Sacred Scripture
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham became the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar. Perez became the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab. Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab. Boaz became the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth. Obed became the father of Jesse, Jesse the father of David the king. David became the father of Solomon, whose mother had been the wife of Uriah. Solomon became the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asaph. Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah. Uzziah became the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amos, Amos the father of Josiah. Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the Babylonian exile. After the Babylonian exile, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel the father of Abiud. Abiud became the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor the father of Zadok. Zadok became the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, Eliud the father of Eleazar. Eleazar became the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ. Thus the total number of generations from Abraham to David is fourteen generations; from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations; from the Babylonian exile to the Christ, fourteen generations.( Matthew 1:1-17)
Reflection
Today’s scripture guarantees that anyone who is proclaiming it has to do their homework on pronunciation!
But, of course, it is far more than a twist of the tongue. Matthew used it to show that Jesus was a descendant first of Abraham and then David. By doing so, it established the ethnicity of Jesus and showed that he was an appropriate candidate to be the Messiah as a descendent of King David.
That’s all well and good but what does that have to do with you or me?
Well, lets first review what this scripture shows rather than just a genealogy. You see, it’s the salvation story which has three main stages. But Jesus didn’t merely enter into history, but changed it, making it “salvation history.”
The progression from the wandering Abraham to established King David shows the dignity to which God calls us all, to his kingdom, to greatness.
God has made us for this greatness. Each of us is chosen by God to be part of his salvation of humanity. Of course, he did that through his death on the cross. But each of us, in our own way, plays a part in that universal salvation. I know that many of you have heard that before, think about it and then go on with your lives. But it’s your life that is important to him and the way you live your life is the part that leads to the salvation of another. When we open our lives to another through a random act of kindness, we are sharing the kindness and compassion of Christ. We are bringing alive the love of Christ and we are participating in bringing his light to another
The middle 14 generations show how we squandered that greatness, ending up in slavery in the Babylonian exile.
We certainly hope that no one ever winds up in slavery. But many Christians did and many died for their faith. Yet, today while many have the same love of Christ, we tend to hide our Christianity under a basket. When asked, we proudly say that we are followers of Christ but its not in our every day language. In truth, that’s squandering the greatness of God. He blesses us each day. He protects us each day. He comforts us each day. He is involved in every aspect of our lives. He is always there for us. Share His presence within you. Help share His greatness in your life. Renew in others His love for them. Confirm in others His presence.
The last 14 generations show us that God didn’t leave us there, but entered not just to bring us back to the beginning but to bring us forward to an even greater state, because now we know that how much God really does love us mercifully.
This Christmas when we are in front of a nativity set, let its meaning flood your life. He was born for you. He redeemed you with His life. Ultimately, He died for you. You. Is there any greater love?
Love was and is the benchmark of His life. He came from His family on earth to bring us to His family in heaven. By doing so, we become part of the genealogy of Jesus Christ.
Prayer of The Day
“Lord Jesus Christ, you are the Messiah and Savior of the world, the hope of Israel and the hope of the nations. Be the ruler of my heart and the king of my home. May there be nothing in my life that is not under your wise rule and care.”
Daily Note
The true path of wisdom onto which we beg God to lead us culminates in our letting Jesus, salvation history incarnate, to begin to write our own history. True sanctity is letting the Lord write our history, cooperating with his plans to save us and through us to help him save the world.
