Don’t Skip The Genealogies!
Recently, I had the chance to teach on Matthew 1:1-17, an interesting and unique passage in the scriptures. Go ahead and read it…it will take one minute…what did you think? Exciting stuff, right? The entire 17 verses are a list of seemingly random names from the Old Testament. So why in the world would I have spent time on a Sunday teaching about a list of names that could be easily skipped over in the most theological dense books in the New Testament? I will tell you why.
1.) Nothing is an accident.
There are several names on this list. They all point back to stories from the Old Testament. Although these names don’t make up the entirety of the Old Testament lineage of David and Jesus, it does paint a very important picture for us in that God’s plan to bring salvation is not one by mistake. It wasn’t an accident. God, in his sovereignty, used these names for his glory and to bring about the Savior of the world.
2.) God uses broken people.
You might also notice that several of these names stick out because of the tragic lives of those people. On this list you have a prostitute, a woman who tricks her father-in-law to have sex with her, a Moabite, David who sleeps with another man’s wife then kills that man, his son who wastes his life looking for satisfaction from money, wealth and women and countless other scoundrels. Despite all of this sin, God uses these people for his purposes and his glory.
3.) Jesus is King.
The biggest take-away, however, is that Jesus is the ultimate King who we have been waiting on. People in the Old Testament were longing for the new David, and Matthew chapter 1 marks his arrival. He is the king we need, but he came in the least expected way. He came through a virgin in a small town to a humble people. He wasn’t in a palace, and he never had military or governmental force. He was simple, but he was God, and he is Savior and King.
So, what are we to do with this? First, we should see that our lives are lovingly watched over and cared for by a sovereign God who desires relationship with us as he has done since Adam and Eve. It should help us know that all of life’s moments (good and bad) have value, and God can and will use them for his glory. Secondly, it helps us see that God uses the brokenness in our own lives for his own glory and purposes and for our JOY. Only God can take the worst circumstances and the most broken people (that would include us) and make something redemptive and beautiful. Lastly, we can see that Jesus is King, and he is a king that we all need to rule and reign over every aspect of our lives, and that there is perfect satisfaction in calling him LORD.