AN UNUSUAL ANCESTRY
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers…..All those listed above include fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah.”
Matthew 1:1-2, 17 NLT
TODAY’S THOUGHT
Matthew opens his gospel in a very unusual way. In the opening 17 verses there are 45 names of various people in the genealogy of Jesus. It is not exactly an attention grabber unless you see the message Matthew is wanting to convey. For his Jewish audience Matthew wanted to prove that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah. He was in the direct lineage of King David. He fulfilled the requirements of the Jewish prophets concerning the Messiah. There is also another message in this lineage. In that list of names are some of the Bible greats—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, King David, and Solomon to name a few. But also in that list are some characters we might prefer to leave out if we were building a resume. There are adulterers, prostitutes, murderers, and a lot of common people. Perhaps the message of the lineage of Jesus is that by coming in the flesh He chose an ordinary family. A family with highs and lows. Common folks, good folks, and bad folks are all part of His story. Jesus came to earth as one of us. We all have our lineage and for most of us there are a few knots in the family tree. Jesus came in human flesh to live among us and to bring light into our darkness. He is the only hope for this dark, degenerate, and dying world. He is the Son of God, Savior of the world, King of kings, and Lord of lords. However dark your world may be, remember Jesus came to bring light.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Lord Jesus, thanks for coming in human flesh to be one of us. Thanks for showing us light. Help me see Your light today.
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