Matthew 1-2

To read this text CLICK HERE

Matthew 1:1-16, This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:

Abraham was the father of Isaac,

Isaac the father of Jacob,

Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,

Perez the father of Hezron,

Hezron the father of Ram,

Ram the father of Amminadab,

Amminadab the father of Nahshon,

Nahshon the father of Salmon,

Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,

Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,

Obed the father of Jesse,

and Jesse the father of King David.

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,

Solomon the father of Rehoboam,

Rehoboam the father of Abijah,

Abijah the father of Asa,

Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,

Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,

Jehoram the father of Uzziah,

Uzziah the father of Jotham,

Jotham the father of Ahaz,

Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,

Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,

Manasseh the father of Amon,

Amon the father of Josiah,

and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.

After the exile to Babylon:

Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,

Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,

Abihud the father of Eliakim,

Eliakim the father of Azor,

Azor the father of Zadok,

Zadok the father of Akim,

Akim the father of Elihud,

Elihud the father of Eleazar,

Eleazar the father of Matthan,

Matthan the father of Jacob,

and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.

Be sure to read through this full genealogy of Jesus.  Sometimes, we have the tendency to skip over these long lists of relatives but this one is really special.  That’s the only reason I read through those hard names! In a totally male-dominated, patriarchal culture, there are five women listed in this genealogy.  This should make us stop and reflect. 

Take a moment and look for their names. The women include Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Uriah’s wife (Bathsheba), and Mary.  There was something exceptional about each of these women: several were foreigners, one was a prostitute, a few engaged in what would have been considered questionable behavior, and two (that we know of) got pregnant out of wedlock.  These are things that were basically unacceptable in their culture and time.  Most of these things would have rendered these women as outcasts in their communities.  And they are all part of Jesus’ family line!  What a beautiful picture of God’s grace.  Jesus, Savior of the world, did not come from a perfect family line but rather one that was messy, broken, and filled with outsiders.  In a world that valued insiders, Jesus’ family tree demonstrated God’s love to all.

What does your family tree look like?  No matter how broken or messy, Jesus’ love and grace is bigger, stronger, and more powerful.  God can use your family for his glory.

Let’s pray…Lord Jesus, You are so good.  We thank you for redeeming us, our families, and our world.  Help us demonstrate even but a small amount of your grace those around us.  In Your Name, Amen.