Monday 13 December 2021

Psalm 72

Background

Matthew's Gospel is thought to have been written for a predominantly Jewish audience. Like a dramatic symphony, it opens on a bold, triumphant note to introduce the dominant theme and capture the audience’s attention. Jesus is the Messiah, the anointed one of God. This is what the whole Gospel is about.

Matthew outlines the Jewish historical context of the genesis (genealogy) of Jesus the Messiah. He is a son of David. (The promise to King David was that his kingdom would have no end.)  Jesus is firmly in this line of kings. Jesus is also a son of Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation.

The genealogy focuses attention on the House of David and is divided into three phases (v. 17): the first 14 generations lead from Abraham to the birth of King David. The second 14, from King David to the Exile. The last 14 lead to the coming of the Messiah and the coming near of the Kingdom of God.

In the list of Jesus’ ancestors, it is striking to see that they include Tamar (the adulteress), Rahab (the prostitute), Ruth (the non-Jewish Moabite) and Solomon (who was conceived after King David’s adulterous affair with Bathsheba).  The good news is that God uses ordinary human beings, clay feet and all, and their lives and responses are woven into God’s universal salvation plan.

Spend a moment thinking about how you come out of a particular historical context. What do you know of your grandparents, and their parents? How did they earn a living, what were their beliefs and values, education, and life experience? Were they pioneers, rebels or good upright citizens, and did they suffer tragedy? All these people will have shaped and prepared for the advent of you, and your unique presence in God’s world. You are also living in the generations after the advent of Jesus the Messiah, shaped by who he was and  you are invited to respond to the truth of his presence in the world.

To Ponder:

• Jesus’ family had some skeletons in their cupboard, for example in the story of how Solomon was conceived. How has God worked with some of the challenges your family has faced?
• Which of your family ancestors has influenced your faith and how you see yourself?
• In what ways does it change how you see yourself, that Jesus is in your human family tree?