Please don’t miss Christmas!

It’s hard to believe Christmas is almost upon us. It seems every year time goes by faster and faster. We dare not miss Christmas. Back in the first century many people missed Christmas. Herod the Great missed Christmas. His hatred and antagonism ordered the murder of every son in Bethlehem under the age of two. The religious leaders missed Christmas. Herod asked them, “Where is He Who has been born King of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2). They correctly answered, “In Bethlehem of Judea” (Matthew 2:5). Their apathy kept them from traveling the five to six miles to Bethlehem to see the Messiah.

The people of Jerusalem missed Christmas. When the wise men arrived in Jerusalem, the entire city was troubled (Matthew 2:3). The word troubled means “to be shaken as if by an earthquake.” The wise men were Gentile king makers from the great Parthian Empire. Their large contingent shook the entire city. However, the people were just too busy. Life was too hectic. They didn’t follow the wise men to Bethlehem.

It’s sad that so many people miss Christmas today. Hatred and antagonism, apathy and even indifference keep many people from Jesus. It’s sad because Jesus came for people like you and me. When Matthew wrote he broke Jewish tradition. Matthew begins with a genealogy. The genealogy traces the family tree of the Lord Jesus. Jewish genealogies back in the first century did not include the names of women. Matthew included the names of four women.

The first woman is Tamar (verse 3). Tamar back in the Book of Genesis was guilty of prostitution. Difficult circumstances in her life led to desperate actions. She dressed up as a prostitute and seduced her father in law Judah. The people sentenced her to death by burning. She identified Judah as the father of her baby and lived.

The second woman is Rahab (verse 5). Rahab was a Canaanite. The Canaanites were known for their sexual sin. Rahab did not have a stellar reputation. She ran a brothel. God in the Book of Joshua rescued her. She joined the commonwealth of Israel and ended up in the line of the Messiah.

The third woman is Ruth (verse 5). Ruth was a Moabite. Ruth was not guilty of any gross sin but the Moabite nation had a sordid past. When God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah He rescued Lot and his two daughters. The two daughters committed incest with their father. One of the results was the Moabite nation. God even included a Moabite in the family of the Messiah!

The fourth woman is Bathsheba. Verse 7 says, “And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah…” David and Bathsheba committed adultery. Their first child died but God mercifully gave them another child- Solomon. Bathsheba is also in the line of the Messiah.

Why did Matthew break tradition and name these women? God is speaking and making two very important points. First, Jesus came to save sinners. No sinner is beyond God’s mercy. Jesus came for all people. Second, Jesus came to save Gentiles. Matthew 1:1 begins, “The Book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.” Jesus is the Son of David. He is a King. Jesus is the Son of Abraham. He is a Jew. But the coming of Jesus is not just for the Jews, it is also for us Gentiles. Jesus came to save all kinds of people!

Matthew is a shocking choice to write the first Book of the New Testament. Matthew wrote to the Jews. The Romans made empire pay. Their system of tax collection was very efficient. Matthew was a tax collector. He worked for the hated Romans. Tax collectors cheated the people. They collected more than required and kept the rest for themselves. No one was more hated than a tax collector.

Matthew became a disciple of Jesus. Jesus transformed His life. As God transformed the lives of Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba God can transform your life also. 1 Peter 2:6 says, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”

Believing “on Jesus” means three things. First, there must be knowledge. We are sinners. Jesus became the God-Man. He was born to die for our sins. His sacrifice satisfied the Father’s wrath against our sin. Second, there must be emotion. We mourn over our sin. Our sin condemns us and caused the death of Jesus. Third, there must be trust. Believing on Jesus is to throw ourselves upon Him. He is our only hope for salvation. By faith we ask God for salvation.

Like Herod the Great our culture is filled with hatred and antagonism toward Jesus. Like the religious leaders many people are apathetic toward Jesus. Like the people in Jerusalem many are too busy to be bothered. Jesus is the Cornerstone. The only way to not be put to shame in the final judgment is through the Person of Jesus. Let’s celebrate Christmas every day!

Ethan Hansen is a pastor at Faith Bible Fellowship in Big Lake.