BLESSING
Opening Prayer
Father in Heaven, as I anticipate celebrating the birth of your Son, prepare me to share with others the hope that is mine because of him.
Read MATTHEW 1:1–17
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah
1 This is the genealogy[a] of Jesus the Messiah[b] the son of David, the son of Abraham:
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,
Perez the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
4 Ram the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse,
6 and Jesse the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,
7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asa,
8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,
Jehoram the father of Uzziah,
9 Uzziah the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amon,
Amon the father of Josiah,
11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah[c] and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.
12 After the exile to Babylon:
Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,
Abihud the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
14 Azor the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Akim,
Akim the father of Elihud,
15 Elihud the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.
17 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.
Footnotes
- Matthew 1:1 Or is an account of the origin
- Matthew 1:1 Or Jesus Christ. Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) both mean Anointed One; also in verse 18.
- Matthew 1:11 That is, Jehoiachin; also in verse 12
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What blessings have you received from your family in the past—and look forward to receiving from them in the coming year?All kinds of people are included in Jesus’ family tree. Some are kings; others are priests. Some obey God; others worship idols. Remarkably for a male-dominated society, there are even four women, and not all of impeccable character! But through these people, God brings about the birth of Jesus, his Messiah, the Rescuer (v. 1).
Back in the beginning of the story, God promised Abram (later to be called Abraham)—the first of Jesus’ less-than-perfect ancestors—that ‘all peoples on earth will be blessed through you’ (Genesis 12:1–3). As a descendant of Abraham, Jesus fulfilled that promise of blessing, but in a far greater way than Abraham could have imagined—for all people, for all time. Through Jesus, no longer does anyone need to live less than ‘real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of’ (John 10:10, The Message). Flick forward to Matthew 5:3 to discover what Jesus himself said about those who know they need God.
‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’ (Revelation 19:9), said the angel in John’s vision. Blessing is the environment of heaven.
Apply
Wonder at the fact that God planned for a baby to be born who would bring heaven to earth—the most amazing blessing to the people of the world, including you.
Closing prayer
Lord God, from the very beginning, you promised a redeemer; thank you for your promise kept. Thank you that in Jesus I have a place reserved for me in heaven and look forward to life with him forever.
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