Origin of the King
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Good morning, Gateway Chapel!
Any astute viewer of the movie “101 Dalmations” is left with only one question: Why is Cruella de Vil so evil?
I mean come on! Why would someone want to hurt white spotted puppies?
Was that not your experience watching the movie?
Well, good thing that Emma Stone and company in 2021 made, “Cruella” which was the Origin story of the villain.
For those of us left wondering…we have the questions answered!
I won’t spoil the plot but after watching that movie you learn, “Oh, that’s why she hates Dalmations.” It all makes sense now.
Everyone has an origin story. Hero’s heroines, villains, even us. The function of an origin story is often to explain why someone is the way they are, and to explain away any false perceptions about them.
Batman…why does he fight crime? His parents were killed.
Why does Iron Man have that thing on his chest? He was a war criminal.
Tiger Woods…why is he crazy? Have you met his dad?
Have you ever had a coworker, friend, or family member who you really didn’t like, but when you found out their origin story, you said, “Oh wow, that makes a lot more sense.”
Whether it’s Cruella, Batman, real people we know, our even ourselves, origin stories give context to explain who we are and why we do the things we do.
In 2023, we are preaching through the book of Matthew, and the book of Matthew’s main character, the hero, is Jesus.
Who is Jesus?
That’s what people were wondering then…is Jesus the Christ, is Jesus just a prophet, is he a crazy person? And it’s what people are wondering today…is Jesus God, was he just a famous historical figure, was he a misunderstood person who didn’t mean to start a religion he just wanted to love people?
To explain who Jesus is, Matthew gives us Jesus’ origin story to show us who he is and why he did the things he did.
Matthew is convinced that Jesus is the Christ. He’s the King. The most important person in the world.
He wants you and I to be like him and devote our lives to being his disciples.
This morning we’re in Matthew 1 which is the origin story of Jesus. We will be in Matthew 1:1-25, a large chunk as Hannah just read! And in Matthew 1 we have the origin story of Jesus…I want us to see what this shows about who Jesus is, about what he’s come to do, and what that means for our response to him...
Prayer
1:1-17 - His Ancestry
1:1-17 - His Ancestry
Matthew 1 is split into two sections, the first being a long genealogy as Hannah just read.
Did anyone nearly fall asleep during that section?
I promise you, Matthew 1 is not boring, we’re just not avid readers of ancient Jewish literature, amen?
To get an American’s attention, someone better die in the first two sentences or we’re like, “Meh, boring!”
Matthew is giving us the origin story of Jesus.
He is connecting Jesus to the Old Testament, showing that Jesus is the Promised King sent to save the world from sin and death.
How do we know that’s what Matthew is doing?
First, a refresher. Last week we talked about the 3 part structure of Matthew.
Part 1 - Jesus is the Promised King
Part 2 - Jesus is the Good King
Part 3 - Jesus is the Victorious King
So that’s where we’re at in Matthew 1…Matthew is trying to convince us that Jesus is the Promised Jewish King who will restore the world.
Just like the structure of Matthew as a whole helps us understand it’s meaning, here’s a look at the structure of the genealogy in Matthew 1...
Matthew 1:1-17 has a pretty clear structure. It starts with an opening line, and bookends with a summary. And there are three blocks of genealogies within these which Matthew uses to show major story archs of the Old Testament.
It begins with...
1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
First thing to notice is the word genealogy, which according to my Bible software is the Greek word “Genesis.” It’s like Matthew is saying, “In the beginning...”
Genesis is a book which gives us the origin story of God, the world, and humans. It teaches us about what God is like, what it’s like to live in the world, and what it means to be human. So here, Matthew is giving us the origin story of Jesus.
Second thing to notice is Matthew’s title CHRIST. Christ is not Jesus’ last name, it’s a title. And it’s a contested one. Matthew is saying, “Remember that Jewish rabbi you killed…yeah he wasn’t a heretic, another prophet, or some nice guy…he was the king of the world.”
And you say…Prove it!
First, Matthew says, Jesus was the Son of David.
Jesus’ origins go back to David, which was important because of many biblical texts that state the Christ had to come from the line of David.
Second, Matthew says Jesus was a Son of Abraham.
The Promised King would not be Scottish. He’s not going to be Ethiopian. He’s not going to be Korean. The Savior of the World is Jewish. God promised the Jewish people that through Abraham - their great great grandfather - he would send the Christ.
Let’s look at this list of names - broken into three sections - to see what it shows us about Jesus...
First, three sections (which, keep an eye on Matthew he LOVES threes) which - in a way - retell the story of the Old Testament. God chooses Abraham, brings the kingdom united under David, they rebel against God and are exiled, they come back from exile which leads to Jesus.
