Christmas 2024: December 21

"Joy to the World" is one of our most popular Christmas hymns, written by one of our most popular hymn-writers, Isaac Watts. Actually, "Joy to the World" is one of the most published hymns in North America - Christmas or otherwise. It might surprise you, though, that it wasn't so much the story of Christ's birth as described in the NT that Watts had in mind when he penned these words. For that matter, he didn't even intend "Joy to the World" to be a song! He was instead written a collection of poems based on the Psalms, which he published in 1719 as "The Psalms of David." "Joy to the World" wouldn't be put to music for another 100 years. However, if it was not the birth of Christ Watts had in mind when he wrote our beloved lyric, what was it he had in mind?

You might notice that "Joy to the World" makes no reference to a child in a manger, the virgin birth, or anything else related to the nativity. Watts only notes, "The Lord is come," but that isn't in reference to His first advent. It is actually in reference to His second. That is why both heaven and nature "sing," unlike Christ's first advent in which, though the angels sang, on earth, He was the stone rejected (Acts 4:11). That is the theme of both the first and second verses, based on Psalm 98. Then, in the third verse, Watts refers back to Gen 3:17-19, reflecting on Christ's glorious victory over sin, "Far as the curse is found." Watts then looks forward to that time when Christ will rule over the nations (verse 4) and calls on all the nations to celebrate God's gift of salvation to the world.

"Shout joyfully before the King, Yahweh (Ps 98:6)!

Even though "Joy to the World" celebrates Christ's second coming, that by no means Christ's first Advent isn't a cause for celebration as well. The angels' proclamation, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace and goodwill toward men" (Lk 2:14) is a resounding declaration of praise, worship, and adoration for the Savior. Hope has come, and today's Scripture in Matthew 1:1-17 is a reminder of how glorious and necessary His miraculous birth was. It is a backdrop of man's depravity that is an essential component of the gospel narrative in the Christmas story. The whole account serves as a testimony that God's work in the world is a testimony of His everlasting loving-kindness, patience, and mercy.

That is why Matthew's genealogy is a genealogy of grace, comprised of three parts. The first section is a genealogy of God's grace to the nations and the most unexpected and undeserving people in the world that He appointed as His own possession and through whom the Messiah would come - not to bless Israel only, but all the peoples of the earth. From the very first name on the list, Abraham himself, it is evident that man can only be credited righteous by faith. A Messiah must come to save the world. And with the second genealogy of kings, Messianic hope and expectation increased with each first-born son born to Israel - except what is clear from this list is that the heart of man is wicked. King after king only left Israel increasingly disappointed. Truly, the leaders of Israel do not bear witness to peace, but rebellion, lawlessness, and idolatry as they led God's people astray. The second genealogy begs the question, "Could there ever be a righteous king to rule the nations? The answer in the third genealogy is "Yes and no." The second genealogy ends with a cursed lineage, and the names listed in the third genealogy are all those who should have been royalty but were instead names lost in the history of Israel. Nothing is known about them. They should have been kings but weren't. Israel was in exile, and now, from a human perspective, all hope is lost.

That is why Matthew's genealogy is so important before we hear Gabriel's announcement in Matthew 1:18-25. Hope was NOT lost in God's redemptive plan. The Righteous Son of God, Savior of the World, has come - a light to a world in deep, deep darkness. There is no question, then, that the despairing list of names in Matthew 1:1-17 (although bearing witness to God's grace) helps us appreciate all the more what God has done in sending His Son to the World to save sinners like you and me.

Joy to the World!