The gospel of Matthew begins with the genealogy of Jesus, which may seem boring to some but reveals a lot to us. (suggested reading Matthew 1)
Like a resume would outline whether or not we were qualified for a certain job, the genealogy was significant in outlining that Jesus – The Messiah – met the requirements that the Hebrew Scriptures foretold of. To name a few:
The Messiah would be a descendant of Abraham (Genesis 22:18)
The Star that would come through Jacob (Numbers 24:17)
Through the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10)
A shoot that would rise from the stump of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1)
From the line of David (2 Samuel 7:13)
Through Zerubbabel (Haggai 2:22-23)
Ancient genealogies defined who you were by the family you came from. But Jesus’ genealogy stands out drastically from the norm of the day. Five women are addressed in the lineage, which in itself was uncommon of the day.
Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary.
Women were typically viewed as outsiders, not to mention that 4 out of the 5 were Gentiles, which to the Jewish customs at the time were considered to be unclean.
Through the long list of names, “...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.” – Matthew 1:17
Each name holding a story of its own. A family marked by lies, moral failures, racial and gender outsiders, and dysfunctional relationships. Yet also a family full of God’s grace and mercy. A family that others may have tried to cover up or omit from their own story, but here they are not forgotten or brushed under the carpet from Jesus’ story. At just the right time – God’s time – in just the right place… Peace entered a family. Peace arrived and settled-in.
Despite how messed-up you may feel your family tree might be… Jesus takes all of us - grafted into His family of Peace. Mess-and-all and offers us a life of peace through the grace that He poured out for us.
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, PRINCE OF PEACE.” – Isaiah 9:6
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