Do you hear what I hear?

I’m always amazed at the claim that life happened randomly without the aid of an intelligent power, yet human beings constantly try to find order, structure and patterns in just about everything. Random is not acceptable to most of us. Even the messiest apologize for their disarray. I’m certain that seeking order is part of what it means to be made in the image of God.

The book I’m using to guide this year’s devotional readings demonstrates this desire for order. The author gives an outline for the book of Matthew along with a list of the important discourses Jesus gave, each one from major divisions of his outline. Here is his outline with the discourses listed placed beside each section:

Introduction of the King	1:1-4:11
Demands of the King	4:12-7:29	Sermon on the Mount	5:1-7:29
Deeds of the King	8:1-11:1	Commission to the Twelve	10:1-42
Program of the King	11:2-13:53	Parables of the Kingdom	13:1-53
Destiny of the King	13:54-19:2	Meaning of Greatness & Forgiveness	18:1-35
Problems of the King	19:3-26:2	Olivet Discourse	24:1-5:46
Death & resurrection of the King	26:3-28:15
Final commission by the King	28:16-20

As I read the first discourse, and compared it to the section of the outline, the words “demands of the King” seemed wrong, at least applied to the Beatitudes. They sound more like a description of the King’s subjects who are blessed because we believe in Jesus, mourn our sin, are granted pure hearts, are meek rather than feisty or proud, and so on.

Then Jesus goes on to describe what else will happen. We will be salt and light in a dark world, deal with anger and lust, avoid making oaths and retaliation, love our enemies, give to the needy, pray, fast, lay up treasure in heaven, not worry about our own needs, drop our judgmental attitudes, be considerate, be wary of false teachers, and built our lives upon the Rock of obedience to our King.

It seems that interpreting these as “demands” depends a great deal on whether or not a person is in the kingdom. Before I believed in Jesus, these seemed like rules for following God. Even in my early Christian life, they seemed like rules I must follow. It was not until God helped me understand grace that I’ve been able to look at this amazing sermon as a series of predictions and promises. The King says to me, “Because you believe in me, this is what has and will change in your life.”

That is, the desires of my King for me are not about my performance but about His bestowal. He grants me His heart and mind, His Holy Spirit who enables me to be His child, to act like I’m supposed to act. For instance, Jesus says:

“You are the salt of the earth . . .  You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:13–14)

This is not, “You will be . . .” these things, but you are these things. Matthew is trying to explain the amazing grace of Jesus Christ, King of the Jews, who came to enable His people to live as His people. He did it by dying for our sin, raising from the dead, forgiving us and making us new. He wanted the Jews and all readers to know that the struggle described in the OT of His people trying to keep the Law was just that — trying and a struggle. They failed miserably, just as all people do. Everyone falls short of His perfection. We need a Savior to give us the gift, the amazing grace that sets us free from the law of sin and death by giving us Himself and new life.

The NT begins with good news. Yes, there are warnings and demands because not everyone who reads it knows that Jesus Christ has taken care of all that. Those readers are still in that place where they need to understand how deep their need is for this amazing King who humbled Himself and became a baby, a servant. They need to hear that good news that sets sinners free so we can live like the wonderful description of kingdom citizens given in the Sermon on the Mount.

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Jesus, I’m thrilled to be a child of the Kingdom, a member of Your family, a person saved from sin’s penalty. I’m overjoyed to be in the process of purification, a process that results in what You described as You taught from than mountain in Galilee so many years ago. What a wonderful goal You have set for me, for Your people, for the world.

An important genealogy

For many, tracing a family tree has become an important but often difficult task. In my case, I did what I could because others were interested, but I could only go so far. On my father’s side, I discovered too many people with the same names. Without birth/death dates, I could go no farther than my great-grandparents. My mother’s side gave me the same problem with her Swedish ancestors and fire had destroyed the records of those who were from Ireland.

The New Testament did not have either problem. Matthew was able to trace the human genealogy of Jesus Christ back to Abraham. This was convincing proof to his Jewish readers of Jesus’ qualifications as the Messiah, the anointed One, and King of the Jews.

This genealogy is found in the first chapter. It covers a span of time containing many familiar names of men, two women, and several generations:

So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations. (Matthew 1:17)

This was important because God had promised His people a Savior, a Messiah, who would be descended from David. His lineage showed His qualifications.

While the term “messiah” had been used for others appointed by God to deliver them from various problems, this would be different, a Deliverer from the penalty and power of sin. However, this designation was not as plain to the ancient Jews as it is to God’s people now. The promise included continuation for the line of David and David’s eternal throne. This covenant idea was developed in the Psalms.

For the sake of your servant David, do not turn away the face of your anointed one. The Lord swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back: “One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne.” (Psalm 132:10–11)

Matthew’s use of the genealogy establishes Jesus as in the line of David. He also refers to Jesus’ quote from the OT to show that this is the One who was promised:

The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet.” (Matthew 22:44 from Psalm 110:1)

Tracing a family tree can be fun. Someone married into my family discovered she is a relative of actor John Wayne. A neighbor found out she is descended from Mary Queen of Scots. If I discovered someone in my family tree who was royalty, could I claim a throne? I don’t think so. Yet in the case of Jesus, the throne was promised to a person in the family tree of David. Obviously, this was the place to begin the story of Jesus the Christ, Matthew and the Holy Spirit wanted a way that would alert if not convince the Jewish people that their King had arrived.

Matthew gave other evidences of Jesus’ qualifications as Messiah and King of the Jews yet perhaps this was the strongest. He was born into the family tree of David, the beloved king of Israel.

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Jesus, I tend to think of You as my Shepherd Friend who loves me and protects me, guiding me as one of Your sheep. However, You are also my King, the Ruler of my heart and life. I bow before You, acknowledging that You are not only the King of the Jews, but King of kings and Lord of lords, the only One who reigns in my life.