Who Is Jesus? Part 1Sample

A Long Time Ago ...

“Every name has a story, and every story matters to God.” —Pastor Craig Groschel 

On page one of Matthew’s gospel account, we find this long list of names. Maybe not the most striking opener if you’re trying to grab the attention of the audience. But imagine the scrolling text at the beginning of every Star Wars movie. It’s like you can’t read fast enough to get all the information that sets up the epic story that’s about to unfold! For Matthew’s audience, this is exactly how they would have felt. These genealogies set the stage for a person’s life. And Matthew makes it clear up front: the stage he’s about to set is anything but ordinary. 

This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham … Matthew 1:1 NIV

Messiah, son of David, son of Abraham. Clearly, a big deal. But what does that mean? Why does Matthew point out these two ancestors up front? Well, David was the greatest king in all of Israel’s history. Prophecies made it clear that the promised Messiah would come from this bloodline as a King who would establish His throne forever. And Abraham, he’s the OG. He is the father of the Jewish people and an incredible example of faith. Though Abraham only had one son, Isaac, God promised that He would bless everyone on earth through his descendants. So in the first line of this book, we already see so many references and clues that point to who Jesus is. He is the fulfillment of God’s promises. 

But the cool thing is, Matthew doesn’t stop there. He doesn’t just list the superstars in Jesus’ family line, he lists the screwups.

He mentions Rahab and Tamar, who both played the role of prostitute. One faking it to accomplish her own agenda; one the real deal. Pause. Did you catch that? There’s a literal prostitute in the genealogy of Jesus. Okay, let’s move on now. Then there’s Jacob, the deceiver who stole the birthright from his brother. And Manasseh, one of Israel's many kings who did evil in the eyes of the Lord, notably by setting up places of sacrifice for the worship of pagan gods.

Take that in for a second. To think that Jesus, our Savior, came from such a messy, dysfunctional family. This goes to show that no matter what you’ve done, how you’ve messed up, or the baggage you carry, you’re still invited to be a part of God’s family. All of the names we read here screwed up in some way, but God still chose them to be part of His redemptive plan to rescue humanity and restore creation. Today, because of Jesus, we are offered that same invitation.