9th Night of Advent

The reading tonight it the rest of the Gospel of Matthew. Depending on which version bible you have, it may be Matthew 1:22-26 or 25. The ones I am using only go to 25.

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:  “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

So, dear readers, I am learning all this right along with all of you. I'm looking for resources so that I can better understand what it is I am reading and writing about. And on that note.....

Christ is a title applied to Jesus. It is not his last name. It is the New Testament equivalent of the Old Testament word mashiah (‘Anointed One’, the Messiah). It is this chapter we see Matthew's claim that Jesus is the Messiah, Yahweh’s Anointed One, the One promised from

ancient days to be God’s Savior for his people. Then Matthew

extends this bold claim with two others, saying that Jesus Christ is

‘the son of David, the son of Abraham’.

The Old Testament foretold of the birth of Jesus Christ. We see this in Isaiah:

For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given;

and the government shall be upon his shoulder,

and his name shall be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and of peace

there will be no end,

on the throne of David and over his kingdom,

to establish it and to uphold it

with justice and with righteousness

from this time forth and forevermore.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this (Isa. 9:6–7).

Matthew builds his message on the Old Testament. What was promised

long ago is now being fulfilled. This is the good news that Matthew

brings to us.