Sermon Tone Analysis
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What’s In a Name?
Matthew 1:18-25
We went to church last week and the pastor spoke about this Scripture.
As the Scripture was read and
she began her homily, my mind went off in another direction.
I asked myself, “So what’s the inspiration?”
Anytime someone speaks from the pulpit, that’s the question we should ask ourselves.
What’s the inspiration of
this Scripture and of my message?
Well, let’s get into the Scripture a little deeper and glean what it might have.
This pastor called Joseph a step-parent.
My flag went up as I said to myself, “No, he’s not.”
A stepparent is one who is a parent figure, who marries someone who already has children by another spouse.
I’m a
step-parent to Carol’s children.
Mary was never married before.
Joseph was not a step-parent, he was an
adoptive parent, at least; the legal guardian and by divine decree, no less.
By tradition and Jewish law, Jesus
was to inherit Joseph’s birth right, his tribe’s identity, as one from the tribe of Judah, from the line of David.
Surely, Joseph and Jesus had a much more intimate relationship than as a step-parent and child.
Joseph had the
civil rights and sentimental, owning qualities of any full-blooded parent and far more than a step-parent, loving
and caring as they may well be.
Joseph’s fatherhood was by God’s hand, he was responsible for caring for this
Christ-child.
Guys, what might you think and feel were you in Joseph’s shoes?
I’m sure he was inspired, and
so should we be as we carry his life to our worlds, small or large as they may be.
So, back to Jesus, what was Jesus in His culture?
Some may say, especially as they didn’t know better,
that He was an illegitimate child, a castaway, a nobody, someone to be forgotten, ignored, held in contempt, and
His mother should be stoned.
Later it would be said in Matthew 13:55-57, “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?
Isn’t
His mother’s name Mary, and aren’t His brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas?
Aren’t all His sisters with
us?
Where then did this man get all this wisdom and these miraculous powers?”
And they took offense at Him.
But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own town and in his own home.”
They
took offense… He was without honor in His own hometown.
Jesus and the family were lowlifes, held in
disdain and contempt.
Isaiah 53 says “He was despised and rejected by humankind, a man of sorrows, and
familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom people hide their faces He was reviled, and we held Him in low
esteem.”
So, Jesus is not starting out well in the community.
Nothing much inspiring here, yet.
2
But what about this Davidic line that He was supposedly from?
It is vital for prophecy to be fulfilled,
for Jesus to be authentic, for salvation to be bona fide.
If Jesus was not biological born of Joseph, was He really
from the lineage of David?
What about Mary?
What is her lineage?
Is Mary a descendant of David?
In both
genealogies of Jesus, one in Matthew 1:6, the other in Luke 3:31, the ancestry of David is mentioned ... for
Jesus.
Further, it was common knowledge and expectation for New Testament times that the Messiah would be
from the House of David.
Joseph is clearly pointed out as descendant of David in both genealogies.
On the
other hand, New Testament sources are silent about Mary's descendance from David.
However, through her marriage with Joseph, she enters his family and legally becomes, she and her son
Jesus, a member of the House of David.
Ok, so we are close, but we would like to have Mary no less a
descendant of David as was Joseph.
Well, according to custom, the bridegroom (Joseph) would choose his
bride (Mary) from among the women of his own tribe.
Also, and more culturally, women were not included in
genealogies, but their father’s were.
Luke’s genealogy shows that Heli, whom we are assured was Mary’s
father, was a direct descendant of the tribe of Judah.
In addition, the angel Gabriel (no less) affirmed Jesus’
Judean lineage, telling Mary that “He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High.
The Lord
God will give Him the throne of His ancestor David” (Luke 1:32).
Bingo, there you have it.
David was of the
tribe of Judah, as was Joseph and Mary.
So, not to belabor this matter, let’s move on to ask, “What’s in a
name?”
Names in our society can be politically incorrect or descriptive.
For example, the Washington Redskins,
the Cleveland Indians were found to be offensive and were changed to the Washington Commanders and the
Cleveland Guardians.
On the other hand, the Pittsburgh Steelers reflect the city’s steel mill tradition; and the
Orlando Magic is a nod to Disney World.
The Philadelphia Eagles are certainly flying high this year.
No one
has to explain these names.
The connections are clear and strong and commanding.
Names in the Bible always have deeper meaning beyond the words.
In Matthew, the birth of Jesus is
foretold.
The story begins in controversy, with Mary, the mother of Jesus, found to be pregnant.
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