The History of Christmas

Introduction

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What’s your traditional Christmas meal? KFC cornered market on Christmas in Japan. Now - make reservations weeks in advance to eat Christmas meal at KFC! Japan needs a Chik-fil-a!

Your Christmas season is full of traditions - parties, meals, concerts, tours of Christmas lights, etc.

Christmas much more than annual traditions! - Christmas is a revolution - God stepping into history to bring hope, peace, and joy to all people.

We know Christmas not simply a yearly celebration of traditions - Christmas is a revolution - God stepping into history to bring hope, peace, and joy to all people.

4 Gospels - Two birth stories. Next two Sundays and Christmas Eve, looking at Matthew’s account of the Christmas story.

Matthew - transformed by Jesus - a Roman tax collector who became an apostle of Jesus. His life was never the same. Knew well the times and tension between Rome and Israel. Also knew that Israel was buzzing with Messianic expectations and questions.

30 years after resurrection of Jesus, nagging question still lingering in Judea: “Who was this Jesus? We know He was crucified, but what’s this about His resurrection? Every now and then, I run into someone at the Jewish Starbucks who said they remember seeing Jesus alive after His death...” Matthew answers those questions.

Gospel writers, including Matthew, led by Holy Spirit, write to give a historical account explaining who Jesus is and what He has done.

Writing to Jewish people considering the claims of Christianity, from the first verse of his Gospel, Matthew wants us to know exactly who Jesus is.

is like reading a Jewish phonebook. (Remember those?) It’s like Matthew has logged on to ancestry.com to work on Jesus’ family tree, but these verses so significant.

If you think about it, these verses are “The History of Christmas,” the history of God’s revolution, the history of grace.

Three fundamental truths from this passage:

The Christmas story is good news.

Genealogies of varying importance for us, but a big deal for a Jew. Remember Paul in Ph. 3? Tribe of Benjamin. Your genealogy served as a resume of sorts - who you were and your position in society.

At the temple, the priests kept a record of their genealogy so they could trace the priestly line of service. At home, many families were very interested in their family line especially after the exile. After the exile, how would you know who got what property if you didn’t know what family you belonged to?

Lengthy genealogies in Bible. Obviously important to Jews, and important to Matthew - because the genealogy of Jesus says much about who He is. So important to Matthew that he begins his entire Gospel with this genealogy, and in providence of God, our New Testament starts with genealogy of Jesus.

Matthew’s genealogy selective - Luke’s genealogy longer () and goes back further than Abraham, but Matthew’s genealogy very purposeful. 2 Promises: 1: Son of David and 2. Son of Abraham.

Son of David - Note: David before Abe: why? Kingly significance - passage centers around the idea of Jesus as King. - God promised that a King whose Kingdom would last forever would sit on the throne of the David. Matthew: Here is your King! This Jesus who grew up in the backwoods of Nazareth as the son of a carpenter, who wandered around Galilee without a home, who was rejected by the religious elite, who was crucified at the hands of the Jews and Romans, who you heard rose from the dead - He is Israel’s King! He’s the Messiah you waited for - Let me show you His royal lineage!

Note the lineage of Jesus: 3 periods of 14 generations. (vs. 17) Gematria: numeric value assigned to letters of Hebrew alphabet - only consonants - no vowels. (Daleth = 4, Vav = 6, Daleth = 4 = 14. And, David is the 14th name in Matthew’s list!) King David is not the most significant King in Israel’s history - Jesus, who comes the lineage of David - is Israel’s most significant King - He’s the eternal king!

Son of Abraham - - Jesus is a descendant of Father Abraham - Promise to Abraham - through you all the nations of the earth to be blessed. Hadn’t happened yet. But remember Acts? Happening now. Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham.

Matthew’s genealogy - Good news! The promises of God have been fulfilled in Jesus! (Gospel = Good News. Gospel a common word in 1st century. An announcement about a historical reality.)

The Christmas story is good news because in Jesus the promises of God are fulfilled. (Gospel = Good News. Gospel a common word in 1st century. An announcement about a historical reality.)

Christianity is far more than a life hack. (Life hack is a shortcut or a trick to make life easier.) Isn’t that what we want out of Christianity? Teach me a few tricks… How often should I pray to get God on my side? How good do I need to be to get God to help me? How many times should I go to church to get out of my mess?

Christianity is far more than good advice. Golden rule, Proverbs, James, etc… Certainly wisdom, but not merely good advice to help you have a better life. Plenty of religions offer good advice - buddhism, etc. But, Christianity offers so much more.

Christianity not a life hack or good advice - but Good News about a historical reality - that 2000 years ago God sent His Son into the world so that the world through Him might be saved. You were on your way to hell, but an eternal King was born.

