Baby Pictures Series

For a few weeks now at CCC we’ve been looking at different pictures of Jesus – not on FB or Snapchat, but places in the OT where God is giving a glimpse of Jesus, hundreds of years before He was born.

Now comes Christmas! Finally, as the NT opens up, we see the very familiar picture of the promised Son of God being born as a baby in Bethlehem. And there, in the NT, it’s like God takes out his smartphone and out come the pictures. “Have you seen My Son?”– not just one picture. In fact, He uses 4 different writers to tell the story of Jesus’ birth and life.

Whether you know much about the Bible or not, here’s something to keep in mind that will help you.

There are 4 different views of Jesus here. They’re all correct, all about the same Jesus, but 4 different peoples’ accounts. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Matthew is a former tax collector. Mark, well, he’s on caffeine! Luke is a physician, and John, he was following his father’s footsteps to be a fisherman, until he left it to follow Jesus.

All 4 are different pictures; different enough that, if you’re trying to look up the Christmas story this year, you have to know which part of it you’re looking for and then which of the 4 gospels that’s in. So what’s the point of 4 different pictures of the life of Jesus? Let’s go there…

They help me see Who Jesus is

Having more than just one picture of anyone helps you understand that person better. That’s one reason we usually take more than one picture of someone! When I apply that to Jesus, I can answer some important questions about Him. For instance, What’s the big deal?

People make a big deal out of Christmas. Why not the same over George Washington’s birthday? The baby pictures in the gospels show me.

1. Jesus was a King

Matthew starts with the genealogy of Jesus.

Matthew 1:1 A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham:…

And from there you read on and among other things you get names like Amminadab Jehoshaphat, Jeconiah, and Zerubbabel, all in the family line of Joseph, and then you get

Matthew 1:17 - Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.

Matthew especially shows us that Jesus is a King and a descendant of a king, because when a King is born, that’s a big deal!

It’s Matthew who records the visit of the Magi – we even have a song that calls them “kings,” though it’s unlikely they were kings. But…

Matthew 2:1b-2 …Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

This news bothers King Herod. He doesn’t want to hear about another king stealing his thunder. The news stirred up the whole city of Jerusalem. Well, that’s Who Jesus is – a king. And Matthew shows how Jesus is the King simply taking His place.

2. Jesus was an important visitor

Whenever someone important enters a room, they get announced. When someone important is coming to a city, that city gets ready.

Kids, you better watch out, you’d better not cry, you better not pout, I’m tellin’ you why: Santa Claus is coming to town!

That’s what happens when someone important is coming. He gets announced. Mark’s picture of Jesus includes some words about the way Jesus’ entrance was announced and prepared. That’s what you do for someone important.

3. Jesus was a Miracle

Luke 1:31-34 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

Leave it to Luke the physician to get into the medical aspects of this! Jesus’ birth was a miracle! We misuse that word, “miracle.” Jesus’ birth was God, setting aside the natural order, setting aside the laws of physics, going outside of natural law, and causing a baby to be born to a woman.

Just to drive home the point that Jesus was a miracle, Luke also shows us the way God used angels to announce His birth – to Mary, and then to shepherds - because the arrival of Jesus on earth wasn’t normal. It was a miracle, and Luke, who is very much into details and facts, wants you to appreciate the wonder of what he writes.