Ancestors of Jesus

ByJim Stephens

Happy New Year 2023! This year I’m starting my GraceNotes devotionals with an in-depth reading of Matthew’s Gospel for the first half of the year, then I’ll move to an in-depth reading of John’s Gospel for the second half of the year. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called “synoptic” writings because they mostly follow the same timeline and mostly record the same events, teachings, and parables from Jesus’ life and ministry. Matthew has the most of these, but there are some things in Mark and Luke that Matthew doesn’t include. I may bring some of those events and teachings over into this year’s devotions as we go through. We’ll see! But the focus for 2023 will be Matthew’s and John’s Gospels. As always, I’m praying that these devotionals will be a strength and blessing to you! Grace to you, Jim Stephens

Reading: Matthew 1:1-17  (Click the link for the scripture in Bible Gateway)

1 This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham: 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar). Perez was the father of Hezron. Hezron was the father of Ram. 4 Ram was the father of Amminadab. Amminadab was the father of Nahshon. Nahshon was the father of Salmon. 5 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. 6 Jesse was the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon (whose mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah). (Matthew 1:1-6 NLT)

Matthew uses 15 verses to list three groups of fourteen generations of male ancestors of Jesus the Messiah. In this list, he includes four women: Tamar, pregnant by Judah, her father-in-law; Rahab, a Hittite prostitute; Ruth a Moabite widow; and Bathsheba with whom King David had an illicit affair, then murdered her husband! He also lists heroes of faith (Abraham, Isaac, David), ordinary people (Hezron, Ram, Nashon, and Akim), and blatantly evil people (Manasseh and Abijah).

God doesn’t seem to be very picky in choosing who would be in the ancestral lineage of the Messiah, God’s Son, the Savior of the World! Perhaps you and I shouldn’t be so exclusive in our ideas about who we allow into our “family” the church? Perhaps God wants us to be more inclusive—to be more open to love, serve, and learn from people who are very different from us.

What do you think? Can we learn to be less quick to judge and exclude, and quicker to accept and include? Should we?

Prayer:

Father, Thanks for the simple honesty of your Word. Thanks that you’ve included the good, the bad, and the ordinary in your family, in the family of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Please help us to be slower to judge and exclude and quicker to accept and include those you send our way. Thank you for the Grace you continually extend to me. May I be a channel of your Grace to others and an instrument of your Peace with all. Amen!