 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 Christ 18 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 His-story finds fullness in Jesus. Our promise keeping, forever loving God invites readers to feast on His faithfulness. The Greek word translated “genealogy” is literally transliterated “genesis.” The genesis of Jesus is grounded in God’s grace as we discover God’s guiding of redemptive revelation through Israel’s generations (1-17). The beautiful list of names details Jesus’ connection to Abraham and David as it highlights the inclusion of outsiders, prostitutes, children of adultery, children of incest, kings, patriarchs, rebellious rulers, and revivalists. The origin story of Jesus is saturated in God’s sovereign grace. God sovereignly directs the drama of Christ’s coming into the world (18-25). Two ordinary people had their dreams dashed by unplanned pregnancy, Joseph committing to his countercultural decision to help raise the child. But the not-so-subtle subtext is God’s sovereignty “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 agenda. Repeated at least thirteen times, the phrase highlights God’s faithfulness to keep His ancient promises. Jesus is Adam’s ancient seed who will defeat the serpent (Genesis 3:15), the climax of God’s covenant with Abraham (Genesis 15), and the forever king promised from David’s offspring (2 Samuel 7). The birth of Jesus marked the end of exile, Mary’s child who “saves His people from their sins.” (21) 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 believers can begin again. Richly Dwelling -What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially God’s sovereign grace highlights working His purposes through everything and everyone? -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 believers 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? What (specifically) do you need to remove the focus of your faith from as you rest in God’s sovereign grace in Jesus? Key Verse 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
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