Genealogy of Jesus
A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham:
Matthew 1:1 (NIV)
Read Matthew 1:1-17, Genesis 12:1-3
Each time I read through the genealogy of Jesus I discover something new. It hasn’t
always been that way because for years I just read the list without much thought. Frankly, I
found it boring. For a time I skipped it entirely wondering why Matthew bothered to include it.
Recently I did read through the genealogy and I began recalling something about many of
those named, like Jacob whose name God changed to Israel. I looked up several stories of the
events that make these names important and it gave me new understanding of what this
genealogy tells us about Jesus.
The genealogy is intended for a Jewish audience because Matthew is showing proof that
Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus fulfills prophesy in a couple of ways. First Jesus is the fulfillment of
Gods covenant with Abraham who God blessed so he could be a blessing to the entire world
(Genesis 12:1-3). This covenant was repeated to Isaac and Jacob and it began Gods relationship
with the Israelites. Next, Jesus is a descendant of King David. God through Samuel told David,
‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.’ See 2 Samuel 5:2 (NIV).
Further, God promised David, ‘your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me,
your throne will be established forever’ (2 Samuel 7:16 NIV).
On the surface the genealogy shows only that Jesus is a descendant of Abraham and
David. But when we dig a little deeper we see God’s plan moving inexorably forward to the
Christ Child. Matthew is telling the Jews that Jesus is the savior they have been waiting for.
Jesus was born to reconcile mankind and all creation to God. His birth in Bethlehem, an
unlikely place, was an event missed by most of the world at that time in history, yet became the
guiding spirit of history to this very moment.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we pray that no one misses the message of Love, Peace, Joy and
Hope that comes to us through the tiny infant found by the Shepherds and the Magi, in a manger
in Bethlehem. May His spirit guide each of us on our journey through this season of Advent and
through the coming year. Amen.
Prayer Focus: Peace on Earth and good will to all mankind.
Thought for the day: God wants us to question. What question do you want to ask Him?
Jeff Dimick
427