(Sponsored by Zach’s House, a non-denominational faith community in Irving, Euless and Bedford, TX)
Matthew 1:1-17
The Genealogy of Jesus
1A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham:
2Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
3Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,
Perez the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
4Ram the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
5Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse,
6and Jesse the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,
7Solomon the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asa,
8Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,
Jehoram the father of Uzziah,
9Uzziah the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
10Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amon,
Amon the father of Josiah,
11and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.
12After the exile to Babylon:
Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
13Zerubbabel the father of Abiud,
Abiud the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
14Azor the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Akim,
Akim the father of Eliud,
15Eliud the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
16and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
17Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.
Questions for Discussion
We’ll begin with two easy questions for everyone: Have you ever researched your family history? Are there any stories in your family that have been kept secret?
1. Do you recognize any names from this list? If so, how many?
2. Does this list say anything about God?
3. Does this list say anything about Jesus’ family?
You can comment below but you can also send me an email at zachshouse at gmail dot com and give me your answers or questions there.
Thanks,
Brian
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I have not researched my family but I would like to do something like that. I know that my family has secrets that may never leave my lips but doesn’t any family have something to hide?
Some of the names are familiar.
I think God was searching for the right “mix” with all of the generations. Jesus’ family had a diverse family, some were kings while others not so much.
Thanks,
Javier Hernandez
Hey Javier,
Thanks. Jesus’ family sure was diverse. Just like all of us. Hey, there’s a similarity that everyone has with Jesus. The nature of our families.
Anyone else with some comments? We look forward to reading them.
Yes,
Recognized about 10 names.
God works in mysterious ways.
We are all connected in come way.
I recognized 16 names – but it made me wonder why I hadn’t heard of all of them. I want to research if there’s something written about each of those people in the Old Testement….to be in the lineage of Christ, I would think they all played an important role (good or bad) and would have something about them in the Bible, other than the line of Christ listed here in Matthew.
Thanks y’all,
I can’t wait to get some more responses, but I’ve got good ones here already. Betty, Jolana and Calvin, thanks for your comments. We’ll probably be studying Matthew 1 over at Calvin’s in the near future over pizza or home made enchiladas. Mmmm Mmmm. Hope to see you there. We probably have room for two or three more people.
Calvin, you’re so right about us being a part of a bigger picture. That means all of us, not just those who go to church or live wonderful lives. Even us messed up people matter, right?
I know a little about my family history, but I’ve never been too big into genealogy. I certainly can’t go back 42 generations. If my family has any secrets, those secrets are probably kept from me…
I recognize several names on the list, but I suppose the most interesting name on the list to me is always Rahab. Despite being a prostitute and a gentile (if we assume that this is the same Rahab mentioned in Joshua), there was still ultimately a place for her in God’s plan.
In the bigger picture, I think the list shows that God has always had a plan. The Jews weren’t just a random group of people. God had them in mind as the people that would be used to bring his own divinity into the world. Whether the people in the list were kings, prophets, or much less, God was able to use all of them.
Hey Brandon,
Thanks for those thoughts. I’ll let you know my family secret the next time we talk. As for Rahab, I think she is the key.
I’ve heard people say that they are too bad of a person to be loved by God or used by Him. I think this genealogy debunks that myth. No one is beyond being used by God. It’s just up to us to let them know.
Hey, it’s Mary Ann’s birthday Wednesday night. We hope to see you there. I think you’ll get a kick out of a couple guys that are supposed to be there. It’s speghetti night. Also, I want to plan our first meeting at Calvin’s house and our homemade enchilada dinner we’ll have.
Talk to y’all later. Email me and let me know how your weekend went.