Weekly Devotion no 35
27 November 2020
Bible reading – Matthew 1:1-17[1]
This is the written story of the family line of Jesus the Messiah. He is the son of David. He is also the son of Abraham.
2 Abraham was
the father of Isaac.
Isaac was the
father of Jacob.
Jacob was the
father of Judah and his brothers.
3 Judah was the
father of Perez and Zerah. Tamar was their mother.
Perez was the
father of Hezron.
Hezron was the
father of Ram.
4 Ram was the
father of Amminadab.
Amminadab was
the father of Nahshon.
Nahshon was the
father of Salmon.
5 Salmon was
the father of Boaz. Rahab was Boaz’s mother.
Boaz was the
father of Obed. Ruth was Obed’s mother.
Obed was the
father of Jesse.
6 And Jesse was
the father of King David.
David was the
father of Solomon. Solomon’s mother had been Uriah’s wife.
7 Solomon was
the father of Rehoboam.
Rehoboam was
the father of Abijah.
Abijah was the
father of Asa.
8 Asa was the
father of Jehoshaphat.
Jehoshaphat was
the father of Jehoram.
Jehoram was the
father of Uzziah.
9 Uzziah was
the father of Jotham.
Jotham was the
father of Ahaz.
Ahaz was the
father of Hezekiah.
10 Hezekiah was
the father of Manasseh.
Manasseh was
the father of Amon.
Amon was the
father of Josiah.
11 And Josiah
was the father of Jeconiah and his brothers. At that time, the Jewish people
were forced to go away to Babylon.
12 After this,
the family line continued.
Jeconiah was
the father of Shealtiel.
Shealtiel was
the father of Zerubbabel.
13 Zerubbabel
was the father of Abihud.
Abihud was the
father of Eliakim.
Eliakim was the
father of Azor.
14 Azor was the
father of Zadok.
Zadok was the
father of Akim.
Akim was the
father of Elihud.
15 Elihud was
the father of Eleazar.
Eleazar was the
father of Matthan.
Matthan was the
father of Jacob.
16 Jacob was
the father of Joseph. Joseph was the husband of Mary. And Mary was the mother
of Jesus, who is called the Messiah.
17 So there
were 14 generations from Abraham to David. There were 14 from David until the
Jewish people were forced to go away to Babylon. And there were 14 from that
time to the Messiah.
Reflection
Advent is a time where we reflect on Jesus’ coming as a baby over two thousand years ago, and where we wait, long, yearn, and pray for the great day when he will return. Through this time of Advent, we will read from Matthew’s gospel about the first coming of Jesus.
In today’s reading, we have a long list of names. In Jesus’ day, lineage was important – your identity and pedigree came from the purity of your lineage. Jesus’ lineage tells us that he was a descendant of Abraham and of David. This is significant. God had made a covenant with Abraham that his people would be blessed and through them the nations would know that he was God.[1] God also made a covenant with David that his kingdom would endure for ever.[2] And in many prophecies in the old testament, we know that the Jews were awaiting a Messiah who would fulfil these promises from God. These covenants and prophecies would ultimately be fulfilled in Jesus.
So, Jesus’ lineage shows us that his coming was a part of God’s plan established so many generations before.
But this list of names also shows us that God was also breaking up the cultural norms and barriers that exist between people in the world. This was a Jewish patriarchal society. And yet the purest pedigree of all includes both Jews and Gentiles; it includes men and women; and shows that God uses even the worst of sinners in the formation of the good news of Jesus.
Therefore, whilst
this seems like just a list of names, it shows us the depth and breadth of God’s
love and mercy, and gives us hope for what Jesus brings to this world – he is
the culmination of God’s plan to redeem his creation. And we are in the privileged
position of being able to look back through these generations and see God at
work in the fulfilment of his redemption plan. This Advent, and in uncertain
times, may we be reassured that God is faithful and fulfils his promises. He
brought Jesus into this broken world and he will bring Jesus back in his right
time to show the world that he reigns on his holy throne for ever. May we rest
secure in the shadow of his throne.
Hymn
Verse 1
O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
our shelter from the stormy blast,
and our eternal home:
Verse 2
Under the shadow of thy throne
thy saints have dwelt secure;
sufficient is thine arm alone,
and our defence is sure.
Verse 3
Before the hills in order
stood,
or earth received her frame,
from everlasting thou art God,
to endless years the same.
Verse 4
A thousand ages in thy sight
are like an evening gone;
short as the watch that ends the night
before the rising sun.
Verse 5
Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
bears all its sons away;
they fly forgotten, as a dream
dies at the opening day.
Verse 6
O God, our help in ages
past,
our hope for years to come:
Be thou our guard while troubles last,
and our eternal home.
Prayer
Eternal God,
through long
generations you prepared a way
for the coming of
your Son,
and by your Spirit
you still bring light to illumine our paths:
renew us in faith and
hope
that we may welcome
Christ to rule our thoughts
and claim our love;
to whom be glory for
ever. Amen.
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