Day 25: The Fulfillment of Faith
Scripture to meditate on: Matthew 1:1-17 The Genealogy of Jesus
This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:
Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,
Perez the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse,
and Jesse the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,
Solomon the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asa,
Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,
Jehoram the father of Uzziah,
Uzziah the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amon,
Amon the father of Josiah,
and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.
After the exile to Babylon:
Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,
Abihud the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
Azor the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Akim,
Akim the father of Elihud,
Elihud the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.
Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.
Devotional:
I’ve got a confession. When I’m at home I turn off movies when the credits start. And if I’m actually at a theater? I’ve already got a foot in the lobby the second the last scene fades to black. I know that not watching the credits in full is considered impolite by folks who really know movies, but I can’t help it – it’s hard for me to see the value in watching the names of bit players I don’t know, doing jobs I don’t understand. I’m there for the stars, and I know them before the movie even starts.
Reading the genealogy of Jesus sometimes feels the same way to me. I can pick out the stars – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Solomon, Joseph, and Mary. These are Bible A-listers! Zadok, Akim, and Matthan? They seem like bit players, and I find myself thinking about heading for the proverbial lobby.
But the beauty of the genealogy of Jesus is that it elevates all of them, who, regardless if they were an A-lister, or someone found at the end of the credits, share a common ancestral bond with Jesus.
That same lineage of Jesus isn’t limited to the historical past – it moves forward and includes us, as for more than 2,000 years believers of Jesus have added their names to the glorious genealogy of Jesus as adopted sons and daughters. If I’m honest, I’m a bit player at best, relegated to the very end of the credits. But there are no small parts when God is directing – we are all elevated to A-list stars through faith in Jesus, recorded for all eternity as beloved children of the King. It’s a heavenly credit list I’ll happily stick around to watch until the end.
Questions to ponder:
- What does this passage say about God?
- What does this passage say about me or my relationships?
- What should I do in light of this passage?
