Sermon Notes, Fourth Sunday After Easter

INTRODUCTION
Through the Spirit that comes upon Mary, God enters the creation to renew it. In Jesus, God is with His people to save them from their sins.

THE TEXT
:Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly . . . .” (Matthew 1:18-2:12).

VIRGIN CONCEPTION
Many have thought that Jesus’ conception of a Virgin was designed to bypass original sin. Though Jesus was free from sin of all sorts (Hebrews 4:15), Matthew’s point is different. This episode is framed as part of a creation story: Verse 18 uses the word “genesis” (translated “birth”), in context the references to the Holy Spirit (vv. 18, 20) allude back to Genesis 1:2, and Joseph rising from sleep to take his wife reminds us of Adam in the garden (Genesis 2:18-25). Mary is the “earth” over which the heavenly Spirit hovers to form a new creation. Jesus is born of a Virgin because God is doing something new in the world. That something new is explained in verse 23: Jesus will not be just another deliverer for Israel; He will be what Isaiah predicted, “God with us” (Isaiah 7:14). He won’t save His people from Egypt, Philistia, Babylon, or Rome, but from their worst enemy, Sin (v. 21).

JOSEPH, SON OF DAVID
Joseph’s first reaction to the news that Mary is pregnant is to put her away, that is, to divorce her, but without subjecting her to public shame. An angel who appears in a dream convinces him otherwise (v. 20). This annunciation reminds us of Old Testament annunciations of Ishmael (Genesis 16) and Samson (Judges 13). The angel addresses Joseph as “son of David,” highlighting Jesus’ royal lineage. Joseph is also like his namesake, who also received dreams concerning the salvation of his people (Genesis 37, 40-41).

WISE MEN
Matthew’s genealogy includes four Gentile women, anticipating the inclusion of Gentiles in the new Israel. The story of the wise men reiterates this theme. Stars represent rulers, and the appearance of a new star tells the magi that a king has been born (cf. Numbers 24:15-19). The magi come to pay homage to King Jesus, like the Queen of Sheba who came to see Solomon’s court (1 Kings 10) and in fulfillment of prophecies about the Gentiles streaming to Jerusalem to offer their riches to the God of Israel (Isaiah 60:4-9).

HEROD AND JERUSALEM
While Gentiles rejoice at Jesus’ birth, Herod and the Jewish leaders are troubled (v. 3). Herod cannot rejoice at the news of a new king, whom he sees as a rival to his own power. Many Jews receive Jesus, but Jerusalem, the center of Jewish leadership, is hostile to Jesus from the beginning. Rather than receive Jesus, Israel’s leaders prefer to play the role of court scribes to the bloodthirsty power-monger, Herod. Jerusalem confirms its reputation as the city that kills prophets; she will be left desolate as a result (cf. Matthew 23:37-38).