 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah,7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. 12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations. The Birth of Jesus Christ18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. Meditation God’s sovereign grace saturates redemptive history, His-story finding fullness in Jesus. Our promise keeping, forever loving God wants you to feast on His faithfulness. Grace guides God’s redemptive revelation through the generations composing the genealogy which begins the New Testament (1-17). The beautiful list of names includes outsiders, prostitutes, children of adultery, children of incest, kings, patriarchs, rebellious rulers, and revivalists. The same grace God shows you is His sovereign grace working His redemptive purposes in all things and through all kinds of people. God’s sovereignty directs the drama of Christ’s coming into the world (18-25). Two ordinary people had their dreams dashed by an unplanned pregnancy. Matthew’s narrative focuses on Joseph committing to his countercultural decision to help raise the child. But the soil of the subtext is God’s sovereign plan, God “working all things according to the council of His will” (Ephesians 1:11). “All this took place to fulfill…” (22) is a repeated refrain in Matthew, rooting the entire gospel in God’s redemptive revelation. Repeated at least thirteen times, the phrase highlights God’s priority to keep His promises going back as far as Genesis 3:15. God is faithful to do all He said He would do! The child born to Mary would, “save His people from their sins” (21) so God’s people can begin again. All God’s promises are “Yes!” in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20). God keeps His promises! The fullness of His faithfulness is found in the person and work of Jesus who saves us from our sins so we can begin again. Richly Dwelling -Do you see how God’s sovereign grace highlights His eternal faithfulness throughout redemptive history? -Do you feast on God’s faithfulness or are you famished by foraging for life in other places? -Jesus was born to save us from our sins so that by God’s grace we can begin again, walking forward into a newness of life. How can you focus faith more on Christ, to walk forward more dependent on God’s faithfulness? Key Verse 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: Comments are closed.
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