Participants: Glenn Russell & Ranko Stefanovic (Host)
Series Code: MTBOTB
Program Code: MTBOTB00003A
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00:22 Hi, I am Glenn Russell. Welcome to a special book
00:26 exploration of the Book of Matthew, 00:28 fascinating book. 00:30 We are so glad that you joined us. 00:31 This is part of the series on 00:33 3ABN entitled "Books of the Book." 00:35 It's a extraordinary series 00:38 and I am so glad you're part of it. 00:39 We want to welcome our guest, 00:41 Dr. Ranko Stefanovic, pastor, teacher and friend. 00:44 Ranko, you teach New Testament 00:47 at Andrews University Theological Seminary. 00:49 Why do you want to--have to spend sometime 00:51 in the Book of Matthew. 00:52 Just give us a sentence or two, 00:54 what's the motivation. 00:55 You see for instance when we read 00:58 the Book of Revelation, 01:00 it's telling us what the future brings to us, 01:02 and how Jesus will come. 01:03 The Book of Romans is telling us 01:05 how we are saved before God, 01:07 but the Gospel of Matthew is telling us how we should live, 01:11 as Christians in this life 01:13 as the followers of Jesus Christ. 01:16 All right, we want to learn 01:18 much more about our Savior 01:19 here in the Book of Matthew. Yes 01:20 Before we go any further 01:21 let's make sure we ask the spirit of God, 01:23 let's pray together. 01:24 Lord as we open Your word, 01:27 open our hearts, may we be drawn to you, 01:30 may we see your portrait 01:32 through this marvelous Book of Matthew. 01:35 Lord teach us Your message for today 01:38 that we may be faithful to you. 01:39 In Jesus' name we pray, amen. 01:42 Ranko, last time we took 01:46 a look at the genealogy of Jesus 01:49 and you made the point that this family tree, 01:53 this lineage of Jesus. 01:54 People in Matthew's days 01:57 thought that could save you. 01:58 Now we're gonna look at a section, 02:00 today of people who are in that family tree, 02:04 they didn't do so well. 02:06 Is that where we're going today. 02:08 Yes. 02:09 We are taking a look at the birth of Jesus. 02:11 What a fantastic place for studying. 02:13 You see Glenn, without Jesus 02:15 and His coming and His death on the cross, 02:18 all those people that are, 02:21 they have a place in genealogy, 02:23 they would not have any hope. 02:25 He came to save His people 02:27 who lived in the past 02:29 and He came to save His people 02:31 who will live in the future 02:32 including you and me and the viewers. 02:34 Now the gospels have several accounts. 02:38 We have an accoun in loop, 02:40 but let's look at the uniqueness of 02:42 Matthew's portrait of the birth of Jesus. 02:44 Yeah, actually what Matthew has in Chapter 1, 02:48 18 to 25 is not found in another synoptics. 02:52 So I would like Glenn to ask you for a favor, 02:55 if you can read verses 18 to 25. 02:57 Alright, we are looking at Matthew Chapter 1. 02:59 Yeah, 18. Verse 18 to 25. 03:01 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows, 03:03 after His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, 03:06 before they came together she was found 03:09 with child of the Holy Spirit. 03:10 Then Joseph her husband, 03:13 being a just man, 03:14 and not wanting to make a public spectacle of her, 03:16 was reminded to put her away secretly. 03:20 But while he thought about these things, 03:23 behold, an angel of the Lord 03:25 appeared to him in a dream, saying, 03:26 Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid 03:30 to take to you Mary your wife, 03:33 for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit 03:37 and she will bring forth a son 03:39 and you should call his name Jesus, 03:41 for He shall save His people from their sins. 03:44 So all this was done, that it might be fulfilled 03:47 which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet 03:51 saying Behold, a virgin shall be with child 03:54 and bear a son and they should call his name Immanuel, 03:56 which is translated "God with us." 03:58 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, 04:01 did as the angel of the Lord commanded him 04:04 and took to him his wife and did not know her 04:07 till she had brought forth her firstborn son 04:11 and he called his name Jesus. Jesus. 04:13 Now, Ranko there's a few observations, 04:17 questions I have for you. 04:18 I found that when I think about the birth of a child, 04:21 I usually ask mom and find out what mother's perspective is. 04:24 It seems a little different. 04:26 What should we notice about this story of birth of Jesus? 