The record that Matthew gives us of Christ is not superficial. It is altogether deep. Most Christians simply realize that Matthew tells us Christ was born of a virgin to be our Savior, He was crucified for our sins, He was buried and resurrected, and now He is our redeemer. This is indeed what Matthew tells us, but only what is on the surface. There is something much deeper than this superficial record.
Therefore, we need to see the real structure of this book. The first chapter tells us that Christ was the son of David and the son of Abraham, and He was born of a virgin, Mary, and given the name Jesus. Yet, His name shall be called Emmanuel. Jehovah is included in the name Jesus, and God is included in the name Emmanuel. So in both of the names of Christ, Jesus and Emmanuel, Jehovah God is included. This indicates that this wonderful son of David and Abraham is not simply human, but also divine. He is God Himself plus something more. The Jewish people have God, but they do not have God plus. They have Jehovah, but they do not have Jehovah plus. But we have God with us, and we have Jehovah the Savior. This is something in addition to what the Hebrews have, and this is Jesus. Hallelujah for such a wonderful One!
For Jesus to be Jehovah plus and God plus, there was the need of a long, long journey. He started this journey from Genesis 3:15, just at the time Satan came into humanity. The incarnation of Jesus was purposeful, planned by God in eternity past, even before the heavens and earth were created. In eternity past God made a plan with Himself. Then He came to accomplish His plan firstly by creation. “And God said, Let us make man in our image” (Gen. 1:26). It seems that God had a conference. There is only one God, yet this mysterious one God is triune! He had a conference with Himself in order to make man in His image.
Why did God make man in His image? It is because man was made to be God’s container, and the container must be in the form of the content. If something is square, we would not make a round container. A glove is made according to the image of a hand, because a glove is made for a hand to be put into it. Praise the Lord, man was made in God’s image with the intention that one day God would be put into him. Romans 9:23 tells us that we are vessels. We are God’s vessels; we are God’s container.
God purposed that one day He would be incarnated. Then He created man in His image and built a wife for him. But the wife became the back door through which the subtle one came into humanity. He thought that he had caught man, but he did not know that he was the one that was caught. Humanity eventually became a trap to Satan. He got into man, but he was also caught in man. Therefore, immediately after Satan came into man, the prophecy concerning the incarnation of Christ began. Genesis 3:15 says that the seed of woman will bruise the serpent’s head. Therefore Hebrews 2:14 tells us that Christ in the flesh through death destroyed the devil.
Now we can see the purposeful plan of the incarnation. In Genesis 3:15 the incarnation was prophesied. After many generations it was repeated to Abraham. Then from Abraham to Mary, after forty-two generations, it was fulfilled. Forty in the Bible means temptation, trials, and sufferings. Israel was in the wilderness for forty years. The Lord Jesus fasted in the wilderness for forty days. Whenever this number is used, there are always sufferings, trials, and temptations. The number forty-two means that the trials and the temptations are over! In Revelation we see the prophecy of the last three and a half years of the tribulation. Three and a half years are forty-two months. When the forty-two months are past, Christ will come and the tribulation will be over. That will usher in the rest of the kingdom. From Abraham to Mary is forty-two generations. Then Christ comes! Before Mary, the previous forty generations were all trials, sufferings, and temptations. There was no rest. But when Christ comes, forty is over, and the rest begins.
The incarnation was not an accident. It was planned and scheduled from eternity past. And, praise the Lord, it was accomplished! And by the accomplishment of incarnation, a wonderful Person came.
As soon as He was born religion rose up against Him, and He was forced to go to Galilee of the Gentiles (Matt. 4:15) to settle in a small, poor, and lowly town by the name of Nazareth. This is why He was called a Nazarene according to the Scriptures. He was a wonderful Person, yet He became a Nazarene (Matt. 2:23).