Matthew: Born to be a King of Jews

KNOW YOUR KING: MATTHEW

(Matthew 2:1-21)

Matthew 13:31-32 – The Mustard Seed The Seed for this morning: Jesus is the Anointed & Legitimate King of the Jews

A CHECKERED PAST?

              • Abraham: Genesis 17:5-8

              • King David: Acts 13:22-23

              • Judah/Peres: Genesis 38:11-30

              • David/Uriah: 2 Samuel 12:1-14

              • Hezekiah/Manasseh: 2 Kings 21:1-15

              • Jechoniah and his brothers: 2 Chronicles 36:1-33

              • A Radically Different King born in a new way: Matthew 1:18-25

A PRECARIOUS PRESENT…

Magi – “It was also widely believed during this era that stars heralded the birth of human beings destined for greatness (Brown, 1977), and in fact, both Suetonius and Tacitus tell us that at the turn of the era there was an expectation of a world-ruler who would come from Judea (Suetonius, Vespasian 4; Tacitus, Annals 5.13).” - Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels

Herod the Great: Idumean / Puppet King of the Romans

Christ = Χριστá½¹ς (Greek) / מְשִׁי - (Hebrew).                                                                                               Read more: Psalms 18:50 or 1 Samuel 2:10ff.

What the religious know: Micah 5:2 & Ezekiel 34:23-24

OT Star(s):

              • The Worship of Saturn (Amos 5:26)

              • The coming Prince of Israel (Numbers 24:17) “a star shall rise out of Jacob, a man shall                spring out of Israel; and shall crush the princes of Moab, and shall spoil all the sons of                 Seth.”

Matt. 2:12 -- "Out of Egypt I called my son."

Hosea 11:1-4 – When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. 2 The more they were called, the more they went away; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols. 3 Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that I healed them. 4 I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them.

“Dear Fellow Jews, to reject King Jesus is to reject being Jewish itself” – love, Matthew.

THE ONLY PROSPECT FOR A FUTURE (JEWISH) HOPE!

              • Ramah was north of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, where Jesus was born and the children                          slaughtered, was south of Jerusalem.

              • Grandma Rachel is a picture of the whole nation of Israel – lost, killed, carried away in                    722 BC.

Jeremiah 31:16,17,20 - 16 Thus says the LORD: "Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your work, declares the LORD, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. 17 There is hope for your future, declares the LORD, and your children shall come back to their own country. 20 Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he my darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I do remember him still. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, declares the LORD.

OUR CHOICES:

              • Herod?

              • The Chief Priests & Scribes?

              • The Magi?