First section - Abraham through David, what do we notice?
This resembles almost identically the genealogy in Ruth 4:18-22.
18 Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, 19 Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab, 20 Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, 21 Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, 22 Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.
But, who shows up in Matthew’s list that isn’t in Ruth’s?
Tamar…who is Tamar? A woman. Is she Jewish? Probably not!
A non-Jewish woman appears in the genealogy of the male Jewish king. Hmm.
Who else shows up?
Rahab!…Who’s Rahab? A non-Israelite female prostitute.
A non-Jewish prostitute in the genealogy of the male Jewish sinless savior of the world. Hmm.
Who else?
Ruth!…a Gentile!
A nobody…another non-Jewish woman in the genealogy of the most important person in the world. Curious.
Second section - Solomon through Jechoniah, what do we notice?
Similarly to the first section, this genealogy resembles one in 1 Chron 3:10-17...
This section is about the story of Israel all the way up to the exile.
Right off the bat Matthew has an addition...
6 and Jesse the father of David the king.
And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah,
By the wife of Uriah…who is that? Bathsheba! Who is Bathsheba? The woman King David sleeps with and then has her husband killed.
Uriah is a Hittite - not a Jew, and by saying “Wife of Uriah” Matthew is saying, “David was a great king but let’s not forget what he did.” Jesus is better than David!
Third section - Jeconiah through Jesus, what do we notice?
A lot of names I don’t know very well.
Isabelle already knows about Jesus and Jacob…she probably won’t learn about Elihud and Eliakim in the near future. But Rosie Ray is a Bible ninja so I’m not sure.
But again, what do we notice? A woman! Mary.
5 women - not all Jewish - in the genealogy of the male Jewish king of the world.
Quite the origin story Matthew is painting for Jesus.
Then the summary verse...
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.
What’s with 14?
Double 7, big time Bible number.
The Hebrew letters of the name of David, used as numerals, add up to fourteen. Come on!
What do we learn about Jesus through the origin story of Jesus’ genealogy?
Jesus is the king of all people.
Jesus is the king of all people.
I heard Jesus was born from Mary, didn’t she sleep around?
No, but look at other women in Jesus’ history who have unique pasts.
If Jesus is Jewish, how is he the king of all people?
Look at his genealogy…it’s not just Jews!
Why does Jesus hang out with people who don’t go to church on Sundays?
Look at his genealogy…remember David, he was a murderer?
Tomorrow is Martin Luther King day…and he is someone who understood Jesus is the king of all people. Dr King gave his “I have a dream” speech because he knew Jesus is the king of all people, white and black.
Why is Jesus so kind and gracious to people on the outside? Look at his origin story. He’s the king of all people.
Jesus is much more inclusive than we give him credit for.
Maybe you have friends who say, “I couldn’t follow Jesus, how could you love someone who sends people to hell?”
By saying that, people mean that God is exclusive. Yet, when we look at this genealogy…we see that Jesus associates with people who people of the day would NEVER choose. People were so patriarchal they thought men by nature had a better chance of being close to God than women…Jesus associated with men and women. Should murderers be saved? Jesus associates with them. Should people who commit sexual assault be saved? Look at the story of Judah.
It is good news that Jesus is king because he’s the king of all people. There is no sin, no skin color, no wrong someone can do that can keep them from the love of Jesus.
Even so…word traveled fast in Matthew’s day…and word was that Jesus was an illegitimate son of Joseph. He’s not really a son of David because Mary had a one night stand with some guy, she was pregnant before Joseph even got married to her, how can Jesus be the son of David?
Matthew says I’m so glad you asked. Let’s move to Matthew 1:18-25.
Maybe some of you are like, “Chris, why are we reading Jesus’ birth story, don’t you know it’s not December?” I am aware.
This is a very familiar story.
And yet Matthew didn’t write it because he knew we’re suckers for Christmas stories.
It’s an origin story about Jesus.
Maybe this is helpful for thinking through the story. Again, it’s a simple structure. We have here is the birth of Jesus...
My fancy Bible software says that’s the same word as in Matthew 1:1! Genesis...
Here we have the story of Jesus’ birth…it begins with Joseph (who is in Jesus’ genealogy) resolving to divorce Mary quietly.
Imagine you’re Joseph for a second. You ever been engaged? What would you do if you found out your fiance was pregnant, and you’ve been just barely kissing on the cheek so you’re pretty sure it’s not your kid. How would you feel? Betrayed. Angry.
She’s pregnant, and you didn’t have sex, so I’m no detective but 1 plus 1 = she slept with someone else, right?
If Joseph divorces Mary, we have a problem. Why?
If Jospeh divorces Mary, then Jesus cannot be the son of David because Joseph is in David’s line.
