Advent- December 13

Listen: What Child is This

When Jesus was born, He fulfilled a promise God had made with a King named David that one of his children would one day sit on his throne and reign forever. Jesus was that King, but He did not come to sit on an earthly throne. Jesus came as a spiritual King who would sit on a Heavenly throne and reign over our hearts forever. He is King over Heaven and Earth!

Adults:

Matthew

“Behold Your King.” Zechariah 9:9

Judah, the Father of Tamar’s son and his lineage was given a standard of a Lion. The standard of the Lion also represented the tribes of Issachar and Zebulon.

Matthew opens with the genealogy of Jesus. In his lineage, you will find four women from the Old Testament: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. It is also a royal lineage. As sovereign kings reign from their thrones and rule over lands,  Jesus’ sovereign reign begins with Abraham, the one who was promised blessing, generations, and lands and whose lineage was traced to King David, the king whose throne would never end. Seated at the right hand of God, reigning from his heavenly throne, Jesus shares His authority with us to rule and reign with His power.

Below is a brief history of the four women mentioned in Matthew’s lineage. 

• Tamar was a woman who took matters into her own hands to bear a child. Because of her husband's wickedness, his name is not listed in the lineage of Christ because he died early and never fulfilled his purpose. Tamar, a Jew, bore the son of her husband’s Father. Despite the shady way in which she conceived, she was chosen by God to mother the bloodline of Christ.

• Rahab was a Gentile and a prostitute who helped two Israelite men spy on her land. She betrayed her people but was given a place of honor among God’s people. Her story is one of salvation.

• Ruth is a story of redemption. Coming from a Gentile land, Ruth tenaciously followed her mother-in-law back to the Jewish land of her birth. Then, finding themselves vulnerable and in need, Ruth stepped out courageously and trusted a man who would redeem their lives.

• Bathsheba was a Jewish woman of great beauty who committed adultery with a king. The consequences led to much heartache and trouble, yet despite the sordid choices, she mothered a son who would one day give birth to The King of Kings. Through Solomon, her son, God promised his lineage would forever sit on the throne of David. Her story is one of royalty. 

Matthew ends as it began, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” He is Immanuel, “God with us." An Excerpt from Behold Jesus in the Gospels