Verses: Matthew 1: 1-17
My thoughts about the
verses:
We might question why Matthew
started the Gospel by delving into the ancestry of Jesus. Think about your own life why it is important
that you know your family history. There
are parts that we do not want to admit.
There are other parts that we want everyone to know. We want to know our history so that we can
understand our current situation.
We can look back at
different times of history and see if there is a reason things are the way they
are now. I have done extensive family
tree search on all sides of my family.
It is amazing some of the things that I found out. It also was great affirming things that I was
told all my life. The best thing that
came out of it was uniting my grandfather with his father’s side of the family.
My great-grandfather
died when my grandfather was only thirteen years old. He had to take on the head of house
responsibilities. He thought that his
family only lived in his hometown. He
knew only about his dad and none of his uncles or aunts. In fact, he thought
that they were the less branch of the family tree on his father’s side.
My mother, grandmother
and I spent several years doing research.
We discovered that my grandfather’s family was from another town. When we went there we met with his first
cousins. I will never forget the first
year my grandfather met his cousins. The
smile on his face said it all. He was
able to learn things about the family that we had no idea about. In fact, if we hadn’t gone looking he would
have died a few years later not knowing his kin.
My story is like so many
other stories. We have to remember that
our families no matter how close they are to us have shaped our history. When you realize this you take a harder look
at your own life. How is your life going
to change the life of generations to follow?
Matthew wrote down the ancestry
of Jesus to acknowledge that he was the Messiah that was long waited for. Reading the Old Testament you learn that the
Messiah was to come from the Family Tree of King David. Starting with the ancestry was the best way
to talk to the Jewish community. They
knew the prophecies and Matthew was writing this for them so that they could
see that the prophecy had been fulfilled.
Many didn’t accept that Jesus was the long awaited Messiah. While many others accepted Jesus as the
promise they had waited for.
Following Jesus’s family
tree we see how the past generations affected his life. We see a family dedicated to God. We see a family that trusted God with their
heart. We can come to understand how
Joseph accepted the truth about Jesus.
We can understand that Jesus was brought up in a home filled with love
and devotion to God. When you look at the
tree and know without doubt that Jesus is the promised Messiah.
Prayer:
We praise you God for
your ever enduring love. We thank you
for your gift of the Messiah. We praise
you for giving us signs that led to the one true promise. We thank you for everlasting life. Help us to accept that Jesus is the Messiah
that was waited on. In the name of the
Messiah we pray. Amen
Questions:
Do you understand the importance of the genealogy of
Jesus? Are you willing to accept that
Jesus is the Messiah?
