I invite you at this time to open with me to the New Testament and the gospel according to Matthew chapter one, verses one through 17. Matthew chapter one, verses one through 17, which is found on page 807 if you're using the church Bible. It's our Advent series, the Christ child and his family part two. Last week in part one, we would explore his eternal family. reckoning from John chapter 1 with who the Son of God is eternally, the second person of the Trinity, equal to the Father, fully God, and thus able to enter in and save the likes of us. It would be quite an exercise, though you could compare it to being like checking the foundation of a house, which you normally don't look at it being underground, unseen. Yet knowing that it is infinitely strong and immovably secure, we can now enjoy living in the superstructure of the house itself. We can go from room to room and interact with the people we meet. And we meet several such people today in what seems, however, at first to be something akin to reading names out of the phone book. Only these names are really hard to pronounce. What gives? Why would Matthew open like this? Well, we're about to find out, finding out that this is actually a text that delivers in some surprising ways as it overflows with a life-giving message of the good news of Jesus. So let's go ahead then and give our undivided attention to it, to the reading of God's holy, inerrant, and infallible life-giving word. Again, Matthew chapter 1, the first 17 verses. The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nashan, and Nashan the father of Sammon, and Sammon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah. And Solomon the father of Rehoboam. And Rehoboam the father of Abijah. And Abijah the father of Asaph. And Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat. And Jehoshaphat the father of Joram. And Joram the father of Uzziah. And Uzziah the father of Jotham. And Jotham the father of Ahaz. And Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the deportation to Babylon. And after the deportation of Babylon, Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Mathan, and Mathan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born. who is called Christ. So all the generations from Abraham to David were 14 generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon, 14 generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ, 14 generations. Amen. Let the one who has ears to hear hear what the Holy Spirit is saying. Brothers, sisters, you may be familiar with the name Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. You may recall that he is the British author who has given us Sherlock Holmes, writing towards the close of the 19th century and towards the beginning of the 20th. Well, what you may not know is that he would also be quite the practical joker. He would once write and mail identical notes to 12 of England's most famous men living at the time, with each note anonymously saying just these words, all is discovered, flee at once. And it is said that within 24 hours, Each of the men would go missing, apparently into hiding. I guess that in each case there would be some misdeed, some deep, dark secret now feared to be brought to light. It speaks to the universality of guilt and shame. Truth be told, we all have something we would rather keep dead and buried. The Bible teaches us much, confronting us accordingly. And it actually has much to do with why Jesus has come, with what is celebrated by many Christians at Christmas time. In fact, his ancestors point to the gospel message in some direct and striking ways as we find out about them in relation to Jesus here in Matthew chapter 1, verses 1 through 17. So let's start with first, the skeletons that are in the closet. Brothers and sisters in Christ, this, as we read in Matthew chapter 1, verse 1, is Jesus' genealogy. In other words, He is the descendant of all those who are listed here. It lists a bunch of family names. and testifies to an illustrious family history, which, however, is not the only adjective that might come to mind. You see, we all have skeletons in our closets, and we all have them within the closets of our families and their respective histories. We'd rather no one know about this or that. And we'd rather that no one learn of this particular family member and the disgrace he or she brings upon the family name. There is guilt and shame by mere association. Well, Jesus' ancestors include some such questionable characters. Human beings are complex, of course. We're all a mixture, both bearers of God's image and yet fallen, tainted by sin. And we see it in even some of the more heroic figures listed here, like Abraham, who leads off this genealogy in verse 2. He is known as the man of faith, but he's also the man who would not once, but twice, lie about the identity of his wife, Sarah, who would be so beautiful that he would fear that other men would kill him to have her, if they were to know them to be married. So to save his own skin, that would put her at risk. He would pass her off as his sister. How about Isaac, still in verse 2? As Abraham's son, the son of God's promise, he would sow seeds of deception and favoritism within his family, plotting to bless his older twin son Esau, even though his younger twin son Jacob would be God's chosen vessel. And it doesn't get any better with the next generation, with verse 2 also listing Jacob. His name would even mean cheater. Talk about a smooth operator. Left to himself, he would manipulate a birthright out of his brother and lie and pretend his way towards obtaining his father's blessing. Again, snatching it from his brother. He just wouldn't trust the covenant God to give according to his promise, in his own time, in his own way, such that Jacob would be constantly taking matters into his own