Royal Servant

The theme of fulfillment is prominent in Matthew’s gospel. In Jesus, the promises of God find their intended fulfillment. He is the Son of God sent to redeem Israel and rule the nations. Peter, for example, confirmed that he was the “Messiah.” Nevertheless, he failed to understand that he would undertake that role as the suffering “Servant of Yahweh” who came to “bear the sins of many.” His true identity was revealed in his self-sacrificial act.

The Living Word

The Gospel of John identifies Jesus as the Logos, the “Word” through which God made all things. This is a key theme of John, one that builds on traditional ideas from the Hebrew Bible about how God created the Universe and especially life through His spoken Word. Jesus of Nazareth is the ultimate expression of that Word and the Living God.

The Son of Man

In the three synoptic gospels, the term “Son of Man” is the self-designation found most often on the lips of Jesus. It is derived from Daniel’s vision of the one “like a Son of Man” who received the “dominion and kingdom” from the “Ancient of Days.” According to Jesus, “All the tribes of the Earth” will mourn when “they see the Son of man coming on the clouds of Heaven.”

The Kingdom Herald

Following his baptism, the Spirit “drove Jesus into the wilderness… for forty days and nights.” Like Moses on Sinai, the Messiah of Israel was alone in the desert where he was tested by the Devil and molded by God. He was tempted like Israel, only he overcame every challenge and emerged victorious and “full of the Holy Spirit.” Only then did he proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom, starting in the villages of Galilee.

Rend the Heavens!

Jesus first appears in the Gospel of Mark when John baptizes him in the Jordan River. The account identifies him with his hometown, Nazareth, a village of no consequence, though its insignificance plays a role in the story. He is the “Servant of the LORD” anointed by the Spirit who does not conform to popular expectations about the Messiah.

Voice in the Wilderness

The Gospel of Mark opens with a declaration from passages in the Hebrew Bible, providing the scriptural basis for the ministry of John the Baptist. It sets the stage for the mission of Jesus and his proclamation of the Kingdom of God. Thus, Mark’s account begins on a note of fulfillment. The Man from Nazareth is the Messiah and Savior promised by God in the Scriptures.

The Son of David

The Gospel of Matthew presents Jesus as the “Son of David.” In his life and death, he demonstrated what it meant to be the King of Israel. This last designation was linked traditionally to the House of David; but in Matthew, that understanding of the Messiah is altered in unexpected ways. The Greater “Son of David” is more than the Ruler of Israel or King over the Nations, for he is the Messiah of a radically different kind, the “Servant of Yahweh.”

His Name is Jesus

In Matthew, an angel informed Joseph that the child carried by Mary was “begotten of the Holy Spirit” and instructed him to name the child ‘Jesus’ - “Call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” This name pointed to the saving act of God for His people which He was about to reveal.