December 22nd - Reflection

Matthew 1:1-17 (NRSV)
Jesus' genealogy

An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, and Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David.

And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.


And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel, and Salathiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.

So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.

Reflection
There is a whole lot of living going on here. There are twenty eight generations of living. The book of Matthew traces the descent down to Joseph the husband of Mary. The book of Luke traces the natural descent. But between the two accounts the lists cross. It seems Jesus would be the ancestor of many peoples. With this Joseph, though not the natural father of Jesus, was still the "called" father to honor Mary. The Holy Spirit being the father of Jesus, makes Jesus both fully human yet fully divine.

How God as been woven into the fabric of human history and time is now fulfilled. God is present with us not only in the divine nature but in the form of the created. God sent Jesus not only as the Christ, or the anointed, but also as Jesus, our savior. So in this genealogy we are introduced to the Messiah, our King, and our Savior, our God!

Prayer
What a wonderful awesome act you have taken in Jesus. You sent a friend, a savior, a king, and our only answer, the truth. You sent wisdom, grace, love and joyous action to all you have done. All this wrapped up in one Lord Jesus Christ! Thanks! --- Amen