So God steps in right in the middle of the story and it says...
20 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. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Jesus is the Greek name for the Hebrew name Joshua which means…God saves.
Matthew is saying, you know why Jesus had to die on the cross? Because he’s the one who’s come to be a sacrifice for our sins. This is the origin story of Jesus.
Matthew then points back to the Old Testament when he says
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us).
When you’re reading Matthew and you see an Old Testament verses quoted, always go check it out.
1 In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah the king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not yet mount an attack against it. 2 When the house of David was told, “Syria is in league with Ephraim,” the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.
Israel is in the middle of war.
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.
What’s going on here?
In the context of deadly warfare, God promises to send a sign by sending a child born to a virgin - and the word virgin in Hebrew is actually vague - it could mean young girl - but Matthew knows his Bible really well and says, “Actually this was a prophecy fulfilled fully in Jesus born to an ACTUAL virgin.”
Going back to our chart…how does Joseph respond?
24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
So let’s combine what we learned from the genealogy with what we’ve just learned about Jesus, and we might come up with someone like:
Jesus is the king of all people who came to save sinners.
Jesus is the king of all people who came to save sinners.
Cruella is the kind of villain who hates white dalmations. Why? Well, watch Cruella with Emma Stone and you’ll find out.
Batman is the kind of billionaire who hates crime. Why? His parents were killed in an armed robbery.
Tiger Woods is the kind of athlete who has relationship problems. Why? Watch the Tiger documentary and you’ll learn about his dad.
I’m the kind of person who’s not afraid of strangers. Why? My dad counseled people in our home so I had strangers in my living room daily. I like new people.
Jesus is the kind of king who died on a cross. Why? He came to be a sacrifice for sin.
Jesus is the kind of king who associated with people others would never think of inviting in their home. Why? He’s the king of all people, just look at his genealogy.
Matthew, you say Jesus is king, but his mom slept around, right? No, he was born from God through the Holy Spirit.
Matthew you say Jesus is the king, but he died…what’s up with that? Jesus is the kind of king who came to do warfare not against people, but against the powers and principalities of darkness.
13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
Who is someone in your life that is hard to love? Jesus loves all people. That’s why we talk about connecting with each other on Sundays, and not just our best friends, but all people in the church because Jesus is the king of all people. So we’re invited to be people who love not just people who love us back, but outsiders.
Has anyone ever told you that you’re hard to love? And yet Jesus loves you and forgives you. Is there something in your past you struggle to forgive yourself for? An action, a thought, a decision, a divorce, a friendship lost, an angry word…there is nothing God cannot forgive. Therefore we forgive ourselves and each other.
Be like Joseph.
Be like Joseph.
Matthew is full of stories of people who reject Jesus, but it begins with someone who receives him by faith. Joseph is the ideal Jesus follower.
Joseph is in the middle of a horrible scenario. He thinks the woman he loves cheated on him. He’s made up his made to reject Jesus. And then God speaks to him in a very ordinary way…a dream.
Sometimes we think dreams are abnormal things…but people have been having dreams for thousands of years. It’s God speaking our language to get our attention.
Joseph is in the middle of a situation he would not choose and his mind is made up, I’m going in this direction, and then God shows up and says, “I want you to see Jesus here and love him.”
Is there something in your life right now that really stinks, you didn’t choose, and God is speaking to you and saying, “I want you to see Jesus here and love him.”
I am convinced God is up to something here at Gateway Chapel. And it may involve situations we wouldn’t choose or would think are against what is supposed to happen. What if the Holy Spirit is directly involved?
Why does Cruella hate dalmations? Well, if you knew where she came from, it would all make sense. Why is Jesus, a Jewish man born two thousand years ago, the king of all nations? Matthew 1 gives us the story. Why did Jesus die on the cross? Matthew 1 says he came to die for sinners like you and like me. Be like Joseph and receive him today.
Communion
Respond through eating and drinking, through singing, and another thing to consider is to respond through giving. It’s not something we talk about much, but giving our money is a response to the love of King Jesus. Consider, as an act of love for Jesus, giving your money - either online or in the back - as a way to say, Jesus I can never out give you, but here’s my worship today.
Announcements
We want to get to know you…info in the back...
Theda mentioned the women’s conference on March 3 and 4th..info on our weekly email.
I want to mention this morning, next Sunday if you’re unaware is Sanctity of Life Sunday, which is a Sunday where churches around the world take a moment to address the issue of abortion, not as a political issue but a gospel issue because Jesus is the king of all people, and a person begins at conception.
And so next Sunday we’re going to be joined by a representative from an organization called CareNet Puget Sound, and we’re going to do a bottle drive. So be prepared to learn and to give to support CareNet and their services locally.
Benediction