04:29 Actually, it seems that verses 18 to 25, 04:33 it's a footnote or elaboration of this genealogy that we have. 04:39 You remember that we talk in verse 16, 04:42 that while all these people that are missing in genealogy 04:47 they had something to do with the birth of their child. 04:50 In verse 16, Joseph had nothing to do 04:54 with the birth of Jesus Christ. 04:55 Because, according to verses 18 to 25, 05:00 Jesus was not born because of Joseph. 05:04 Actually he says clearly that, 05:07 Mary and Joseph, did not have sexual intercourse 05:10 after the birth of Jesus. 05:13 So Jesus was not an ordinary man 05:18 and the original readers of the Gospel of Matthew, 05:20 they could easily recognize that actually here was the promised 05:25 one, that God made in Genesis Chapter 3:15, 05:30 you know the beginning of the genealogy, 05:31 He was and now He came to save His people from their sins. 05:35 Matthew's penned the portrait of our Savior Jesus Christ, 05:39 immediately he's showing us 05:41 there is something unique about Jesus. 05:42 In no other religion, 05:44 no other person, no one is like Jesus. 05:46 He wants us to see that 05:47 even from the beginning of Jesus life. 05:49 So when we see it, 05:51 we have to understand something 05:53 about Jewish weddings. 05:59 Because in verse 19 so many times 06:00 the readers of the Gospel of Matthew are confused. 06:03 He says that, Joseph and Mary, 06:06 were not married yet, 06:08 but in verse 19 Joseph is called her husband. 06:12 You know in the Jewish wedding, 06:15 initial wedding practices when two young people 06:20 became engaged to each other, 06:24 they were already considered to be husband and wife. 06:27 They could not have sexual intercourse, 06:29 but any divorce, okay, 06:34 any separation, it was a great offense. 06:36 It was almost like adultery, 06:38 you know, you know, it was like a divorce. 06:41 Why? Because they had to pay dowry etcetera, 06:46 they had to make those family 06:47 and arrangements and that's why Joseph was already, 06:50 so that relationships were serious. 06:51 The wedding was being prepared 06:53 and now Joseph found that actually Mary was pregnant. 06:58 And there is something beautifully mysterious 07:02 about the description here in verse 18. 07:05 We don't have an explanation 07:08 of all the biology of the birth of Jesus. 07:10 We have this reference, she was found. 07:14 It's a beautiful way of telling us that 07:17 there is a reality here that he'll need to respond to that 07:20 all the Jewish readers will need to respond to, 07:22 but it's not all explained because there's a mystery of 07:26 God. But there is something that's not mystery 07:28 according to the gospel of Matthew. 07:29 You see there are many details, 07:31 they're very mysterious in the birth of Jesus, 07:34 but there is one thing that is not mysterious, 07:36 its verse 22. 07:38 Now all this took place to fulfill 07:43 what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet. 07:46 This is the first of 40 quotations 07:50 of the Old Testament in the Gospel of Matthew. 07:52 Everything in the Gospel of Matthew with the reference to 07:56 Jesus, starting with His birth and going all through His life. 08:00 Actually, Gospel of Matthew 08:02 was the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies. 08:05 So there is no extreme break with the past. 08:08 No, you see. 08:09 God continues His movement. 08:11 God promised in the Old Testament, 08:12 that the promised Deliverer will come, 08:15 He will save His people. 08:17 Now the fulfillment of that prophecy is evident, 08:21 is seen in the Gospel of Matthew. 08:23 But, Glenn, 08:24 then when we move on, 08:25 that what is strange. 08:28 I'm sorry, we have to go the Gospel of John, 08:31 just quickly He says, 08:32 He came to His own 08:33 and His own people did not accept Him. 08:38 You are suggesting such a sad reality of a human experience. 08:44 God's initiative, god's son 08:46 and yet rejection. 08:49 So now, now, we move, 08:51 we move to Chapter 2. 08:53 If I could review then in Chapter 1. 08:55 Please. 08:57 This mystery of Mary's pregnancy through the Holy Spirit. 09:00 She has to make a decision about Jesus. 09:04 Yeah. 09:05 And when it's revealed to her, 09:07 not how but who and who is that, 09:09 God has come upon her 09:11 and she will have a son 09:12 and that son will be the Savior, 09:14 she is obedient. 09:16 Now Joseph has to make a decision about Jesus, 09:21 he's obedient also. 09:22 You know, we have similar situation in Gospel of Luke. 09:25 You see here, the angel talks to Joseph. 09:29 In Gospel of Luke Chapter 1, 09:31 the angel talks to Mary, 09:35 right here to Joseph? 09:37 It's for the purpose of verse 16 to say that 09:41 Joseph had nothing to do with the birth of Jesus. 