Thoughts for Christmas...

As we celebrate Christmas we hear a lot about the birth of Jesus. We know the story all too well. Yet we don't ask questions about certain details very often. There is something that I learned a couple of years ago and I thought I'd share it with everyone.

What am I getting at?

The Virgin Birth. We have heard about it our whole lives and just accept it but we never ask "Why?". Why was it necessary? If we have ever heard a preacher/pastor/teacher talk on the subject, the normal response to the question of "Why?" is: the depravity of man and our sinful nature. We are told that since we are born with a sinful nature, Jesus needed to be born of a virgin so that he could be free of that sinful nature that is passed down. But there is more to it than that! And I think it paints a bigger picure of God.

If you read Matthew chapter 1, you will find the genealogy of Joseph, Jesus' father. Most people skip over the first 17 verses of Matthew if they want to read the Christmas story. But I suggest that you read the genealogy and see what the Bible has to say about people in Jesus' generational history. I want to expose one of those people to you right now. In verse 11 and 12 you see that Jeconiah is in that line of people. Notice that Jeconiah's name has a footnote? Well those are there for a reason. Let's look at it. By looking at this footnote I find that Jeconiah's name is also Jehoiachin. It is just a variation in the Hebrew language. So now, let's look at what the bible has to say about Jehoiachin. For the sake of time and my typing fingers, we won't look at his life but let's look at what God has to say about his life. Jeremiah 22:30 says: (about Jehoiachin)

This is what the LORD says:
"Record this man as if childless,
a man who will not prosper in his lifetime,
for none of his offspring will prosper,
none will sit on the throne of David
or rule anymore in Judah."


Wait a minute!! Did that just say that "none of his offspring will prosper", "none will sit on the throne of David"?! How could that be? He is in Jesus' genealogy. That must not be true. But wait......oh yeah. THE VIRGIN BIRTH!! This is why Jesus could not be born of Joseph's seed. A curse/prophecy passed down from generation to generation ever since Jeconiah (aka. Jehoiachin). The virgin birth made it possible for Jesus to break the curse that was in his genealogy. Jesus could not have been Christ had it not been for the virgin birth.

Maybe this will help you get an even bigger picture of God in this holiday season. And hopefully it might make you think twice about reading the footnotes in your Bible and doing just a little investigation. Learning to use footnotes and cross references has helped me gain an even bigger view of who God is. They are there for a reason, use them.

May everyone have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!