Minister Dustin Stanton, Hallsville Church of Christ
Jesus came from an impressive lineage. Here was a man whose bloodline was overflowing with royalty. Of all men, Jesus even claimed David, the great king of the Jews in his heritage. Yet, in Matthew chapter 1 when Jesus steps onto the scene and we see He is born as a carpenter’s son! Can you believe that God sent His only Son to be born in the working class?!?!?
A common correlation of most founders of world religion is that they had connections with the affluent in society, in one way or another. Siddhartha, the founder of Buddhism, was born a Hindu prince. Shang Yang, the inventor of Legalism, was a prominent military leader and the governor of a Chinese province. Even Zoraster, the man who created Zoroastrianism into one of the largest world religions during the time of Christ, had ties with the king and queen of Persia. Jesus had no “earthly” heritage. He had no “earthly” army. He had no “earthly” connections. His heritage, army, and connections were all spiritual.
Another trait of many world religions is that they grew from the top down. Many world religions taught the elite first. The wealthy class oftentimes has financial power and a stigma that whatever they do must be right. We see religions like Confucianism that uses the government and those in power to force their religious beliefs on the lower classes. Yet Christ did the exact opposite!
