1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king.
And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
17 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.
If you are like me you probably skimmed that list of names. If you are like me, you also probably had a hard time pronouncing many of them. The most important thing about the names is that they represent real people. People who were in the family line Jesus. You would think that these men and women would be people who were righteous and followed after God with a whole heart. A few did, but most of them were just regular people who messed up and blew it more times than they got it right. Some were liars, murderers, thieves, sexually impure, others were arrogant and some even turned away from God. Yet GOD!!! In His love, He sent Jesus, born from a virgin human mother but Fathered by the Spirit of God. Jesus brought forgiveness and hope to a sin sick world. Only by offering a perfect Sacrifice could sin be paid for once for all. Jesus was that perfect sacrifice and we receive the gift of life eternal.
One more thought about names, Jesus knows our names too. He loves us and even now makes requests of His Father on our behalf. The world may never remember your name, but He always will. Rejoice today that He knows your name and loves you no matter what your past looks like!
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4 thoughts on “December 9, 2015, Matthew 1:1-17”
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I love that you are doing this for Advent and I look forward to reading your posts each day. Thank you! Here are a few of the recipes that my family loves, especially at this time of the year:
EASY CRESCENT EGG DISH
1 8-ounce pkg. crescent dinner rolls
1/2 c. milk
2 c. (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
12 eggs or Egg Beaters equal to 12 eggs
salt & pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 pan. Press crescent rolls to cover the bottom of the pan. In a large bowl, mix milk, cheese, eggs, sale and pepper. Pour over crescent rolls. Bake for 30 minutes or until center is set. Let sit 15 minutes before serving. Serves 8-10
(This is the easiest dish ever! You can “doctor” it up with sausage, ham, green peppers, onions, etc. and it is always delish!)
OVERNIGHT FRENCH TOAST
2 Tbs. corn syrup
1/2 c. butter
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 (1 pound) loaf French bread, sliced
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
Combine the corn syrup, butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan and simmer until the sugar has melted. Pout this mixture over the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 casserole dish.
Place the bread slices over the sugar-butter mixture. In a bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, vanilla and salt. Pout this mixture over the bread. Cover the dish and let it stand in the refrigerator overnight.
The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Uncover the pan and bake for 45 minutes. Serve while hot or warm or the French toast will harden in the pan. It can be reheated. (This dish is always a request when my scrapbooking group goes on our weekend retreats.)
Love these. Thank you Gayle!
I’m so glad God uses all kinds of folks to accomplish His purpose. He also used women from different backgrounds to accomplish something great.
It’s unusual for women to be named in genealogies. Matthew names 5:
1. Tamar, was a Canaanite woman who poised as a prostitute to seduce Judah.
2. Rahab was a Gentile and a prostitute.
3. Ruth was a Moabite woman and a worshiper of idols.
4. Bathsheba (Uriah’s wife) committed adultery with David.
5. And Mary bore the stigma of pregnancy oustide of wedlock.
Each of these women is an object lesson about the workings of divine grace!
And I’m so glad he can even use little ol’ me in whatever way He chooses!
Thank you Priscilla. You are so right. Grateful our wonderful Father uses all types and all backgrounds. He can make something special out of what we see as ordinary!