God’s Word of Joy
Introduction
Matthew 1:1-17: Mathew’s Gospel begins with a presentation of the ancestors of Jesus in order to make clear that Jesus is from the family of King David and Abraham.
Scripture Reading
The Ancestors of Jesus Christ
(Luke 3.23-38)
1This is the list of the ancestors of Jesus Christ, a descendant of David, who was a descendant of Abraham.
2-6aFrom Abraham to King David, the following ancestors are listed: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah and his brothers; then Perez and Zerah (their mother was Tamar), Hezron, Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon, Salmon, Boaz (his mother was Rahab), Obed (his mother was Ruth), Jesse, and King David.
6b-11From David to the time when the people of Israel were taken into exile in Babylon, the following ancestors are listed: David, Solomon (his mother was the woman who had been Uriah’s wife), Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah, and Jehoiachin and his brothers.
12-16From the time after the exile in Babylon to the birth of Jesus, the following ancestors are listed: Jehoiachin, Shealtiel, Zerubbabel, Abiud, Eliakim, Azor, Zadok, Achim, Eliud, Eleazar, Matthan, Jacob, and Joseph, who married Mary, the mother of Jesus, who was called the Messiah.
17So then, there were fourteen generations from Abraham to David, and fourteen from David to the exile in Babylon, and fourteen from then to the birth of the Messiah.
Today’s Key Verse: Matthew 1:17
There were fourteen generations from Abraham to David, and fourteen from David to the exile in Babylon, and fourteen from then to the birth of the Messiah.
Reflect
You may wish to compare Matthew’s account of Jesus’s ancestry with that of the one recorded by Luke (3:23-38) and note the similarities and differences. Matthew’s account names five women – Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba (Solomon’s mother), and Mary. Learn more about these women by reading about them in the Bible (information about the first four women mentioned can be found in the Old Testament; information about Mary is found in Luke 1–2). What does their inclusion in Jesus’s ancestry teach you about God?
Pray
Lord God, in sending Jesus, the Messiah, you demonstrate your love for all people and your regard for people from all walks of life. Teach me to reflect your love to those I encounter today. In Jesus’s name, I pray. Amen.
Tomorrow’s Reading
Matthew 1:18-25: Matthew gives an account of Jesus’s birth.