A Savior for All People

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Luke 3:23-38 Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat,[d] the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janna, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathiah, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathiah, the son of Semei, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah, 27 the son of Joannas, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er, 29 the son of Jose,the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonan, the sonof Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber,the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem,the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch,the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan, 38 the son of Enosh,the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

My dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for coming to earth to become the Savior of the world.  

In the Incarnation, You laid aside Your heavenly glory.  You stepped away from the eternal regal royalty belonging only to Creator God, to be born of woman.  The Holy Spirit conceived You in the womb of Virgin Mary.  You are completely God and completely human.  

Your earthly lineage is compelling.  Both Matthew and Luke attempt to describe it, taking unique approaches.  William Barclay writes, "Matthew stops at Abraham; Luke goes right back to Adam. To Matthew, Jesus was the possession of the Jews; to Luke, he was the possession of all mankind, because his line is traced back not to the founder of the Jewish nation but to the founder of the human race. Luke removes the national and racial boundaries even from the ancestry of Jesus" (Barclay in The Gospel of Luke, 1953, p. 37).

You are the Savior of the world.  You came to save the polytheist, the animist, the Hindu, the Buddhist, the pagan, the Muslim, and the cultural, yet nominal,  professing Christian.  "For God so loved the world!"  Some err by limiting Your sacrificial life and death by saying that Your blood was only shed for those who were pre-determined by God to be saved.  But You spread Your arms on the cross and died for all.  Thank You.

Because of Your humanity, "There is no problem in life and living which we face which Jesus did not also face" (Barclay, p. 36). "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15).  Perfect empathy!

You are the only Savior. You understand me because You became flesh. "And the Word became 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 1:14).

Thank You. I love You. I need You.

Amen.