Is Jesus the King that everyone was waiting for?
Luke 3:21-38
21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
23 Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph,
the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat,
the son of Levi, the son of Melki,
the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,
25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos,
the son of Nahum, the son of Esli,
the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath,
the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein,
the son of Josek, the son of Joda,
27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa,
the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel,
the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melki,
the son of Addi, the son of Cosam,
the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,
29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer,
the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat,
the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon,
the son of Judah, the son of Joseph,
the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,
31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna,
the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan,
the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse,
the son of Obed, the son of Boaz,
the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon,
33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram,
the son of Hezron, the son of Perez,
the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob,
the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham,
the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,
35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu,
the son of Peleg, the son of Eber,
the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan,
the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem,
the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,
37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch,
the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel,
the son of Kenan, 38 the son of Enosh,
the son of Seth, the son of Adam,
the son of God.
Every day about 350,000 babies are born in the world. On 22 July 2013 of all the babies born that day, one caused a global sensation. Reporters were camped outside the hospital to send footage of his birth to millions of viewers around the world. News channels devoted all their coverage to his birth. There was a twitter sensation with over 2 million tweets. Countries around the world changed the colour of lights on buildings and fountains to blue and politicians congratulated his country.
Why was one birth singled out that day?
It simply relates to his family tree. His parents and ancestors were British royalty, so when Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge was born his lineage marked out his position and role in society as a future king.
In the Bible passage above, we read of another family tree. It now makes sense why the genealogy is so important – it’s to remind us that this is the lineage of the king that everyone was waiting for. The people of Israel were promised of one coming, who would be a Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, and Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6b) They were told he would be a descendant of the line of Abraham, Jacob and David. They also knew that God would consider him a son (2 Samuel 7:14a “I will be his father, and he will be my son.”)
In this passage Luke is the news reporter putting it all together for us. He is telling us the wait for the king is over and showing us how all the prophecies and promises are fulfilled in this one man – Jesus.
Our response is very simple, either to believe this good news report and to trust that Jesus is our king or to reject it.
Head: Do you believe Luke’s good news that Jesus fulfils the criteria to be the king that everyone was waiting for?
Heart: How do you feel about having a King, a Wonderful Counsellor, a Mighty God, and a Prince of Peace?
Hands: When you are doing something difficult, tedious or frustrating today, think about Jesus as your king and whether you can honour him in that task.
Prayer: Dear Lord. Thank you that you sent Jesus your son and that because of his family tree and your acknowledgement at his baptism we can be sure he is the one that you promised would rule forever. I believe Luke’s good news and wish to have Jesus as the king of my life forever. In your name I pray, Amen.
A song to listen to: You Are My King
Hayley Alexander
P.S. Why are Matthew and Luke’s genealogies different? See http://zondervanacademic.com/blog/why-are-jesus-genealogies-in-matthew-and-luke-different/
This Grow Daily was originally posted as part of the Bible in 10 series in 2017. During the School Holidays we take the opportunity to look back at the best of Grow Dailys over the years.
