Seoul Grace Community
Who is Jesus, Really? Outsider, Resting Place
Matthew: 1:1-6, 12-17
December 1, 2013
1. Introduction
a. Genealogies were used to explain who a person was in Biblical times
b. Genealogies were like a resume—they explained who you were, promoted you and, often, were altered to
present the best image of yourself
c. Jesus does the exact opposite here—Matthew doesn’t erase people from the genealogy who would make
Jesus look bad. Instead, he includes them.
i. This particular genealogy would never be used to start a religion or prove the divinity of Jesus (it
is full of liars, adulterers, losers, failures, etc.)
ii. Matthew would have been laughed at in using this to prove that Jesus was a Messiah that
everyone was expecting
2. A Genealogy of Grace
a. Jesus’ genealogy demonstrates a grace to people the world would usually shun or exclude or not value at
all
i. Genealogy includes 5 women (women had no rights and were not included in genealogies)
ii. Genealogy includes Gentiles—racial outsiders looked down on by other races for being “pagan”
iii. Genealogy includes spiritual outsiders—Tamar was involved in incest (Genesis 38), Rahab was a
prostitute (Joshua 2)—even mighty King David sinned by committing adultery and then having
his good friend, Uriah, sent out to die in battle, and Mary was pregnant outside of marriage!!
b. These people would never have been included in a genealogy of the Messiah but Jesus includes them and
brings them into his family
i. God works through a narrative history of flawed, broken people who didn’t necessarily match up
to society’s standard—in order to bring about his perfect plan for salvation
ii. This genealogy shows that God values grace above performance
c. Christianity brings in those who are excluded—the morally weak as well as those who are perceived to be
righteous—it’s grace for all
i. Organized religion says: Do these things in order to draw near to God
ii. Christianity: God first draws near to you on Christmas, not because of anything you do
d. The world values pedigree, prestige, success, appearance, having your life put together
e. This genealogy shows that Jesus values grace above what the world values—no one is too far from his
grace
f. This necessarily means that Christians are called to find the “outsiders” (those we least like to associate
with) and bring them “inside” with love, care and compassion.
3. A Genealogy of Rest
a. Genealogies were also used to tell of a fact that already happened (like a modern-day birth announcement)
b. Christmas isn’t just good wishes to be nice to one another—it’s good news of a story that has come true.
i. Something in us longs for the supernatural in fairy tales
ii. We crave fairy tales as kids—why? Because they move us and because we know we’re ultimately
here for some bigger purpose than to just breathe, live and consume
c. Christmas is the story behind all stories—because it’s the ultimate fairy tale that we’ve been longing for
to come true
i. That the God of the universe would love us so much as to cosmically stoop down into our human
condition in order to share his heavenly condition and home
ii. Our hearts are longing for a home beyond all homes because we know, in moments of crisis or
reflection or in the face of pure beauty, that we’re made for something more.
iii. Christmas is a reminder that this home beyond all homes is possible to reach because God first
reached out to us.
iv. Christmas is a time when you get homesick—even when you’re home
d. The use of numbers –14—points to Jesus being the ultimate rest (Sabbath) for us
i. We live anxious, worrisome, nervous lives constantly afraid that people will see who we really
are
ii. But Jesus offers us this kind of rest that we’ve always sought
4. Conclusion
a. How does God’s unending grace give us deep rest? If we believe that the Lord of the universe looks at us
and calls us beautiful—not because of what we’ve done, but solely because of what Jesus did—we are
free from all the things that trap us.
i. We no longer have to prove ourselves. The Lord of the universe loves us and that gives us a
comfort beyond what we could imagine.
ii. We don’t control anything—we can relax when it comes to making plans
iii. We no longer have to pretend to be something we aren’t
iv. We can embrace those who we dislike because we’re moved by the grace of a God who embraced
us first!
b. No matter who we are, God’s grace—shown through the fact that Christmas day would lead to Jesus’
death on the Cross for us—reminds us that he loves us despite ourselves
c. Christmas is a reminder that God broke into this world—why? Because He’s the only one who sees
completely through and yet still completely loves us enough to meet us where we are specifically.
i. He loves us despite ourselves—despite our flaws, despite our supposed righteousness
ii. Fisher King: “It's not just from tonight. I've known you for a long time. I see you come out of
work every day. I walk with you to lunch. I know what you order... I see you buy Baby Ruths
before going back in...I know how you feel on certain days by whether or not you go into the
bookstore...I know you hate your job and you don't have many friends and you sometimes feel
like you're not as... as wonderful as everybody else and you're a little uncoordinated ... and
feeling like you're the only one who's as separate and... alone as you are... and I love you. I love
you. I think you're the greatest thing since... spice racks”