had to be a descendant of David in order to sit
on his throne as king. Matthew begins his proof
with the statement, “The record of the genealogy
of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of
Abraham” (Matthew 1:1). It is interesting to note
that the only other genealogy of Jesus is found in
the Gospel of Luke, who takes His lineage all the
way back to God. For the Jewish people, it was
a given that God was the ultimate creator. It was
more important to show that the Messiah was a
descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and
thus Jewish, and that He had the right to sit on the
throne of David.
God promised Abraham not once, but
twice, that through his seed all the nations of the
earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3; 18:22).
Through Jacob, God promised that the rule of
Israel would be forever in the hand of the tribe of
Judah (Genesis 49:10). And He promised King
David, “…your throne shall be established forever”
(2 Samuel 7:16). At this season for remembering His
birth, Matthew teaches us that even Jesus’ lineage is
the fulfillment of prophecy, as it was written.
DECEMBER 2018 / THE CHOSEN PEOPLE - 5
MATTHEW CHAPTER 2
BY MICHAEL HERTS
One of my childhood memories was when
a school music teacher took class time to sing
Christmas carols (in those days it was permitted).
Since Jewish children were not required to
participate, we would go over to the corner of the
room and talk about life. One of the songs they
would sing was “O Little Town of Bethlehem,”
which meant nothing to me then because I did
not connect the town with Israel and the Jewish
people. It was not until years later that I understood
the significance of that song.
The Jewish prophet Micah’s ministry took
place during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and
Hezekiah, three kings of Judah, between the
years of about 750-686 BC. Micah was calling
the people to repentance. He let them know that,
even though judgment was coming, God loved
His people and would one day bring a deliverer.
In doing so, he named a small town where the
Messiah, the Anointed One, would be born.
When Matthew wrote his Gospel, he was
bringing incredible news. He quoted prophecies
from the Hebrew Scriptures to make his point
that our long-awaited Messiah had come and His
name was Jesus. In quoting Micah 5:2, Matthew
wrote, “And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no
means least among the leaders of Judah; for out of you
shall come forth a ruler who will shepherd My people
Israel” (Matthew 2:6). In verse 2, we are told that a
star indicated where this shepherd had been born.
This star was the sign that the prophecy of Micah
had come to pass. And now I know the real meaning
of the song, “O Little Town of Bethlehem.”
HANUKKAH & CHRISTMAS
BY CHARLOTTE MACHADO
The Feast of Dedication is first mentioned
in John 10:22. In fact, this is the only place in
Scripture where the holiday of Hanukkah is
mentioned. In this passage, Jesus goes to the
Temple in Jerusalem to celebrate the festival. The
word Hanukkah comes from the Hebrew verb
hanakh, which means to dedicate.
Hanukkah celebrates the victory of the
Maccabees over the Greeks and the rededication
of the Temple. Approximately two hundred years
later, Jewish people gathered around Jesus in the
Temple court and asked him plainly whether or
not he was the promised Messiah. At that time,
they were waiting in hopeful, anxious anticipation
for the fulfillment of Messianic prophecies. They
desperately wanted to know if Jesus was the one for
whom they were waiting. After some discussion
with the onlookers, Jesus acknowledged His deity
by saying, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30).
As written in Ezekiel 8-11, the Divine
Presence had not been seen in the Temple since the
glory of the Lord departed. In Solomon’s Temple,
the glory of God was present and hovered over
the mercy seat. Ezekiel 8-11 describes the glory
of God—which can be interpreted as the Holy
Spirit—leaving the Temple because of Israel’s
disobedience. With Jesus’ presence in the Temple,
the Holy Spirit had indeed returned.
Hebrews 1:3 describes Jesus as the “radiance
of His glory and the exact representation of His
nature.” There is tremendous significance that
on the Feast of Dedication, or Hanukkah, Jesus
announces His deity and returns the Spirit to the
Temple. Through Messiah, we, who are now His
temple, are made clean and filled with His Holy
Spirit. This is the meaning of Hanukkah and it is
truly something to be celebrated.
THE FEAST OF
DEDICATION
(HANUKKAH)
IS FIRST
MENTIONED
IN JOHN 10:22
WHEN JESUS
GOES TO
JERUSALEM.
THE WORD
HANUKKAH
COMES
FROM THE
HEBREW VERB
HANAKH,
WHICH
MEANS TO
DEDICATE.