Waiting for the Messiah
For Meditation
Having spent three weeks looking at “waiting stories” that Jesus told about his second coming, we now jump back into the beginning of Matthew to imagine what it was like for the ancient people of Israel to wait for the promised Messiah. Whereas Luke begins his story with the birth of Christ, John begins his with a poetic meditation on creation, and Mark begins with Jesus’ ministry, Matthew begins his story, of all things, with a long list of names! To us it seems boring and strange. But to ancient Jewish people who may have been reading or hearing Matthew’s words for the first time, it was a very striking way to start the narrative.
First of all, there was the genealogy itself, which suggests that this baby that is born is not just some random heroic child, but is the fulfillment of a long-held promise.
Second, there are the people who are included in the genealogy. The fact that women and Gentiles are included in this list would have shocked the original hearers, and suggests that this Messiah is someone who has come for all kinds of people, especially those who are often on the outside.
Finally, the genealogy suggests some striking elements about the child himself, and the unusual kind of Messiah he will be.
In preparation for worship this week, read through the genealogy slowly and note any familiar names, asking God what it might suggest about the person of Jesus and the meaning of Christmas.
Matthew 1:1-17
This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,
Perez the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
4 Ram the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse,
6 and Jesse the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,
7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asa,
8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,
Jehoram the father of Uzziah,
9 Uzziah the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amon,
Amon the father of Josiah,
11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah[c] and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.
12 After the exile to Babylon:
Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,
Abihud the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
14 Azor the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Akim,
Akim the father of Elihud,
15 Elihud the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.
17 Thus 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 Messiah.