After many weeks of Old Testament study, the Disciple Bible Study group that I facilitate is reading the Book of Matthew. (Yeah, we finally made it!) With this background, the genealogy that begins this account of Jesus the Messiah has taken on new meaning for us. Jesus pedigree connects the Old and New Testament in exciting ways. It stresses Jesus’ relationship to Abraham, the father of the Jews, and to David, the greatest king of the Jews, instead of to Adam, the first man. We also are discovering women’s names included in this listing and are learning how their stories of faithfulness are important to the continuation of God’s covenant with Israel.
After 28 years in South Carolina this kind of knowledge of family histories should not be a surprise to me. To a native son or daughter, there is never anything trite or dull about retelling the family stories, no matter how many times they have been heard. There is a sense of joy in the discovery of how one is part of the continuing story. To Jewish Christians, this web or series of interconnecting events led directly from Abraham to Jesus and revealed much about God’s plan of redemption. How interesting and exciting to know the story is still unfolding!
Teach us, O God, how to submit our years to you so that they may be woven with grace and beauty into the pattern of eternity. Amen.
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