Following the Lord Jesus Christ: #2 Introductions

Gene and I lived on Guam for seven years. While there, he wrote for the Pacific Daily News, including feature stories about interesting characters on the island. One was Yoichi Yokoi, an officer in the Japanese military that occupied Guam during World War II. When the United States captured the island in 1944, he went into hiding. He lived in a cave (coincidentally about ¼ mile from our home in Talofofo) for the next 28 years until he was discovered in 1972 by two local men and returned to Japan.

That was just one of Gene’s many amazing articles in the PDN. He was “introducing” his readers to all different kinds of notable people—some brave, some innovative, some daring, some famous—but all worthy of a good read.

And here we are now, on the trail of a man more than worthy of our attention. In truth, he is worthy of much, much more; he is worthy of all our love. He is our lord, our savior, and our brother—Jesus Christ. Let’s start our stroll through his life by looking at the “introductions” written in the four gospels. (See also, We Can Trust God’s Word, Part 2 for more about the writers of the gospels.)

The Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 1:1:
The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Jesus Christ is introduced here in the context of two of his forefathers, David and Abraham. Of course, Jesus had plenty of other forefathers (as we’ll see a bit later down the road when we get into “lineage” territory). So why are David and Abraham specifically singled out here?

In the garden of Eden, God made a promise that He would provide a “seed” that would bruise the serpent’s head, ultimately destroying the Devil’s power and dominion in the earth.

Genesis 3:15:
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

The next time we see further revelation of this “seed of promise” in the Bible is in Genesis 22.

Genesis 22:16-18:
And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou [Abraham] hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Here God reveals to Abraham that the coming Messiah mentioned in Genesis 3:15 would be from his seed. This promised seed would one day “possess the gate of his enemies” and in him “all the nations of the earth would be blessed.” Galatians clarifies who Abraham’s seed was.

Galatians 3:16:
Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ [the Messiah]. 

After Abraham, the next time the “seed” promise comes up is recorded in II Samuel.

II Samuel 7:12,13:
And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou [David] shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

Matthew’s introduction clearly shows that Jesus Christ, the promised one, is the seed of Abraham and the seed of David who would be God’s king over His people forever.

The Gospel of Mark

I appreciate the simplicity of Mark’s introduction:

Mark 1:1:
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

And this is only a “beginning,” for the good news of the Son of God’s coming is still being told today by God’s children more than 2,000 years later.

A centurion in chapter 15 of this gospel says, “Truly this man was the Son of God.” Surely today we can also say, after seeing the evidence of God’s spirit in our lives and so many great truths in His Word, that our risen lord is the Son of God!

The Gospel of Luke

Luke 1:1-4:
Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us,
Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;
It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first [anothen, from above], to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.

You’ll notice that this gospel makes no direct mention of Jesus in the introduction. His story is certainly included in the phrases “those things,” “them,” “the word,” “all things”, and “those things” again. Instead of getting right into the subject, Jesus Christ, Luke defines:

1) his audience—fellow believers, most honorable “Theophilus” (friends of God), instructed ones;

2) himself as the writer—eyewitness account, a minister of the Word, having a perfect understanding of all things “from above”; and

3) the purpose for his writings—that the believers might know the certainty of those things wherein they have been instructed.

This background provides a necessary lead-in for all people, including Israelites, Romans, Greeks, and barbarians, to begin to know and understand the savior who is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:11)

The Gospel of John

For an introduction that encompasses all time and gets to the heart of the matter, John’s gospel is supreme.

John 1:1,14-18:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

God’s plan to send a redeemer was in His foreknowledge from before time. Jesus Christ was born of Mary, but his Father was literally God. The Word of the promised seed “was made flesh,” and John and others beheld his glory as God’s only-begotten Son.

All true grace comes through the Messiah, Jesus Christ. He was closer to God than any man who ever lived—in His bosom, and he fully and magnificently declared his Father for all to see.

These four gospels provide the true and living way of understanding the life of our Lord Jesus Christ making known his heavenly Father to the world.

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