Friday, December 4, 2009

Matthew 1 (part 3)

The Genealogy of Jesus

1 A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ 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 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 Abiud,
Abiud the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
14 Azor the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Akim,
Akim the father of Eliud,
15 Eliud 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, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
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 Christ.

The Birth of Jesus Christ

18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us."

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Side Notes:

vs 20-23 The angel declared to Joesph that Mary's child was conceived by the Holy Spirit and would be a son. This reveals an important truth about Jesus - he is both God and human. The infinite, unlimited God took on the limitations of humanity so he could live and die for the salvation of all who would believe in him.

vs. 21 Jesus means "the Lord saves." Jesus came to earth to save us because we can't save ourselves from sin and its consequences. No matter how good we are, we can't eliminate the sinful nature present in all of us. Only Jesus can do that. Jesus didn't come to help people save themselves; he came to be their Savior from the power and penalty of sin. Thank Christ for his death on the cross for your sin, and then ask him to take control of your life. Your new life begins at that moment.

vs. 23 Jesus was to be called Immanuel ("God with us"), as predicted by Isaiah the prophet (Isaiah 7:14). Jesus was God in the flesh; thus God was literally among us, "with us." Through the Holy Spirit; Christ is present today in the life of every believer. Perhaps not even Isaiah understood how far-reaching the meaning of "Immanuel" would be.

vs. 24 Joseph changed his plans quickly after learning that Mary had not been unfaithful to him (1:19). He obeyed God and proceeded with the marriage plans. Although others may have disapproved of his decision, Joseph went ahead with what he knew was right. Sometimes we avoid doing what is right because of what others might think. Like Joseph, we must choose to obey God rather than seek the approval of others.

2 comments:

Anna said...

I've always believed in God. I haven't always had the faith that I have now. I haven't always thought Jesus was always with me... I haven't always been thankful He sent His only son to die for my sins. It does really feel like two different lives to me... like the side note says, that my new life started when I finally got all of what He did for me. Since then I can't imagine going through life not knowing that through the Holy Spirit Jesus Christ is with me always.

Joseph's example of not doing what others around him would have done/would have had him do is a great example for many. I think it's definitely a great example for teenagers/young adults. Back in my teen/young adult days there was so much I did because my friends were doing it, or because my friends expected it. I know I certainly would've been much better off not "following the pack." Even better off if I had considered what God would've wanted vs what those friends wanted.

Ali, I posted a quick update on my blog but will share here too... As of right now no changes to indicate labor would be in the immediate future... We have an induction date schedule in case we need it... 6 am December 23rd. Hoping we don't have to wait that long. I would love to be home with the baby before Christmas, settled in and able to attend Christmas Eve services... Christmas Eve service is one of my favorites... it just won't feel like Christmas without it! But I guess if God allows me to go that long then that's what He wants... So we'll see!

Feldman Family said...

Anna, I loved reading your thoughts...they were so right on! I love how the birth story of Jesus all relates to the Easter story as well. He came to this earth as a baby to then die for our sins as a man. God is so good to us to realize that we needed a way to be with Him...and He sent His Son for that very reason...to be the bridge that brings us together. We would not be able to live in eternity with Him otherwise. I am so glad that you have found your faith in God and I'm so glad that we are family! :) Thanks also for the update! :)