Do You Know Him?

September 2023 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Do You Know Him?

Jean Koechlin, in the Day By Day devotional as he began commenting on Matthew 1, wrote regarding the Son: “How can we, with our limited intelligence, come to know such a person? God has made provision for this in giving us four gospels so that we might consider the glory of His Son under different aspects, just as different lighting effects might be used to display a valuable object. Matthew is the gospel of the King. Here a genealogy is necessary to place the Messiah at the outset within the setting of the promises made to Abraham and to prove irrefutably His title as Heir to the throne of David (Gal. 3:16; Jn. 7:42).”

The glory of the Lord Jesus Christ as the One who is Heir to the throne of David, being “the Son of David” (Mt. 1:1 NKJV), directly relates to His earthly people, the Jews. The Lord made this clear in His interactions with a Gentile woman (15:21-28). Therefore, even in this matter we are reminded that Israel and the Church, which is made up of both Jews and Gentiles, are distinct groups. Yet, we joy in knowing that He is King of the Jews (2:2).

As that King, His own people rejected Him. Sadly, all of us have sought our own way apart from Him who is God (Rom. 3:9-18). The two thieves crucified with the Lord voiced their contempt for Him (Mt. 27:44) – the One over whose “head the accusation was written ... THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS” (v.37). Yet, we read in Luke 23 that one thief repented and confessed his sin. Although his name is not known to us, the Lord knew him and brought him that very day into His presence (vv.40-43). What grace we find in the Lord Jesus, who came to His own but has opened the way of salvation to every man, woman and child (Jn. 1:10-14), that we might know Him (1 Jn. 5:20)!

The comments of Jean Koechlin continue by mentioning individuals in the genealogy of the Lord: “In this long list some infamous names (Ahaz, Manasseh, Amon and others) have not been erased from the record. Before revealing the Savior, God once more makes it clear that in every generation, whether it be a patriarch, a king, or a woman of doubtful repute, everyone needs the same salvation and the same gospel. You have a need of it yourself, dear reader, as much as anyone else.”

By Paul Alberts