From the Janitor's Closet

[dwmoeller]

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham. (Matthew 1:1)

Matthew 1: 1-17 points to the fact that the writer of the gospel of Matthew was interested in Jesus' genealogy. It seems funny that God would start the most important story in history with a boring genealogy. Who cares who Jesus' great - great - great - grandparents were? Well, apparently God does. He knows those people. He knows you and me too. When God sent His Son into the world to become part of the human race, He did it for every single individual—for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for Rahab and Ruth; for you and me. Jesus suffered, died, and rose again for those people and He did it for you and me.

Matthew wanted to link Jesus to his Jewish heritage. He also wanted to affirm Jesus’ connection with the dynasty of David. God had made a covenant with King David that an heir of David’s would always sit on Israel’s throne. Jesus’ lineage is traced directly back to King David. Jesus, as a descendant of David and as the Messiah, is the fulfillment of God’s covenant with David and the promise He gave to all of Israel.

If you have done any research into your family’s history, you have probably discovered a few unsavory ancestors. It’s the same with Jesus. Some women listed in Jesus’ genealogy have both strong and sordid sides. Rahab is listed in the “Hebrews Hall of Faith” for her heroism in hiding Israelite spies before the fall of Jericho. Yet, Rahab was a prostitute. Ruth was the Moabite alien who was the model of loyalty to her mother-in-law Naomi. They were not saints, but Matthew never calls them sinners. They were all used by God to fulfill God’s purpose and promises.

Today we can celebrate who we are—who our ancestors were. We rejoice that God uses us today, just like He used Jesus’ ancestors, to bring forward God’s purpose, promises, and His kingdom.