“An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Matthew 1:1
This verse seems like such a strange way to begin an Advent Devotional, much less life and world transforming good news. We would rather jump right into the action with the adult Jesus like the Gospel of Mark does. Or maybe to hear a story or two about Jesus’ family like we do in the Gospel of Luke. Perhaps we would even look for a more cosmic vision such as, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God,” like we find in the Gospel of John. So, why does Matthew begin with a genealogy?
It may be because the root of the word “genealogy” is the same as “genesis.” It can mean beginning, but New Testament scholar Eugene Boring suggests, “When applied to a person, genesis in this biblical sense can mean ‘account of a person and his or her continuing story.’”
So, Matthew wants to tell us a story. Yes, this Gospel is the story of Jesus the Messiah. It is the story of a particular person from first century Palestine who was the anointed one of God. It is a story that is going to change your life because if you get to know Jesus, your life will never be the same.
And yet, the story does not begin with the birth of Jesus in
Bethlehem just over 2000 years ago. It begins long before that, for this Jesus is the son of David, the son of Abraham; the
descendant of Bathsheba, Ruth, Rahab, and Tamar… This year during Advent and Christmas, I look forward to the ways we will hear and tell, learn and grow, and seek to find room for every story in the generations that led to Jesus.
Prayer: Tell us again the story of Jesus, the Word made flesh. Tell us again the stories of David and Abraham; of Bathsheba, Ruth, Rahab, and Tamar; of the faithful and unfaithful from
generation to generation, that we might find a place for our story in God’s story. Amen
Rev. Matt Rich