Jesus, the Firstborn

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

Notice that word firstborn in v. 7.

Here Jesus is called the firstborn son of Mary because she went on to have other children (), but Jesus was the first, the oldest, and that position came with responsibilities and privileges.

Perhaps Jesus would have received a larger share of the inheritance from Joseph had Joseph not been poor. Perhaps, if Joseph died, Jesus did receive a larger portion but, because he was poor, the inheritance from Joseph wasn’t much at all. We don’t know.

We do know that it was Jesus’ responsibility to care for His mother. Thus, as He died on the cross, he charged John to care for her as his own mother, and He charged Mary to look on John as a son.

Physically in His human family Jesus was firstborn. And spiritually as God the Son, Jesus is firstborn. That’s our first truth tonight. Jesus is firstborn.

Hebrews 1:6 ESV

And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.”

The author of Hebrews begins his sermon with a magnificent statement on the superiority of Jesus in general and His superiority over angels in particular.

Hebrews 1:1–4 ESV

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Hebrews 1:1

The author of Hebrews will go one to demonstrate Jesus’ superiority over everything, but for the moment he presses Jesus’ superiority over angels with two questions in v. 5.

Hebrews 1:5–6 ESV

For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”? And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.”

Hebrews 1:5 ESV

For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”?

The Father in heaven never said to an angel, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you.” He did, however, say that to His Son in . He never said to an angel, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.” He did, however, say that to His Son when He made His covenant with David in . And then the statement in v. 6...

Hebrews 1:6 ESV

And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.”

God called Israel His firstborn () and the King of Israel was considered God’s firstborn as he embodied and represented God’s people (). God spoke of the promised Davidic king in when He said...

Psalm 89:27 ESV

And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.

The NT calls Jesus the firstborn because He is the firstborn—the representative of His people, the highest ruler of the kings of the earth, the One even the angels are commanded to worship.

[App] If Jesus as the firstborn represents His people, who does He represent them to? Why is it important that Jesus represent His people before the Father? // How does that suggest people should respond to Jesus?

We should call on Him.

We should trust in Him.

We should submit to Him. (He is Ruler.)

We should worship Him. (He is God.)

Have you called on Him, trusted in Him, and submitted to (obeyed) Him as Ruler? Are we worshipping Him as God?

We mock Jesus at Christmas if we adore Him during the Christmas season without responding to His superiority—his firstborn status—without calling on Him, trusting Him, submitting to Him, worshipping Him.

[Exp] Being firstborn is not a statement about Jesus’ birth order (except in , which is talking about his Incarnation). It is a title or rank that communicates his superiority or preeminence. We see this in a few places where the word firstborn is used and then that word is immediately defined for us. For example says...

Psalm 89:27 ESV

And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.

What does it mean to be firstborn in this verse? It means to be the highest of the kings of the earth.

Or consider ...

Colossians 1:15 ESV

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

Colossians 1:15–16 ESV

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

What does it mean to be the firstborn in this verse? It means to be the One by whom all things were created.

The human body of Jesus was of course created. But Jesus, God the Son, second person of the Holy Trinity, was not created. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together ().

But He did take on flesh, live for us, and die for us, although death would not be the end of Him.

says...

Colossians 1:18 ESV

And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

What does it mean to the firstborn in this verse? It means to be the first of many who will be resurrected with an immortal and imperishable body.

Because of our sin in Adam, death entered this world. All sin, so all die. This death is not just a physical death but also a spiritual one. We are dead to God unless we have been made alive through faith in Jesus.

Jesus was born, but He was not born into sin, and He never sinned. Therefore, Jesus didn’t have to die. Jesus, however, willingly laid down His life on the cross as the sacrifice for our sins. He became sin, paying the price for sin (death) on the cross so that through faith in Him we can stand before God clothed in His righteousness.

God accepted Jesus as the once-for-all sacrifice for sin and gave proof of this by raising Jesus Him from the dead. Now all those who die to sin through faith in Jesus will rise with Him in a resurrection like His. This means that through Jesus we are made dead to sin and alive to God. It means that even though we die, we live. We may die physically, but we will never die spiritually, and one day we will receive imperishable and immortal bodies just as Jesus did at His resurrection.

He is the firstborn. We, through faith, follow Him into death, resurrection, and eternal life.

Colossians 1:19–20 ESV

For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

[App] When did God plan salvation? When did God plan to save us? How should this make us feel?

Colossians 1:

It should make us feel cherished. We sometimes say that when Jesus died on the cross, He had you on His mind. That’s can only be true because salvation through Jesus’ death and resurrection and those He would save was decided before the foundation of the world.

[Exp] Our reconciliation to God through the cross of Christ was planned before the foundation of the world so that God would be glorified in Christ. says...

Our

Romans 8:29 ESV

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Our salvation through faith in Jesus is less about our

Before God said, “Let there be light,” He wrote our names in the Lamb’s book of life. He chose us and determined that we would be saved and sanctified—becoming like Christ in order that or so that Jesus would be the first born among many brothers.

What does it mean to the firstborn in this verse? It means that Jesus gets the glory and is the goal of our salvation and sanctification. We were saved so that we would be like Him.

All things (including our salvation) are from Him, through Him, and to Him.

He is preeminent.

Or as describes Him...

In the opening greeting of Revelation, pulls to show us Jesus as the firstborn—representative, resurrected, and ruler.

Revelation 1:5 ESV

and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood

Matthew 13:55 ESV

Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?

Hebrews 1:6 ESV

And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.”

As I’ve said, here Jesus is called the firstborn, and He is to be worshipped by God’s angels. But God’s angels only worship One Being—God! If the angels are commanded to worship Jesus, then He is God.