December 21st, 2016
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Who Do You Think You Are?

Please see the links to our EXTRA Bible Study notes at the bottom of the page.

Opening Prayer

Blessed Lord, in the frenzy of the season, help me find my way through Christ Your Son, who was born to show me the way.

Read Matthew 1:1-17

[1] This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah 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 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.

Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Meditate

Be still and prepare your heart this week for the celebration of the coming of Jesus.

Think Further

Genealogies like this one have often puzzled modern western readers of the Bible. However, such well-known PBS TV programs as Finding Your Roots and Genealogy Roadshow (in which people trace the history of their families, often with surprising discoveries), illustrate the importance of a knowledge of the past to the understanding of the present. In the ancient world (as in many cultures today) knowledge of, and respect for, ancestors was of great importance. The genealogies of prominent people tended to show their connections with important ancestors, enhancing their prestige and honor. 
Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus is different; the story it tells has little to do with persons of wealth, power or honor, but is focused on the outworking of God’s purposes through the twists and turns of history. It commences with Abraham, to whom the seminal promise of blessing for “all peoples on earth” was given (Gen. 12:3). The promise of God’s reign of justice and peace among “all peoples” shapes this genealogy and the Gospel itself, implicitly challenging the Roman boast that its triumphs had brought salvation to the world. 
The names included here highlight the fact that God’s purposes are worked out through a history that is messy, disturbing and frequently violent. There are unsavory characters in this cast list, and the moral failures of the heroes (like David, whose son Solomon was born to “Uriah’s wife”; 6) are not concealed. The presence of women, all of them people whose life stories pose questions concerning the dominant patriarchal system, illustrate the role of marginal and excluded folk in the unfolding drama of the kingdom of God. This is true also of the woman whose obedience to God is the culminating point of the list: Mary, “of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ” (16).

Genealogies like this one have often puzzled modern western readers of the Bible. However, such well-known PBS TV programs as Finding Your Roots and Genealogy Roadshow (in which people trace the history of their families, often with surprising discoveries), illustrate the importance of a knowledge of the past to the understanding of the present. In the ancient world (as in many cultures today) knowledge of, and respect for, ancestors was of great importance. The genealogies of prominent people tended to show their connections with important ancestors, enhancing their prestige and honor. 

Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus is different; the story it tells has little to do with persons of wealth, power or honor, but is focused on the outworking of God’s purposes through the twists and turns of history. It commences with Abraham, to whom the seminal promise of blessing for “all peoples on earth” was given (Gen. 12:3). The promise of God’s reign of justice and peace among “all peoples” shapes this genealogy and the Gospel itself, implicitly challenging the Roman boast that its triumphs had brought salvation to the world. 

The names included here highlight the fact that God’s purposes are worked out through a history that is messy, disturbing and frequently violent. There are unsavory characters in this cast list, and the moral failures of the heroes (like David, whose son Solomon was born to “Uriah’s wife”; 6) are not concealed. The presence of women, all of them people whose life stories pose questions concerning the dominant patriarchal system, illustrate the role of marginal and excluded folk in the unfolding drama of the kingdom of God. This is true also of the woman whose obedience to God is the culminating point of the list: Mary, “of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ” (16).

Apply

What is the most interesting feature of the genealogy of Jesus? Why do you think that is?

Closing prayer

Lord Jesus, You came for all peoples, not just the elite. My spirit is lifted when I think of this truth.

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