Born the Son of Man
Oh, the humility and love of GOD to be born as a Son of Man!
Roger Harned – on the birth of the Messiah Jesus
Think of it – consider the concept of The Almighty LORD God, born as a human being through a woman. In this sense Jesus, the Christ, comes to man through a woman as a son of man born of mankind.
Christmas – Celebration of the ‘Mass of Christ’
Shouldn’t we see Christmas not so much as the all-too-familiar scene of ‘a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger,’ but rather a sign of God’s tender mercy for mankind?
Our common view of the Christ child is both incomplete and a mere introduction to God at best.
Therefore the humbleness of the Christ child, who was and is and will be the Lord God Almighty, Creator of the heavens and earth should bring us to our knees. Picture the LORD GOD more fully in the Person of Jesus filled with the Holy Spirit!
We speak of the Messiah Jesus, Son of Man and Son of God. He was born by the Holy Spirit through the virgin Mary, betrothed of Joseph of Nazareth, a son of David.
And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
Matthew 1:16 KJV
This seventeen verse genealogy from the Gospel of Matthew introduces a touching story of a child for children of God. Yet it is not the picture I ask you to see today.
Son of Man
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.
What’s the point of this extensive genealogy from Abraham? The list through David, Solomon, Rehoboam, Jeconiah and through Jacob the father of Joseph (who was only engaged to Mary)? Of course we know few of these men and women (like Rahab & Tamar or Jeconiah).
Clearly Jesus is the son of Mary, a woman with child sometimes accused of being with another man. To call Jesus a son of man, that is, adam, refers only to Mary!
The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant from the Holy Spirit.
The Gospel of Matthew 1:18
God as Father
Jesus’ self-designated title, Son of Man, is at issue here. Who is the father of this Messiah of Israel? (And what role do Joseph and Mary play in God’s mysterious plan of redemption for mankind?)
If Joseph is not the father why follow his bloodline or ancestry at all?
(… for she was pregnant from the Holy Spirit}
Mary, a virgin, is not some young girl who pridefully claims a status as ‘single mom’ as some today will. She does not speak of an indiscretion with a young man other than Joseph who she will not name.
This is a truly unique instance of Divinity interacting with creation. God becomes the Father of Jesus, yet not a husband to Mary.
Matthew 1:19
So her husband Joseph, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly.
The LORD God is Father to Jesus, Son, a man (child) born to ‘man‘ (adam) in the person of Mary.
He IS the Very Image of the invisible Father (LORD & Creator of the first Adam and the first woman created). The Son of Man IS fully the Father and yet the seed of adam through Mary.
God – the Holy Spirit
Mat 1:20 –
But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying,
“Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
So scripture records clearly that Mary is the single mom of Jesus. Yet the overshadowing cloud of Life in the Holy Spirit is the Father of this Christ child.
Jesus the Christ IS the Son of God incarnate (in the flesh).
Mat 1:21
“She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Joseph, Step-father of God
Mat 1:24-25 – When Joseph woke up, he did as the Lord’s angel had commanded him. He married her but did not have sexual relations with her until she gave birth to a son. And he named him Jesus.
Here also Joseph demonstrates humility and righteousness as did Mary. He too obeys the angel of the Lord God; for this Son of David must lead a young Jesus to grow in wisdom and grace.
Son of Man – a babe in a manger
Matthew 2:
…an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying,
“Get up! Take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to search for the child to kill him.”
14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and escaped to Egypt. He stayed there until Herod’s death, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled:
Out of Egypt I called my Son.
An angel of the Lord warns Joseph to flee to Egypt.
Also angels had appeared in person to shepherds in the hills where David had watched over flocks. Then later after Herod’s death [~4BC] an angel tells Joseph to return.
22 But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there.
And being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee. 23 Then he went and settled in a town called Nazareth
.. to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.
Follow the Lord Incarnate
As any wise men or women might observe, God did not come into this world to condemn the world. Christmas gifts represented by the wise men attract our focus, but should never substitute for our worship of the Lord. Jesus IS the Christ of Christmas.
We overlook an obedient step-father who saves them all from Herod the Great, murderer of the innocents of Bethlehem. Let’s not hold too high a chosen mother in this iconic manger scene. The Lord God our Father sent Salvation to mankind as a baby born for a Cross.
Follow the Son of Man
Later Matthew reveals to us the cost to the Father of the manger, which is the Cross of Christ. The Apostle also reveals the Gospel Good News.
Matthew later describes a scene where the Apostle Simon Peter asks the Lord the cost of discipleship. Jesus has just told them of the difficulty for men, even faithful men and women, to enter heaven. Peter wants to know our reward.
“Then who can be saved,” they ask?
The Lord then states:
“With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Matthew 19:26b
The followers of the Son of Man were not certain if they could be saved.
Some remain uncertain how God could be born to a virgin or die on a Cross for our sin. You may wonder how Jesus rose from the grave.
How did the Lord raise Lazarus or how He will reward you at the end of it all?
Matthew 19:
27 Then Peter responded to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you. So what will there be for us?”
So Peter asks for all of us: doubters with limited faith.
28 Jesus said to them,
“Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Good for the Twelve, you think. What about us?
And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields because of my name will receive a hundred times more and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
Following Christ from the Manger
Have you long ago left your gift at the manger or even forgotten Christ’s difficult journey?
The Son of Man came down to Creation humbly and lived a difficult life in the flesh for us. He lived it without sin so that He could bear ours.
From Bethlehem to Egypt to Nazareth to Capernaum to Jerusalem to Golgotha…
to Hell and back from the empty tomb, to the road to Emmaus…
to rising into the clouds at Pentecost, to appearance to Saul near Damascus, to Revelation to John on Patmos:
The Lord came to the Created – to you and to me, Jesus lived, died and rose that we might follow Him further than as a Babe in a manger in Bethlehem.
He has been here before. The Son of Man who was journeys from before Eden until beyond now.
Next we will explore some of the Lord’s previous appearances to mankind, God-willing.
To Be Continued...
Leave a Reply