The Life of a Christian is a Life of Longing

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Matthew 1:12–17 (ESV) “And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.”

Introduction

Longing is a powerful emotion that drives us, but often leaves us aching.
We often try to fill the gap of longing with sentimentality, but that is weak medicine for real pain.
The true story of Christmas is not a polished script; it is a story birthed in the middle of suffering.
The life of a Christian is a life of longing, but we long with hope.

The Genealogy: A Story of Phrases

Matthew 1:12-17 serves as a launching pad for understanding the birth of Jesus.
While most genealogies focus on people, this section focuses on a specific event: the Exile to Babylon.
Matthew is not hiding the “trash” of history; he is showing that God uses the wreckage of our history as raw material for redemption.
The Christmas story makes the most sense in the midst of pain.

What is the Exile?

A. The Judgment of God

The Exile (approx. 587 B.C.) was when God’s people were conquered by the Babylonian empire.
The biblical worldview holds two things together: God is a loving Father, but He is also a Just Judge.
The most terrifying thing God can do is give us exactly what we ask for: life without His protection.

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B. The Crisis of Faith

The Exile involved the destruction of the Temple, which was where God dwelled.
This event severely shook the faith of the people, leading them to ask, “God, where are you?”
During the holidays, we often have a heightened sense that things are not right in our lives.

The Argument from Desire

We often dismiss longing as a coping mechanism, but C.S. Lewis argues it is a clue.
Nature does not create a hunger for something that doesn't exist (e.g., food, water).
If we are just biological accidents, we should not crave something the material universe cannot provide.

“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” — C.S. Lewis

Hope in the Darkness

A. Learning from Lamentations

Jeremiah describes a sorrow so deep that he has forgotten what happiness is.
We can have hope not because God immediately ends the situation, but because He sustains us through it.
God’s goodness and kindness are not dependent on us; they are dependent on Him.

B. Jesus Resolves the Exile

The genealogy ends with Jesus because He came to resolve the Exile.
The ultimate result of our wandering is spiritual death—the ultimate Exile.
Jesus voluntarily entered the darkness; He took the Exile so we could have the Homecoming.