hands. Well, so much for the patriarchs. Jacob's sons are mentioned at the end of verse 2. Judah and his brothers. Judah and his brothers would plot to murder their younger brother, Joseph, before settling for making a buck and selling him into slavery in Egypt. And yet, that's not the scandal that Matthew seems to want to highlight the most in connection with Judah. Check out what he draws attention to in verse 3, that Judah would be the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar. Now we need to slow down and put everything on hold. Matthew has just departed from conventional practice. He has mentioned a woman in his genealogy of Jesus. Well, maybe he's an egalitarian progressive seeking to be politically correct. Maybe not, given that he is writing 2,000 years ago in an ancient Near Eastern cultural milieu in which women were viewed as inferior to men, being afforded next to nothing in terms of basic rights and therefore excluded from genealogies. He is including Tamar, and he will include other women as well, and he is, yes, elevating their status, which Jesus would do with women in general, but understand he is being anything but politically correct. In fact, Tamar has two strikes against her. from the perspective of an ancient Jew, with it believed that Matthew is writing primarily for a Jewish audience. She is not only a woman, but a Canaanite, historically among Israel's enemies. In other words, she is a godless, a heathen Gentile in background. She, of all women, makes it into Jesus' genealogy as one of his ancestral mothers. Worse even than that, though, is how bad Matthew is making Judah look by mentioning Tamar, the mother of these two boys, instead of covering it up and letting it lie, it's as if he's rubbing it in. This assorted episode in which Judah would refuse to give his next son to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, when the others had died, who would then pose as a prostitute, hoping to lure in Judah that he might impregnate her. which she does successfully with Judah being without a moral compass at the time of fathering these sons through a foreign woman who turns out to be his daughter-in-law. And it's through him and her that the messianic line would be perpetuated. It's through him and her that Jesus, the Messiah, the Christ would come. Well, The list continues. Moving beyond those found in Genesis, the Bible's very first book, but we soon come to verse 5 and find out that another forefather of Jesus, Boaz, would be the son of Sammon by Rahab. Again, Matthew could have omitted her name, but no. For Matthew, it's another skeleton in the closet to illuminate with bold neon lights. We read and learn about Rahab in the book of Joshua. Yet another woman, yet another Canaanite, and she wouldn't just pretend to be a prostitute, she really would be a prostitute. So she has three strikes against her. Not only a woman, Not only a Canaanite, but also a notorious prostitute sinner. Then still in verse 5 we learn of the next generation of how Obed, the grandfather of King David, would be the son of Boaz by Ruth, as is recounted in the book of Ruth. Another, you guessed it, woman and Gentile, this time a Moabite woman or a Moabitess with the Moabites forbidden, according to Deuteronomy chapter 23 verse 3, from entering the assembly of the Lord because of how they would antagonize and mistreat the Israelites en route from Egypt to the promised land through the desert wilderness. Moving on, the end of verse six speaks of how David would be the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, something we read about in 2 Samuel. Now Matthew is outdoing himself, taking such pains to include things he could leave out, that he would leave out were he not so bent on making a point of there being such skeletons in this closet. He includes Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, but instead of simply identifying her by name, he introduces us to her as the wife of Uriah. Beyond just including another objectionable woman, he is putting the floodlights on the most grievously corrupt period in the life and reign of David. Something that would be devastating, something that would have destructive and divisive repercussions for not only David himself, but for the history of the nation of Israel going forward. First, David would commit adultery, taking to himself Bathsheba, another man's wife, who would conceive David's child. Second, David is complicit in murder, having her husband Uriah intentionally sent to the front lines of battle, where he is killed, so that David can take Bathsheba as his wife, which enables him to attempt, third, a cover-up of all his transgressions. It's as if Matthew is not only rubbing it in, but twisting the knife. And there's arguably more. All the sons that follow David and Solomon, all these kings of Judah, would be a less than stellar crowd. Even the so-called good kings would have their downfalls. And the rest wouldn't be good at all, but wicked who would do evil in the eyes of the Lord. The genealogy eventually covers the generations of those who would be carted off as captives to Babylon. which is just a painful reminder of why they would go there to begin with under divine judgment for their idolatry and immorality. With some listed who would be among the returnees from exile who would be slow to obey the word of the Lord and rebuild a temple. So they aren't very inspiring either. These, Matthew is saying, warts and all, are Jesus' ancestors. These are part and parcel of Jesus' family, the unvarnished version. What a challenge to his original readers, if indeed it is right to assume that he is targeting a Jewish audience, seeking to win them over. He is pouring contempt on all their pride. that they might see that they as a people, from the very beginnings of their history, can lay no claim