Portraits of the King

This morning we will complete Matthew's Christmas Gospel! Here's how the story ends: on history's surface, we watch while God protects His Son by moving Him from Bethlehem to Egypt to Israel to Nazareth. But this is really more than just the re-telling, blow-by-blow, move-by-move of some kind of an elaborate chess game. It is more than just a ploy designed to elude cunning Herod! Because as Matthew records these events and weaves them together, the apostle is trying to convince you that Jesus of Nazareth fulfills all of the OT prophecies and pictures of the promised Messiah. So this morning he concludes his Christmas story with three ancient portraits of the Messiah as God guides the path of the Child. First there's the idea of God's beloved Son. Second there's the idea of Israels mourning Mother. And finally Jehovah's despised Servant.