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Tuesday (Day 17)

VERSES: Matthew 1:1-17 & Hebrews 4:15-16

You are a part of a family tree. Your experience may be very positive or your experience may have been rocky. For good or for bad, we are still connected to and marked by our lineage. Personally, it bears great meaning to each of us.

However, there are some people whose family trees are not just PERSONALLY interesting but have implications that impact the world. Think about members of the British Royal Family. Their blood lines bring with them responsibility and authority that impacts the society around them.

In Matthew 1:1-17, we see the family tree of Jesus Christ. This family tree lets us know at least two things:

1. It shows us that Jesus (the Son of God) became fully human at His earthly birth. He did not just become “human-like,” He PERSONALLY took on flesh and dwelt among us. Therefore, we do not have a Savior who cannot relate to us, but we have One who knows what it means to live in this world. His lineage is a reminder of that.

2. It shows us that Jesus' genealogy sets Him up for a WORLD-WIDE impact. He is a descendant of Abraham, reminding us that He is ethnically a Jew, thus continuing the fulfillment of God’s promises to His people long ago. Also, we see that Jesus’ great, great, great, great, great grandpa was David – a reminder that Jesus would be the promised descendant of David to sit on the throne of God and reign forever. His family tree supports and qualifies Him for not just personal influence.

At Christmastime, we sometimes skip the beginning verses of Matthew 1:1-17 and begin our Scripture reading when the angels show up in 1:18ff. When we do that, we miss the blessing of generations . . . reminding us of the PERSONAL and WORLD shaping reality of Jesus' life. He really did take on flesh and dwell among us, so He can relate to us and provide the help we require in times of need. Scan over the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1 and see how many names you recognize.