on God and His special favor. There is guilt. There is shame. There are those who don't belong from women to Gentiles. When it comes to this list, they are all, when left to their own devices, undeserving, ill-deserving people from whom Jesus is descended. How can they belong to the Christ child and his family? How can they remain? And yet we too are being asked to humble ourselves. We can identify and take our place alongside those listed here. this lot, this motley crew. Our genealogies, if done the same way, would reveal the same sorts of people, the same sorts of things. We cannot boast of our own pedigree. All it would take is some investigative reporting and some Holy Spirit-inspired, Matthew-like honesty, and there would be plenty of dirt found. So, is that it then? Is there anything more to the agenda of God's Word through Matthew beyond just exposing everyone? I believe there is. First, the skeletons that are in the closet. Second, the true King, the fountain of renewal, and the Savior of sinners. Beloved, Jesus is all such things, especially as He appears here in this his family tree, ready, able, and willing to redeem all such people and the skeletons that they are and have." He is the true King. There are clues throughout here. You'll notice that in verses 1, 16, and 17, Jesus has applied to him the title of Christ, with the Jewish version being Messiah. It means anointed one. In the Old Testament, prophets, priests, and kings would be anointed. Jesus would be all three, of course. As in one person, he would hold a three-fold office. It seems his anointing as king is most in view here. He is also, in verse 1, called the son of David, the son of Abraham, which signals what is coming in this genealogy. and the way Matthew presents and structures it, Jesus would realize the keeping of the promises made to Abraham, no doubt about that. Still, Matthew puts the designation son of David first. The scriptures would speak of a coming king like David, of David's lineage, to sit on David's throne as God would promise to David himself. In 2 Samuel chapter 7, 1 Chronicles chapter 17, as Isaiah, along with others, would prophesy with Isaiah, saying in Isaiah 55 verse 3, that the Lord would make an everlasting covenant with his people in accord with his steadfast, sure love for David. So Matthew is showing Jesus' qualifications as the royal heir. with this genealogy being like a legal document demonstrating Jesus' credentials. To put it differently, it is a political statement. A King Herod who would rule at the time of Jesus' birth would be without such a genealogy. History tells us that he would be so embarrassed over how as a half Jew, half Edomite, his name would not be found in the official genealogies. So, he would order for their destruction so that nobody could claim a pure pedigree than his own. You see, Herod would be anything but legitimate, made into a king by the Romans to further their own agenda, with this man himself being nothing but an opportunist military commander. Well, while Christ's rule endures everlastingly, all his rivals are, in the end, put down as invalid, unable to compete with him, including the Herods of this world. Jesus, then, is the one who will, by his word and spirit, subdue even the unruly hearts and lives of his people, setting the likes of us, free from the chains that most bind us. Jesus is the Ascended One who will subjugate all His enemies and ours, so that you and I must surrender to Him. He is the true king, and he is the fountain of renewal. This rises to the surface in a number of ways. Matthew's first words translated the book of the genealogy can also be translated the book of Genesis. This is another Genesis, another book of beginnings. In Jesus, God is launching a new beginning. If the first Genesis would tell of the old creation, this Genesis is telling of the new creation. As Jesus would come to make all things new, regenerating and renewing His otherwise ruined creations, including and starting with ruined people, so that by taking our case to Him, you and I can be gloriously made new. Moreover, even the way Matthew arranges things suggests this theme of new beginnings, of renewal. Contrast this genealogy with that of Luke, in Luke chapter three. Luke's goes backwards, all the way back to Adam. Matthew's goes forwards, and the first of the three major sections to his genealogy starts with Abraham, where God would begin again anew in Genesis 12, following the Tower of Babel. The second section starts with David, where God begins again anew, raising up the Davidic monarchy after the failure of the judges. and of King Saul. And finally, the third section begins after the deportation of Babylon, where God begins again anew, restoring his people, following that sad chapter in their history. Matthew would take the nadir of Israel's life and times, the frustration of her hopes, the end of the royal line, and yet also point forward to the reversal of her fortunes. and fulfillment in Jesus the Messiah, the Christ, and in His Church. In fact, the design of Matthew's genealogy shows how Jesus would be the end, the culminating goal of Israel's history, of all history, really. Matthew is intent on emphasizing this, how God is in charge, superintending all things, setting the stage for the fruition of all His plans and purposes. He leaves out generations. It is not some exhaustive thing that we find here, as genealogies go. He breaks it down into three symmetrical sections of 14 generations each, which He is anxious to showcase, saying as much in verse 17. He shapes his genealogy to teach that God orders history with the supremacy of his son Jesus Christ and the spiritual good of his people at the heart and center of it all. He's in charge of you too, of course, as He is me. And He has you here, listening to His Word, that He might call