The Crucified Messiah

The Apostle Paul presents Abraham as the great exemplar of faith. God counted his faith as “righteousness” when he was yet uncircumcised, and that meant He justified him apart from the “ works of the Law .” He thereby became the father of all men who are also “ from faith .” Circumcision was added after the promise as the “seal” of Abraham’s justifying faith.

Paul is clear and unequivocal. Considering what Jesus accomplished in his death and resurrection, there no longer can be divisions between Jews and Gentiles in the One People of God. By his sacrificial death, he “ dismantled the middle wall of partition ” that separated Jews and Gentiles so “ he might reconcile them both in one body for God through the Cross .” Through him, God is building Jewish and Gentile disciples into one habitation of God “ in the Spirit .”

Basic to the biblical perspective of redemption is the covenant with Abraham and his “ Seed .” The covenant included the promise that “ all the nations of the Earth would be blessed in him .” Moreover, the Patriarch would have innumerable descendants. But how and when will the nations be blessed by him? Who are his descendants, and most importantly, who is the true “ Seed of Abraham ” destined to inherit the promises?

The Gospel of Matthew begins by declaring Jesus of Nazareth to be the “ son of Abraham .” The statement sets the stage for the theme of fulfillment threaded through Matthew’s account. The Nazarene was the Messiah and King of Israel, the promised “ Seed ” of the Patriarch. In him, all the covenant promises have found their fulfillment. As the Crucified and Risen Messiah, he now lays claim to the inheritance of Abraham.

The introduction to  Matthew  states that Jesus is the “ Son of Abraham .” He is nothing less than the heir of the covenant promises made by the God of Israel to the Patriarch, the  “ Seed of Abraham . ”  His identification as the descendant of the Patriarch points to the theme of fulfillment that dominates the  Gospel of Matthew . In this man from Nazareth, all the ancient promises of God find their “ Yea, and Amen ”!