I'm inviting you to read the family tree of Jesus recorded by the apostle Matthew. Matthew, was a Jewish tax collector who became a disciple of Jesus. If you are at all familiar with the stories of the Bible, this list will remind you of many triumphant and tragic family stories. As you read the list why not join me in trying to recall what you can remember from the true life dramas that are the lead up to the life of Jesus.
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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. Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar).
Perez was the father of Hezron.
Hezron was the father of Ram. Ram was the father of Amminadab.
Amminadab was the father of Nahshon.
Nahshon was the father of Salmon. Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab).
Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth).
Obed was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon (whose mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah). Solomon was the father of Rehoboam.
Rehoboam was the father of Abijah.
Abijah was the father of Asa. Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat.
Jehoshaphat was the father of Jehoram.
Jehoram was the father of Uzziah. Uzziah was the father of Jotham.
Jotham was the father of Ahaz.
Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah. Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh.
Manasseh was the father of Amon.
Amon was the father of Josiah. Josiah was the father of Jehoiachin and his brothers (born at the time of the exile to Babylon). After the Babylonian exile:
Jehoiachin was the father of Shealtiel.
Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud.
Abiud was the father of Eliakim.
Eliakim was the father of Azor. Azor was the father of Zadok.
Zadok was the father of Akim.
Akim was the father of Eliud. Eliud was the father of Eleazar.
Eleazar was the father of Matthan.
Matthan was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah. 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.
This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.
http://bible.us/Matt1.1.NLT
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Victims of rape, notoriously evil world leaders, patriarchs of nations and faith, foreigners and the icons of the ethnic identity, prostitutes, and widows of murdered soldiers all share this list. If ever there was a list that could be described as, "the good, the bad, and the ugly," this is it.
You would hardly expect any currently media groomed political figure to be so honest about their family background. If you need any evidence of what people will do to your reputation based on your family background have a look at the viciousness of the Americans opposed to Barack Obama. Rumours, accusations and runaway imaginations have filled volumes of conspiracies theories.
When the bible tells us about the entrance of the Saviour-Messiah-Son of God it offers the facts in all their messy, easily misconstrued glory.
And glorious it is.
Jesus the Messiah came by the power of the Holy Spirit.
He came from us, to us, and is one of us. Yet he is other. He comes from outside our world and experience and yet at once from an established family background, so rooted in our past and history.
As you consider Jesus can you accept he is at once a human just like you and at the same time completely unique and from God?
What do you see when you look at Jesus family history?
Do you see the promise of God unfolding through the centuries, twisting and turning, waxing and waning, leading to this act 1 scene 1 of the life of our Savior?
How can this story ever become mundane?
I'm part of this family, God's family. Are you part of this genealogy? Will you inherit any of these family traits?
Jesus is the rich uncle who wants to write you into his will.
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