigns with his enemies under his foot, and a new Joshua who fight to bring us into his presences, into his kingdom, into his rest.
Let us rejoice for Christ the king has come, and he is victorious in battle. Lets pray.