09:45 And Joseph had a problem. 09:46 Either Jesus, is a divine son of God, 09:48 either Mary is telling him the truth 09:50 or it's all a lie 09:51 and that's the same issue that the readers had. 09:53 Is Jesus the son of God? 09:57 Is He, is He the Savior? 09:59 Is He unique in human experience? 10:01 Joseph had to make that decision, 10:03 so do the readers, 10:04 so do we today. 10:05 Actually I will really like to address the readers, 10:09 the viewers. 10:11 I know today there are many, 10:13 many books appearing on the market with ideas 10:17 that Jesus was just a Gudhrabai, 10:21 another great person in history who did many good things, 10:26 moral teachers, etcetera. 10:28 But that's not what the Bible says, 10:30 Jesus was not another man, 10:33 a great person who appeared in history. 10:35 Actually He was God with us. 10:39 Number one, 10:40 with His coming we have the fulfillment of God's promise 10:44 given in the old Testament 10:45 that one day God Himself will step into the human situation 10:50 in order to provide salvation for human beings. 10:53 But He came to His own people 10:56 because they were waiting for that promised Deliverer. 11:00 Unfortunately when we go to Chapter 2, 11:02 what can we learn about His own people in Chapter 2 there. 11:06 It's so amazing for us to realize that 11:10 their decisions are decisions, 11:12 their willingness to accept Christ 11:15 or reject Christ, 11:16 parallels our human experience today. 11:18 We move into Chapter 2 then. 11:20 See we are always confronted with that question, 11:23 who is Jesus Christ? 11:24 We will come to Chapter 16, 11:25 Jesus said, "What do you say who I am?" 11:28 Even Jesus was a just a great moral teacher, 11:33 a great person, a Gudhrabai, 11:36 then what use of that. 11:38 Actually we have to understand He is the one, 11:41 His name is Yeshua, 11:43 because He came to save His people from their sins. 11:46 All right, now in Chapter 2, 11:49 the scene changes. 11:51 It changes from Mary and Joseph to other individuals, 11:56 some from the east 11:57 and some from Jerusalem 11:59 and a pagan king. 12:01 Let's explore that a little bit. 12:03 Yeah, actually how does Chapter 2 begin? 12:05 Let's go, read verses, the first three verses. 12:09 Okay, Matthew Chapter 2 verse 1 12:11 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea 12:14 in the days of Herod the king, 12:16 behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 12:19 saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? 12:22 For we have seen His star in the East 12:24 and have come to worship Him." 12:25 When Herod the king heard this, 12:28 he was troubled, 12:29 and all Jerusalem with him. 12:31 Okay, so when we read in the original language, 12:34 we have English translations, 12:36 they call them wise men. 12:37 Of course, they were wise men 12:38 and I will explain just in few moments later. 12:42 But in Greek text that says they were magos. 12:45 Actually they were astrologists. 12:47 Were they wise men? They were, 12:50 because the reference goes to the Book of Daniel. 12:52 You know, they came from the East which was Babylonia, 12:55 at the time of Daniel, they're astrologers, 12:58 they were wise men, 12:59 they're clearly called in the Book of Daniel, 13:02 referred to as wise men. 13:03 They were people who were studying astrology 13:06 but evidently that is great news, 13:08 what Daniel preached there 13:11 and other Jews there in Babylon, 13:12 evidently the seed was sown there. 13:15 And you know in the book, 13:17 Desire of Ages, 13:18 which is one of my favorite inspired commentaries 13:21 along with scripture here. 13:23 There is a reference to the fact Yes. 13:25 that certain truths have been neglected by God's people. 13:28 And God revealed them to the other nations. 13:31 There are pagan philosophers, 13:32 pagan writers, 13:34 pagan thinkers who were seeking for the Messiah, 13:37 who would come. 13:38 So there is truth hidden among these other nations 13:42 and apparently these are some men, 13:44 they have seen a star, 13:46 they have seen something that's got their attention. 13:48 They have gone to digging 13:49 and studying the scriptures 13:50 which have been revealed to them. 13:53 And so they are seeking to know more. 13:55 Today they are many, 13:57 many who are seeking to know more about who Jesus is? 13:59 And that's what the Book of Matthew is telling us all about. 14:02 We're gonna be right back 14:04 as we explore a little bit more about the wise men. 14:06 We'll be with you in just a moment 14:08 right after our break. |
Revised 2014-12-17