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SEASON OF REASON
I tell you the Truth,
October 1993 and August 1997 were two special months - the months that my
children were born. To witness the birth of your own flesh and blood is
something that is difficult for me to explain to you unless you’ve experienced
it yourself.
As special as those dates are to me, I imagine that most of you were going about
your own business on those days. Unless you’re a member of my family or a close
friend, those days mean very little to you. My family is neither famous, rich
nor important, so my children’s births were pretty uneventful happenings when
they came into this world.
With that in mind, the time is here again where we reminisce the birthday of the
Christ child some 2,000 years ago. The “Nativity,” or the birth of Jesus, is
celebrated around the world today. But it wasn’t such a big event at the time.
The birth of God in the flesh was a somewhat uneventful occurrence as far as the
world was concerned. There were no businesses closed, no schools let out, and
no high officials proclaiming the arrival of the Savior.
As far as the world was concerned, another day had passed, a normal, ordinary
day. There were other births, deaths, marriages and normal happenings. The
birth of Jesus was perhaps more interesting to the animals who may have shared
his birthing room than to the human race.
It seems unfitting to us, when we dwell on the scene, that the Son of God would
enter the world in such quiet, ordinary fashion. Sure the shepherds heard the
angels and later the “wise men” would follow the star, but as far as fan fare
goes, this birth of a child was not the talk of the town or, for that matter,
even considered an “event” at all.
So why would the God of the universe, the Creator of all things chose to enter
our world as a babe, quietly arriving as an outcast, being born in a stable?
Well, God always has good reason for His actions. God choose the method of how
He came in order for us to better understand why He came and who He came for.
In studying why He came as He did, I’m going to take you to an unusual place –
the genealogy of Jesus.
Matthew 1:
1A
record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham:
2Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
3Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was
Tamar,
Perez the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
4Ram the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
5Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse,
6and Jesse the father of King David.
The lineage of Jesus, as with all Jews, begins with Abraham, the father of
Jacob, who is called Israel. And as you see, the lineage runs through the
greatest of Kings in Israel – David. It’s only fitting that God incarnate would
come from the bloodline of such patriarchs. It’s not only fitting, it was
prophesied.
However, upon further examination, the genealogy reveals something less noble.
Two names on this list are like sore thumbs which could have been hidden but
were recorded nonetheless. The two names belong to two women. Tamar and Rahab
are not the kind of names you jot down in the family bible. Tamar was involved
in incest with her father in law Judah and Rahab was the harlot of Jericho, or a
prostitute.
So not only does the Christ child come to us as an outcast being born in a barn,
but His lineage is spotted with sexual perversion and misconduct.
Why would a Holy God allow Himself to be born through such a bloodline? Why
would He come to us as a helpless child, shunned by the inn keeper?
I
sincerely believe that God choose this entrance in order that we might more
clearly see Jesus Christ, the Son of God invites all mankind into His family.
He didn’t come for just the noble and the highly regarded. He came also for the
wretched lost and invites them into His family as a brother and sister.
The gift of God is the greatest gift of eternity. The birth of Jesus signifies
the birth of grace and mercy. Our infinite God not only saw the birth of
Himself incarnate, but He also saw the death on the cross – the real purpose for
which this baby was born.
“Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin.” Without the
birth, there is not shedding of blood.
Enjoy your Christmas holiday. But take time to realize the purpose of the birth
of the baby Jesus. Luke’s gospel tells us that “a Savior is born, who is Christ
the Lord.” In order to be a Savior, He must not only be born, but He must die.
He came for you and for all mankind, that we might be saved. He came for all
and invites all into His family simply by accepting the gift.
If you haven’t accepted Christ today, consider it now, won’t you?
Your Servant,
Randy Hunt
randy@truthworks.com
2TIM 1:7
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Prayer Requests
(and Praises!)
If you have a
prayer request and would like to see it here, please drop me an email so we can
share with others.
Pray that God might use you today for His good, pleasing and perfect will.
-Randy
Please reply if you have prayer requests, comments or simply need an open ear. I always enjoy hearing from you.
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Copyright © 2004 Truth Works Publishing. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise specified, all scripture quotations taken from the HOLY BIBLE,
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV.
Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of
Zondervan Publishing House.
All rights reserved.
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