OUTSIDER OR INSIDER?
Opening Prayer
Thank you, Father, that I am part of Your family.
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:
a Matthew 1:1 Or is an account of the origin
b Matthew 1:1 Or Jesus Christ. Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) both mean Anointed One; also in verse 18.
c 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
Looking over your life, do you see yourself more as an insider or more as an outsider?How far back can you trace your family? In many cultures, knowing where you have come from is vital. So Matthew begins by establishing Jesus’ identity. If Jesus really was the Messiah (1), he had to be descended from Abraham and David. Matthew sets out to prove that he was. Three groups of 14 names make the point (2–6a; 6b–11; 12–16).
Two things about the genealogy stand out. First, the four women: Tamar (3), Rahab (5), Ruth (5) and Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba (6). Jewish genealogies rarely included women, but Matthew went further. Instead of choosing respected matriarchs such as Sarah or Rachel, he chooses women who were outsiders. Three were Gentiles: Tamar, Rahab and Ruth. Bathsheba may also have been a Gentile and even if not, she had been married to one. God’s promise to bless all peoples through Abram (Genesis 12:3) was being fulfilled.
Second, they had complicated stories. Tamar was an adulteress, Rahab a prostitute, Ruth was a Moabitess, a group who were not allowed to enter the assembly of the Lord. Finally, Bathsheba had been seduced by David. As David Turner wrote, “In saving his people from their sins, Jesus is not bound by race, gender, or even scandal.”(David L. Turner, Tyndale Cornerstone Commentary: The Gospel of Matthew, House Publishers, 2005, p. 38) Jesus came for everyone!
Apply
Do you come from a godly family or are you the first believer? Today, you can start a legacy of godliness. What will your family stand for? Who will you determine to be as a family?
Closing prayer
God of second chances, today I say, “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).
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