Christmas is about the best news that the world has ever heard. The Good News that God has come into the world to save sinners…to do what we could not do. God did not leave us on our own. Matthew essentially encapsulates the Good News in a phrase when he says “The record of the genealogy of Jesus, the Messiah.” Messiah = Christ = Anointed One. God has sent His Anointed One. It is the most wonderful news that any human being, in any place, in any time, can hear, if it is understood: that God’s Christ is here.
In the Old Testament the anointing of a prophet, priest or king, was symbolic of the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Over time, it became clear in the Old Testament that God was going to send one day, one anointed person to fill all three offices, Prophet, Priest, and King. Matthew is announcing that God’s ultimate Prophet, ultimate Priest, and ultimate King has come, and His name is Jesus. |