Christianity not a life hack or merely good advice - but Good News about a historical reality - that 2000 years ago God sent His Son into the world so that the world through Him might be saved. You were on your way to hell, but an eternal King was born.

Jesus is more than an example to follow. We don’t need another religious teacher, life coach, wellness expert, etc. We need a Savior. Matthew’s Good News: He’s here!

The Christmas story is good news for you.

Jesus’ family tree is a crooked family tree.

Notice: 4 women. Women were usually absent in genealogies. Hebrews trace lineage through men. Matthew chooses specific women to highlight:

Tamar - - Her husband died. In their tradition, brother’s responsibility to marry and produce an heir in the place of his brother. Onan begrudgingly married her, but would not impregnate her. Long story short, Tamar dresses as a prostitute. Judah pays for her services and impregnates her.

Rahab - - Pagan prostitute who heard of Israel’s God and believed He would give Hebrews victory. Protected Hebrew spies from being found out. When Hebrews destroyed Jericho, they saved her. A pagan, prostitute becomes a Hebrews!

Ruth - a Moabite who married into a Jewish family. Husband died, but she moved to Israel with mother-in-law. Moabites - reputation for sexual perversion - NOT a Hebrew - BUT - Boaz shows her grace and marries her.

Wife of Uriah - Bathsheba not even named. Why? Darkest moment in Israel’s history - their glorious King David - the man after God’s own heart - falls into adultery with the wife of one of his own soldiers who is out fighting a battle for David. Matthew can’t bring himself to name Bathsheba - the whole thing was so shameful.

Mary - technically 5th woman - birth of Jesus shrouded in scandal.

Matthew showing us that Jesus’ lineage is not what you would expect it would be - it is full of outsiders: women, immoral women (sexual immorality in all 4 instances), gentiles.

Matthew telling us: The Christmas story is good news for you. We are all outsiders! But God’s grace came for us!

Here’s good news:

God redeems what we ruin. Tamar? Rahab? Ruth? Bathsheba? David? Judah? Solomon? And really, the others in Jesus’ lineage - had all ruined their lives because of sin. But, God redeems what we ruin. This room is full of people who have ruined their lives because of sin. You made wrong choices. You ruined your marriage, relationships, future, etc. BUT, God stepped in and changed your life. This morning, you might feel like you’ve ruined your life. Turn to Jesus. He can redeem what you feel like you have ruined.

God brings worth to the worthless. All four women seem worthless. Looked down on - but God gives them worth. He brought them into His family. They are in Jesus’ family line. And, so are you! You are in the family line! He has given you worth! You are of tremendous value to God! You are of infinite worth to your heavenly Father - worth so much that He gave His Son for you and has made you co-heirs with Christ. ()

https://www.npr.org/2019/12/07/785725498/opinion-this-art-is-bananas - How much would you pay for a banana? Apparently it depends on the artist. You have worth because of what God was willing to pay for you.

The Christmas Story is the good news of rest for you.

Matthew selective in genealogy - Use of 14 to show us Jesus is King - long awaited Son of David.

Some scholars point out another pattern that Matthew may be using: 3 sets of 14 = 6 7’s. Certain numbers are significant in the Bible - perhaps most significant is 7. 7 = completion. Points to rest - 7th day.

6 7’s - Jesus ushers in a new generation - the 7th 7.

Another place in Scripture refers to the seventh 7 -

Every 7 years - land rested - no crops planted - to let land replenish nutrients. (Leviticus 25:3-5)

The year of jubilee - Every 50 in Israel, if you owed a debt, it was forgiven. Every 50 years, all slaves were freed. ()

Could it be that Matthew is showing us that Jesus is the year of Jubilee? In Him, our greatest debt has been forgiven, our sin debt. In Him, we have been set free.

Seven points to rest and completion. In Jesus, we have found ultimate rest because He has removed the burden of sin and given us peace with God. Matthew 11:28-30

English Standard Version Chapter 11

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Rest from trying to earn God’s favor. Jesus earned it for you by doing what you could not do. Greatest gift you will ever receive is gift of righteousness of Jesus.

Rest from trying to prove yourself to God and to others. We all want to be somebody. You have nothing to prove. You’re in! You’ve been given eternal riches! What else is there? Rest in who you are in Christ and simply live out His calling on your life.

Rest from carrying the weight of the world. Weight of world = shame and guilt. Jesus carried that for you. Romans 8:1

History of Christmas really is the history of grace. From the beginning of time, God has been showering His people with grace, and Christmas is the ultimate act of grace. God becoming one of us, to go to a cross, die for us, and rise again for us, so we can have rest. Have you experienced the rest that comes from Jesus?