Synoptic Gospels 4: Lord and Lamb (1)
Pray Psalm 132.1-5.
LORD, remember David
And all his afflictions;
How he swore to the LORD,
And vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:
“Surely I will not go into the chamber of my house,
Or go up to the comfort of my bed;
I will not give sleep to my eyes
Or slumber to my eyelids,
Until I find a place for the LORD,
A dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
Sing Psalm 132.1-5.
(Finlandia: Be Still, My Soul)
Remember, LORD, we pray, in David’s favor, the hardships he endured, the oath he swore,
the vow he made to Jacob’s mighty Savior: “I shall not enter through my palace door;
I shall not sleep, nor slumber my eyes favor, until I make a dwelling for the Lord!”
Read and meditate on Matthew 1.1-16; Lk. 3.23-38.
Preparation
1. How are these genealogies of Jesus different?
2. What do they suggest about His origins and purpose?
Meditation
These two genealogies of Jesus are important for tying Him into Judah and David. But more than that, they provide a two-sided lesson on how to read and understand the Word of God.
Matthew’s genealogy is unique, in that it consists of both an ascending and a descending aspect. The ascending aspect is in verse one, rising from Jesus through David to Abraham, and points to Jesus as the Davidic King, and the Seed of Abraham. He is the “end of the line” (cf. Gen 49.8-11) for the promises of God’s covenant and the Kingdom entrusted to David and his heirs forever. The ascending and descending character of this genealogy makes us think about going up and down on a ladder, an image Jesus applied to Himself from the dream of the patriarch Jacob (cf. Jn. 1.51). Matthew shows us that all Scripture leads to Jesus, moves toward Him, unfolds to reveal more of Him, creates anticipation of Him, and does so in a carefully planned and orderly manner.
Luke’s genealogy is an ascending one, showing us that all Scripture points us back to creation and to God and His purpose in making the world. Jesus is the new Adam, and the Church is the new garden of Eden, in and from which God unfolds His Kingdom of righteousness, peace, joy, and power in the Holy Spirit.
As we have seen throughout this series, all the Bible shows us Jesus. These two bi-directional genealogies encourage us to think backwards and forwards about the narrative of Scripture, and to see that all the people, stories, teachings, promises, and hopes of God’s Word are bound up in Jesus. He is the Lord come as the Lamb to secure God’s covenant with His people forever.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham…” (Matt. 1.1).
“…the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God” (Lk. 3.38).
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God” (Jn. 1.1, 2).
Quite literally, there has never been a time, that Jesus has not existed.
All History is His Story. God’s Story about His Son—given for the salvation of the world (Jn. 3.16).
“Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you
by miracles, wonders, and signs
which God did through Him in your midst,
as you yourselves also know—
Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God,
by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;
Whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death,
because it was not possible that He should be held by it…
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly
that God has made this Jesus,
Whom you crucified,
both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2.22-24, 36).
Jesus opened the book and found the place where this was written:
“The Spirit of the LORD is upon ME,
because He has anointed ME
to preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent ME to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed;
to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD” (Lk. 4.17-19).
“Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.
And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him” (Lk. 4.20).
Then He said to them:
“Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Lk. 4.21).
Jesus Christ, Son of God, Son of Man—Eternal and Royal Pedigree—God-With-Us.
Once in royal David’s city stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her baby in a manger for His bed:
Mary was that mother mild, Jesus Christ her little Child.
He came down to earth from heaven Who is God and Lord of all,
And His shelter was a stable, and His cradle was a stall:
With the poor, and mean, and lowly lived on earth, our Savior holy.
And our eyes at last shall see Him, thro’ His Own redeeming love;
For that Child so dear and gentle is our Lord in heav’n above,
And He leads His children on to the place where He is gone.
(Cecil F. Alexander, 1848)
Reflection
1. How are you seeing your story mesh and blend with Jesus’ story?
2. Why are these two genealogies of Jesus important?
3. How can Jesus be both the Lamb of God and the Lord of lords? How does knowing this encourage you in your faith?
Christ was both the son of Adam and the Son of God, that he might be a proper Mediator between God and the sons of Adam, and might bring the sons of Adam to be, through him, the sons of God. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Luke 3.23-38
Pray Psalm 132.11-18.
Thank God, that He has fulfilled His promise to David and Abraham by sending Jesus to rule over His Kingdom and become a resting place for us all. Rest the activities of the day ahead at the feet of Jesus and claim the promise of His Presence with you throughout the day.
Sing Psalm 132.11-18.
(Finlandia: Be Still, My Soul)
Remember, LORD, the oath You swore to David; do not turn back, do not deny Your Word:
“One of your sons, with your throne I will favor, if he shall keep My cov’nant evermore,
and walk within My testimonies ever, Thus he shall ever rule by Israel’s LORD.”
God dwells among us, and He will forever, to meet our needs and clothe us with His grace.
He has to us sent Jesus Christ, our Savior—beloved, eternal light and resting place.
His foes are banished from His Presence ever, but we shall reign with Him before His face.
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: Our Read Moore podcast is concentrating on praying the psalms to seek revival—why we should and what we might expect. Our twice weekly column, Crosfigell, has just begun a new series on the life of Brendan the Navigator, one of the great saints of the 6th century. Our current ReVision series, “Pray for Your Church”, teaches us how to pray for the impact our church is making, beginning with being light to the world. And new in our bookstore, our book, The Ongoing Work of Christ shows us how the book of Acts provides a template and footprint for all who take up the work of building Jesus’ Church.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
