To read: Matthew 1:1-16
A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ 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 Hexron, 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, Abujah 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 Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor the father of Zadok, Zadik the father of Akim, Akim the father of Eliud, Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
To think about:
Abraham was promised descendants as many as there are stars in the sky… one of whom, by adoption, was Jesus. Others of whom, by faith, are you and me. All of those listed point toward Bethlehem and the birth of Jesus. As heirs by faith, we share in the promise as we travel toward Bethlehem this year.
The story of Jesus' ancestry - or of Joseph's ancestry - is anything but pure and neat. Consider but a few of the stories behind the people…Judah and Tamar were not married. And, in fact, Tamar was Judah's daughter-in-law. Yet the child of their union is in the direct line pointing toward Bethlehem.
Rahab is a foreigner. She was a harlot who gave shelter in Jericho to the Hebrew spies. The story of Ruth is well known - she was another alien, a Moabite, who became a proselyte to Israel after her first husband died. Both of these women, foreigners, point us toward Bethlehem.
And then there was David - David, faithful shepherd-boy, Goliath-slayer become king. Solomon was his son by the wife of Uriah the Hittite whom David sent to the front lines to be killed in battle. Yet both David and Solomon, despite their separate failings, were loved by God and used in the line toward Bethlehem.
Speaking of failings! Subsequent kings were sometimes faithful, many times unfaithful. Sometimes they built high places, altars for false gods and sometimes they tore down the high places and called the people back to worship God Almighty. Yet they are all included in the line that points to Bethlehem, to Jesus.
"So what?" you say, "Who cares?"
Think of how the line to Bethlehem continues today with you and me. None of us is totally pure and neat. We come with our failings, with our fears. Yet God invites us to Bethlehem, to kneel at the manger with its rough straw and swaddled child. God invites you and me to worship. In Jesus, we find arms wide open to love, to embrace, to die for you and for me that we might be forgiven and live. And then, God invites you and me to serve despite our failings, despite our fears.
Jesus was adopted by Joseph into a long line that was messy but which served God's purpose. I suspect that if/since God could/did use all those people and situations to produce the miracle of Jesus… well, I suspect that God can/will use you and me to continue working miracles for God.
To pray:
Thank you, God, for the gift of your Son Jesus. Thank you for the witness of his ancestry that shouts how you work in all of history through real people in every situation. As we travel toward Bethlehem, may our hearts be turned to worship and may our worship take shape in the service of our lives. We pray, as taught, in Jesus' name. Amen