September 23 – Jesus' Genealogy

September 23 – Jesus' Genealogy
Matthew 1:1-17

The birth of Jesus was important to the entire world, but before Matthew could tell the story so that the Jewish people would believe how important it was to their future, he had to tell the story of Jesus’ history and show them that God had been working toward this moment since the beginning of their own history.

Now, while Luke takes Jesus’ lineage all the way back through Adam to God, Matthew’s emphasis was on the covenantal relationship between God, the Messiah and the Jewish people.  In order for Jesus to be seen as their Savior, their Messiah … the Christ, Jesus’ line had to be traced to the original covenant made between God and Abraham.

Since we know that the time Jesus was on earth was very patriarchal, it is interesting to note the women found in this lineage.  The first is Rahab, the grandmother of Boaz.  Now, Rahab was a prostitute in Jericho who in Joshua 2 protected the spies from Israel sent by Joshua.  She and her family were protected when Israel razed the city and became part of the tribe. Not only a Gentile, but a prostitute.  Jesus’ lineage wasn’t pure, but it was comprised of those who loved God.

The next woman is Ruth.  She wasn’t an Israelite, but ended up marrying Boaz and would become the great-grandmother of David. Bathsheba isn’t mentioned by name, but all Jews are reminded of David’s sin, when Matthew writes that David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife.

Jesus Christ has come to bring grace to the world, to atone for the sins of everyone, including those in his lineage.

Mary is the last person to be mentioned before Jesus.  From her would come the Messiah, the Savior of the Jews, the Savior of the entire world.  God’s grace had always been available to those who loved Him, but now, God’s grace would be born in human form.  The world was about to change in ways that no one person could imagine.