Matthew 1 — The Genealogy and the Birth of Jesus

Before I tell you anything about myself... let me tell you where I came from.

Matthew begins my story the way my people began every story that mattered — with a list of names. A record of generations. The book of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac, the father of Jacob. Jacob, the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah, and their mother was Tamar.

Perez was the father of Hezron. Hezron of Ram. Ram of Amminadab. Amminadab of Nahshon. And Nahshon of Salmon. Salmon was the father of Boaz, and Boaz's mother was Rahab. Boaz was the father of Obed, and Obed's mother was Ruth — a woman of Moab, a foreigner who chose my people as her own. Obed was the father of Jesse. And Jesse was the father of David the king.

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been the wife of Uriah.

And then the kings. Solomon, Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa. Jehoshaphat, Joram, Uzziah. Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah. Manasseh, Amon, Josiah. And Josiah was the father of Jechoniah and his brothers — at the time my people were carried away to Babylon.

After that deportation... Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel. Shealtiel of Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel of Abiud. Abiud of Eliakim. Eliakim of Azor. Azor of Zadok. Zadok of Achim. Achim of Eliud. Eliud of Eleazar. Eleazar of Matthan. Matthan of Jacob. And Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary — and of Mary was born Jesus, who is called the Christ.

So there were fourteen generations from Abraham to David. Fourteen from David to the exile in Babylon. And fourteen from the exile to the Messiah. Count them, and you will see what I want you to see. Not one of those long, quiet years was wasted.

Now this is how my birth came about.

My mother, Mary, was promised in marriage to Joseph. But before they came together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.

Joseph was a righteous man. He did not want to expose her to public shame — so he decided to divorce her quietly. He lay down that night with that decision resting on his heart.

But while he was thinking on these things, 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. What is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus — for he will save his people from their sins.

All of this happened to fulfill what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel — which means, God with us.

When Joseph woke... he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him. He took Mary home as his wife. But he did not know her until she had given birth to a son. And he gave me the name Jesus.

A carpenter's voice, in a small house in Nazareth, speaking over a newborn the name that means: the Lord saves.

That is where my story begins. Not in a palace. Not in a temple. In a long line of ordinary, faithful, broken people — who were loved, and remembered, and kept. And you are not outside that line. Rest now. God is with you.