you to Christ. That in answering His call, you might have order restored to your life. That He might give to your world, to your destiny. The beauty and design God has always meant for it. Provided you locate yourself in the story God is writing, where He is in the lead, and you are in a supporting role, glorifying and enjoying Him forever. He's the true King. He's the fountain of renewal. And Jesus is the Savior of sinners. All the above has been leading to this. To an answer to the guilt and shame of His forebears and of people like us. All that would threaten to disqualify them and us from the Kingdom. You see, Jesus is related to all His sinful family members while being without sin Himself. And with much craft and skill, Matthew shows us as much, even in this genealogy. I'm sure you notice the pattern that we find here. So-and-so, the father of so-and-so, and so-and-so, the father of so-and-so, and so on. It's rhythmic and uniform without, until you come to verse 16. I'll start reading in verse 15 so that you can hear afresh the abrupt break that takes place. And Eliad the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Mathan, and Mathan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. What Matthew is getting at, in a subtle way, pinpointing something that he will make more obvious a little later, is this. He is saying that Jesus would be conceived and born apart from, without the agency of a human father. does not negate that Jesus is of this messianic line, legally. Being of it, being still the son of Joseph by adoption. But Matthew will soon provide the fuller explanation for how this can be so. Which, Lord willing, we will explore next week at this time. But already we can read in between the lines that Jesus' conception is miraculous, such that while he would be born of Mary, another woman by the way, whose presence in this genealogy now needs no explanation, such that while he would biologically, genetically receive his humanity from her, the absence of a human father is enough to tell the tale that with respect to his human nature, that Christ would be supernaturally protected from the poison of original sin, passed on from Adam and inherited by all his progeny, descended from him by ordinary generation. You and I cannot claim this. No other human being can claim this. We can claim to having been conceived and born. We cannot claim to being an incarnation, such that we pre-exist our conception and birth. Into this dysfunctional, twisted family the Son of God would come, assuming a true human nature, and yet being conceived and born without sin, and remaining holy, pure, and undefiled, the obedient one, the righteous one. Perfect. In position to save sinners as the God-man. having descended into the polluted mess. I remember us being given a car my last year of seminary for free. It was all we could afford. And of course, while those who gave it meant well, it would have a litany of problems. and would not last more than two months after I would graduate. The number one issue it would have, in my view, would be the smell of cigarette smoke, the stench, something so overpowering that it would bring on headache after headache, something I just could not rid the car of. Well, that's nothing. If all you've breathed is clean, spotless air, spiritually and morally speaking, and yet upon entering this world you do nothing but from beginning to end embrace sinners in order to redeem them. What a shock to our Lord's system. it must have been. How gag-inducing and repulsive we must have all been to Him, and yet undaunted. God in Christ would come to pursue us, though it would ultimately mean the innocent one growing up and going to the cross for the guilty, knowingly and lovingly and willingly making atonement, suffering, bleeding and dying to pay the price for our disobedience. and rebellion, satisfying His own righteous wrath. All that we might be reconciled, restored to the Father, all that we might live, being made holy like He is and granted eternal life through Christ's resurrection from the dead. And once the sin barrier would be removed, all the other barriers would crumble. All are welcomed, equally, women as well as men, girls as well as boys, with it all foreshadowed in these leading ladies of Jesus' genealogy, according to Matthew. The door would be open for Gentiles, even Gentiles like virtually all of us, with glimmers of Gentile inclusion featured in this genealogy, now recognizable as fitting. In Christ, everyone is brought in. Brought into the family. All who come in repentance and faith to Him. No matter how unlikely a candidate you may feel yourself to be. No matter what, Jesus can and will save you as the one who considers it a badge of honor to be called a friend of sinners. Covenant Presbyterian Church, the sum total of God's Word to us this morning is refreshingly straightforward. Because Jesus the Christ embraces his ancestors. There is hope for the rest of us too. You see, dear brothers and sisters, it all serves to prove that there is room for you and me when it comes to the Christ child and his family. I have a pastor friend who seems to have endless health problems and as usual was in the hospital suffering this past week. Somehow he manages to stay active on social media and he is not afraid to vent his misery. So this particular post would stand out to me on Thursday. My family came to see me last night. Two elders, the other minister, and two women from church also showed up to pray for me. I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God. And you can say that too, just as I can, through Jesus Christ, by turning to Him. As a result, becoming children to God the Father, and brothers and sisters to His Son, the One who is greater than all our guilt and shame, who overwhelms it, putting it away forever. Amen. Let's pray.