December 11th - From Abraham to Christ Genealogy

 

Passage: From Abraham to Christ

1 This is the scroll of the lineage and birth of Jesus, the Anointed One, the son of David and descendant of Abraham.

² Abraham had a son named Isaac, who had a son named Jacob, who had a son named Judah (he and his brothers became the tribes of Israel).

³ Judah and Tamar had twin sons, Perez and Zerah. Perez had a son named Hezron, who had a son named Ram, ⁴ who had a son named Amminadab, who had a son named Nashon, ⁵ who had a son named Salmon, who, along with Rahab, had a son named Boaz. Boaz and Ruth had a son named Obed, who was the father of Jesse, ⁶ and Jesse had a son named David, who became the king.

⁷ Then David and Bathsheba had a son named Solomon, who had a son named Rehoboam, who had a son named Abijah, who had a son named Asa, ⁸ who had a son named Jehoshaphat, who had a son named Joram, who had a son named Uzziah, ⁹ who had a son named Jotham, who had a son named Ahaz, who had a son named Hezekiah, ¹⁰ who had a son named Manasseh, who had a son named Amos, who had a son named Josiah, ¹¹ who was the father of Jeconiah.

It was during the days of Jeconiah and his brothers that Israel was taken captive and deported to Babylon. ¹² About the time of their captivity in Babylon, Jeconiah had a son named Shealtiel, who had a son named Zerubbabel, ¹³ who had a son named Abiud, who had a son named Eliakim, ¹⁴ who had a son named Azor, who had a son named Zadok, who had a son named Achim, who had a son named Eliud, ¹⁵ who had a son named Eleazar, who had a son named Matthan, who had a son named Jacob, ¹⁶ who was the father of Joseph, the husband^[g] of Mary the mother of Jesus, who is called “the Anointed One.”

¹⁷ So from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the Babylonian captivity, fourteen generations, and from the Babylonian captivity to Christ, fourteen generations (Matthew 1:1-17 The Passion Translation).

Ponder:

“Matthew gives a descending genealogy, beginning with the earliest ancestor, Abraham moving from father to son. Luke on the other hand gives an ascending genealogy (Luke 3:23-38) that reverses the order starting with Jesus and tracing it back to Adam.”

The genealogy given by Matthew presents the legal claim of Jesus to be King (kingly lineage Matt 1:6) through the lineage of David, from Joseph all the way back to the promises given to Abraham. Matthew maintains an emphasis on kingship, using the word “king” twenty-two times, more than any other book in the New Testament.

Matthew writes with a Jewish audience in mind.

“Jesus descendants were humans with many foibles, yet God worked through such people – adulterers, prostitutes, heroes and Gentiles - to bring about his plan of salvation.” This again demonstrated God’s faithfulness to His promises and that “God can use anyone to bring about His purposes.”

Matthew traces Jesus’ genealogy through David’s son Solomon whereas Luke traces the line through David’s son Nathan (Luke 3:32). Some believe Luke’s account gives the genealogy of Jesus from Mary’s lineage through David all the way back to Adam.**

Matthew wrote his Gospel between 52 and 68AD, before the fall of Jerusalem. The Gospel of Matthew covers approximately 34 years , from Jesus’ birth until His ascension.***

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for using people with foibles to fulfil your purposes. Lord, I admit that I am so like them. “Lord use me ,Here am I use me, I want to be greatly used by thee, Across the Street, Or across the sea, Lord here am I use me.” Amen.

https://youtu.be/F-2mkzSu6SU Song by Ron Kenoly entitled Use Me

*(The Jesus Diary – The Most Comprehensive Chronology of the Life of Jesus Christ, the Son of God)

** Luke: The NIV Application commentary from Biblical Text to Contemporary Life: Darrell L. Brock – Quotations (moving forward) will be from this source and The Matthew Commentary Collection by Wilkins, Osborne and McKnight.

*** New Testament Survey by Kevin J. Conner and Ken Malmin