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Sermon, January 8, 2023

Importance of Our Spiritual History 

Our Bible is unique in world literature because it is his-story...God’s story of us and our spiritual DNA.  When Matthew, a devout Jewish man, wrote his gospel, he did so to make certain the history of Judaism through Jewish heroes would be remembered as forerunners to the new Messiah… Jesus, our Christ.  Matthew recalled some of the most memorable Jewish historical people and put part of their story in the birth story of Jesus. 

For example, Matthew used information about Noah, Moses, Joseph (one of Jacob’s 12 sons), Queen Esther, Daniel, and King Solomon.  He used this information to assure us of the validity of Jesus and Jesus’ Jewishness.   

Specifically, we read Jesus was laid in a manger.  In the Hebrew language, the words basket, manger, and ark are all the same word.  Noah and his ark saved the early races by surviving the flood.  Noah is known as a savior.  Moses, as a baby, was placed in a basket and was raised by the Pharaoh.  He too grew up to be called a savior of the Jewish people because he rescued them from slavery and from the Egyptian army.  Then Jesus was placed in a manger and he too became our savior because he taught us how to live with love, forgiveness, compassion...the three traits of faithful living. 

By using a similar word for manger, basket, and ark, Matthew made Jesus to be like the heroes of the Jewish race. 

Next, Matthew in his gospel, wrote in a story of magi visiting the baby Jesus by following a star.   Here he used parts of the story of the Jewish Queen Esther to bring in a tale of visiting wise men.  When Queen Esther’s husband was confused about how to save Esther’s Jewish people, he called in Wise Men to come help him solve the problem.  The wise men brought with them gifts of wisdom.  Through their gifts the Jewish people were saved from the plan to mass murder all of them. 

Not stopping there, Matthew used the character of Daniel to promote the importance of Magi, and to involve a star to follow.  Daniel had served as a slave to the empires of Babylon and Persia.  He was known as Rab-Mag, meaning he was chief of all the magis.  These magis studied the stars and prophesied about the future. Daniel told these magis that in the future a Messiah would be born and magis around the world would know when that happened because a strange  star would appear at that time.  Both of these are important aspects of the birth of Jesus, told by Matthew to assure us of Jesus’ Jewishness.   

Then lastly, Matthew included a story about the Jewish king Solomon...David’s son.  Solomon was known far and wide for his wisdom.  The Queen of Sheba, from Ethiopia, came with many kings to visit Solomon.  These kings came bearing gifts of gold, spices, and strange things and laid them at the feet of the King.  The story continues that while Sheba stayed in the palace with Solomon, she became pregnant with a child by Solomon.  When time came for her to return to her own country, Solomon sent hundreds of Jewish people with her to assist in raising his son as a Jewish man.  To this day, there is a large Jewish population in Ethiopia. 

These were all efforts on the part of Matthew to preserve the very foundations of Judaism through Biblical characters, proving Jesus is who they say he is, and asking Jews and Christians everywhere to keep the faith...because elements even today are trying to destroy our faith. 

It’s important for us to understand the historical background of Jesus and our faith….because if we don’t know or don’t remember we may repeat the ills of it. 

I urge each one of us to learn to enjoy reading the biblical stories of our own past history.  This current generation of Christians, including you and me, must keep these stories alive and vibrant for the next generations...or there may not be Christianity beyond our own years.  And when Christianity leaves so does law, order, human kindness, and hope for a better future for all of us.   Each one of us must play a part in keeping our faith alive and pass it on. 

Let’s not be part of the reason Christ dies again, permanently this time. 

Amen