(4th in a
series on Lent)
Matthew 1:1-16 & 1
Corinthians 1:26-31
(Use the link below to read the verses.)
Have
you ever wondered who your ancestors are? Whether any of them are famous, or
infamous? A long time ago, I bought a book called Our Family Tree and
did a fair amount of research on my family genealogy. There were farmers,
ministers, teachers, contractors, builders; basically just regular ordinary people.
Matthew
starts his gospel with the genealogy of Jesus. It’s a pretty impressive list of
ancestors which includes Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Eventually he adds David who
received the Messianic promise fulfilled through the birth of Jesus.
But
if you look closely, you can read some of their stories which includes lies,
manipulation, stealing, power struggles, dysfunctional families, adultery and
murder. In addition, written to a male dominated society, Matthew’s list
includes five women, of which three were Gentiles; not your typical Jewish
audience.
Matthew’s
genealogy is not exactly the pristine genealogy that you might expect for the
Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham, the son of God. And yet, it is
exactly as it should be. It tells us a lot about who God is and how He works.
For
one thing, Matthew’s genealogy would seem to imply that the Gospel is not just
for Jews; not just for men or for those who have power; not just for those who
are religious. But it is for all that would believe; for all that have faith;
for all that love the Lord your God.
You
could also infer from his genealogy that God works through the common, ordinary,
even sinful people of this world to accomplish His will. Paul wrote this to the
Corinthians:
26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were
called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were
influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the
foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the
world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of
this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the
things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. NIV
You
may have seen the TV commercial about a little boy who tries to hit a baseball
by throwing it up in the air. Each time he declares, “I’m the greatest hitter
in the world”! Following his third strike he ponders what just happened and
suddenly declares, “I’m the greatest pitcher in the world”!
Whether
that is true or not, is not the point. The point is that he is a normal,
ordinary little boy who expects to accomplish extraordinary things. In the same
way, God uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things.
(If
God has spoken to you through this devotional, please feel free to share it
with others.)
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