Read – Matthew 1:1-17
“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king.
And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.”
Meditate
I remember going to a family reunion when I was a teenager. There were a lot of people that I knew only casually and a lot more I had never met—great-aunts and great-uncles, cousins who were two and three times removed, spouses and children.
One great-aunt came up to me and asked who I was. I replied, “I’m John Deisher.” “No,” she said, “who are you?”
For a moment I was very confused. That was who I am…John Deisher. But revelation soon came.
“I am Ruth’s youngest’s oldest,” I said. Ruth was my grandmother, my mother was her youngest, and I was the oldest child in my family.
“Ah, you’re Peggy’s boy,” she said. And that told her who I was. And that’s who I am.
Jesus was more than the Son of God. He was also the son Joseph, who was the husband of Mary, the grandson of Jacob, the great-grandson of Matthan…well, you get the picture.
There are some pretty famous people in his family tree. There are also a few who are infamous. Kings and peasants, pioneers and prostitutes, Jews and Gentiles, they are all a part of the family of Jesus.
And this was how people knew him. They knew him by his family. They knew his parents, his grandparents, his aunts and uncles, his siblings and his cousins. He was known, truly known, as a part of a family.
Just as Jesus was known by his family, you are known by yours. In your natural family, there are traits and mannerisms, traditions and peculiarities you have inherited without realizing it. But if someone knows your family, they can tell you how that “thing” came to be and who had it. Family is how you are known.
You are also a part of Jesus’ family. He knows all the people in your spiritual family tree. And you have been impacted by those in your spiritual family. The books you read, the way you pray, all have been passed down to you. Family is how you are known.
Why does this matter? Because family is important. The good parts and the bad parts, the family is why you are here. Family, natural and spiritual, have made you who you are and brought you to where you are.
You are a part of Jesus’ family. He is in your family tree, and you are in his.
Pray
Thank you for family. Whether my natural family was good or not, it is because of them I am here. And because I am here, I am a part of a spiritual family that began before time—the family of God. I am thankful for the family of God and for the people in my family. I desire to be known as Christ was known.
Contemplate
- Tell a family member how you are thankful for them. Hand-write a note and give it to them or send it to them.
- Who is in your spiritual family tree? Take a sheet of paper and trace back to those who impacted you and who impacted them. Look forward to those you have impacted in the faith and the ones they have impacted. Give thanks for your spiritual heritage.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
