DECEMBER 8TH
The Family Christmas Tree
Matthew 1:1-17 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.Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.
While reading today's passage of scripture, you were probably tempted to skip over some parts. It's okay, some of the strange names and repetition can be hard to get through, and your eyes might glaze over until you get to the good part. But there is a reason these sections are in the Bible and also why we should pay attention to them. If you've ever looked at a huge piece of art or mural up close, you can be pretty unimpressed. Take a step back to see how all the pieces of the picture come together, and you start to see how much of a masterpiece it is. In the same way, when we look at the big picture of Christmas, we can appreciate the thousands of years and millions of brush strokes God used to complete the masterpiece of the birth of Christ. Here's an example: have you ever taken the time to examine your family tree? A family tree is a diagram that shows all the individual people who make up your family. They can go back hundreds or even thousands of years telling you where your great-great-great-grandparents were, where they came from, and all the people that led to you. What is most exciting about examining a family tree is finding out where you came from and who you are related to. It could have even been someone famous in history like a president, or an actor, or even royalty.
If you were to think of the family tree of Jesus, you would think that it would be full of some of the wisest, most influential, and righteous people who had ever lived. To some extent, that is true. King David was in the lineage of Jesus. But there were also many names on the list that you wouldn't want to brag about. Abraham was a liar who pretended his wife was his sister. Jacob was a cheater who stole his brother's birthright. David, even though he was a king, was also an adulterer and a murderer. Another surprising person we see is Rahab. She was David’s great great grandmother, known as a Canaanite, enemy of Israel, and a prostitute. A respectful society wouldn't have anything to do with her, yet God chose her, her heart, and included her in Hs masterpiece. None of the names in this first chapter of Matthew are here by mistake or accident. God's plan always uses broken, flawed people. God guided and formed the family tree leading to Jesus with His own hands. Many of these people probably had no idea they were being used by God and would be an active part of God's plan to save the world.
Matthew presents Jesus as the Messiah, a figure the Jews had been told would be a king. Unlike a president, a king does not come to rule by ballot, but by birth. A king has to prove his right to the throne by proving he is descended from the royal family. The Jewish Messiah's right to rule would be proven by three things: He would come from the family of Abraham (Gen 22:18). He would come from the tribe of Judah (Gen 49:10) and he would come from the House of David (2 Samuel 7:12-13). Now you see why God thought it was important for us to see those names in Jesus' family tree. They demonstrate His legal right to the throne. But the genealogy reveals even more than that. Jesus' legal right to rule came through Joseph, but the Bible makes clear that the Messiah would be a descendant of David. As Joseph's adopted son, Jesus was a legal descendant, but not a descendant of David by birth. Just so there would be no doubt about Jesus' claim to the throne, God told Luke to include the other side of this genealogy (Luke 3:23-38), which can also be traced back to David through his other son Nathan. Jesus was physically born of Mary, so her genealogy shows us He was a literal descendant of David as well as a legal descendant. God didn't leave one square inch of his canvas unfinished. He didn't use one brushstroke too few, but just the right amount of strokes, and the perfect colors to create the masterpiece of the birth of Christ.
If you were to think of the family tree of Jesus, you would think that it would be full of some of the wisest, most influential, and righteous people who had ever lived. To some extent, that is true. King David was in the lineage of Jesus. But there were also many names on the list that you wouldn't want to brag about. Abraham was a liar who pretended his wife was his sister. Jacob was a cheater who stole his brother's birthright. David, even though he was a king, was also an adulterer and a murderer. Another surprising person we see is Rahab. She was David’s great great grandmother, known as a Canaanite, enemy of Israel, and a prostitute. A respectful society wouldn't have anything to do with her, yet God chose her, her heart, and included her in Hs masterpiece. None of the names in this first chapter of Matthew are here by mistake or accident. God's plan always uses broken, flawed people. God guided and formed the family tree leading to Jesus with His own hands. Many of these people probably had no idea they were being used by God and would be an active part of God's plan to save the world.
Matthew presents Jesus as the Messiah, a figure the Jews had been told would be a king. Unlike a president, a king does not come to rule by ballot, but by birth. A king has to prove his right to the throne by proving he is descended from the royal family. The Jewish Messiah's right to rule would be proven by three things: He would come from the family of Abraham (Gen 22:18). He would come from the tribe of Judah (Gen 49:10) and he would come from the House of David (2 Samuel 7:12-13). Now you see why God thought it was important for us to see those names in Jesus' family tree. They demonstrate His legal right to the throne. But the genealogy reveals even more than that. Jesus' legal right to rule came through Joseph, but the Bible makes clear that the Messiah would be a descendant of David. As Joseph's adopted son, Jesus was a legal descendant, but not a descendant of David by birth. Just so there would be no doubt about Jesus' claim to the throne, God told Luke to include the other side of this genealogy (Luke 3:23-38), which can also be traced back to David through his other son Nathan. Jesus was physically born of Mary, so her genealogy shows us He was a literal descendant of David as well as a legal descendant. God didn't leave one square inch of his canvas unfinished. He didn't use one brushstroke too few, but just the right amount of strokes, and the perfect colors to create the masterpiece of the birth of Christ.