Jesus stands front and
center in the New Testament. Matthew’s opening puts Jesus right out front.
Jesus’ lineage traces a line directly back to Abraham the father of the Jewish
faith. His birth is special, unique, miraculous. Jesus is no ordinary child. And
He is given special names, names with meaning and significance, especially to
Hebrews.
Jesus is the Greek
equivalent of Joshua, the Hebrew leader who brought the people into the Promised
Land. And then far more telling is the name Immanuel from Isaiah 7:14, meaning
“God with us.” Isaiah 7:14: Therefore the
Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give
birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
From his very first words,
Matthew offers a compelling picture of who Jesus is and as the account unfolds,
the details about Jesus will grow clearer and the call to follow Him
stronger.
Are you following Jesus?
Does He have your prime allegiance?
Think about
it.
Jesus,
after months of reading creation and deliverance stories, after reading about
the incredible deliverance from Egypt, God brought to His people in the Old
Testament, my heart sings to hear Your name, Lord. For You brought my (our)
deliverance from sin and evil and death.
Yes, I
will follow You, Lord Jesus. Yes, I believe in You. I believe You are Lord and
Christ and Immanuel. Amen.
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