Have you ever wondered why God became flesh in Jesus of Nazareth when he did? No, not the precise date in the first century, for no one knows for sure. I mean the historical circumstances of Israel – the people of God – in the first century. Why did God see the first century context as the appropriate time to send Israel her long-awaited Messiah? What was going on in the life of Israel that prompted God to send King Jesus?
The OT held the expectation that God would fulfill his promise to David – to send one of his descendants to reign righteously over Israel (2 Sam 7:8-16). The Messiah would be the sort of king David was – powerful, righteous, a man after God’s own heart. He would destroy the enemies of Israel, elevating Israel to its rightful place as the sovereign nation of the world. Granted, there were a lot of conflicting notions concerning the Messiah in the first century but this political, powerful, revolutionary, military king was virtually agreed upon by the major Jewish sects. This expectation, hinted at in the OT, was never realized in any of the Israelite kings who followed David. Who then? When? How would God reveal his anointed one?
By the NT period, Israel had longed for this king for almost 600 years. Israel endured successive cycles of oppression by Babylon, Greece, and Rome. Heavy taxation and unholy customs took their toll on the people of Israel. To say that Israel was anxious for her promised king puts it too mildly. They pleaded and prayed to God to deliver them from their oppressors and to restore them to their ancestral land. If God was to fulfill his promise to David, now would be a good time to act. Six hundred years is long enough.
Matthew 1 describes the lineage of the long-awaited king, the son of David (Matt 1:1). Indeed, King Jesus was the promised “son of David” through whom Israel and the whole world would receive deliverance from oppression and sin. In fact, “son of David” is one of Matthew’s favorite titles for Jesus for it aptly describes his mission and reign. Matthew 2 describes the early childhood of King Jesus after his birth in Bethlehem – the hometown of King David (Matt 2:1). The story is decorated with gifts for a king – gold, incense, and myrrh (Matt 2:11). The story includes the paranoid, schizophrenic “King” Herod and his own terrifying thought that his throne would be toppled by this new King of the Jews.
So, the stage is set. God’s anointed King Jesus has arrived in Bethlehem - the birthplace of King David – to restore the glory of Israel above all other nations and to reign as her Messiah and King.
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