A Christmas Genealogy

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Every year since the birth of our boys, Molly has bought a Christmas ornament for them to hang on the Christmas tree. After our boys got married, she buys for their wives and now for the grandkids. And each ornament she buys reflects something about their lives and interests. She has already given them all their ornaments so they can hang them on the tree this year.
Imagine if our family trees were like Christmas trees, decorated with ornaments that tell our stories. Each ornament represents a unique branch of our lineage. The genealogy of Jesus, filled with unexpected names and surprising twists, is similar. It teaches us that every family has its stories—some funny, some with regrets, but all essential to the beauty of our heritage.
This morning I want us to look at “A Christmas Genealogy” and see where we fit in it.
Text; Mt. 1:1-17
1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:
2 Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.
3 Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram.
4 Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon.
5 Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse,
6 and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.
7 Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa.
8 Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah.
9 Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah.
10 Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah.
11 Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon.
12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel.
13 Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor.
14 Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud.
15 Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob.
16 And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.
Every genealogy has a purpose and that purpose is to connect one to their ancestry/family beginnings. A family’s history could show an affiliation with people of significance.
Today, people love finding proof that their ancestors are famous people, such as George Washington, Wyatt Earp or maybe even John Wayne.
It was even more significant to the Jew to make connection to their family tree. Genealogies in the Jewish culture were essential for one to;
Be able to serve in the Levitical priesthood
One had to prove tribal ancestry and Jewish citizenship to receive their inheritance in the Promised Land
Genealogies were important when it came to Jewish marriages and families
Only Jews could participate in Jewish culture and worship of Yahweh in the tabernacle/temple
A Jew who descended from someone like Moses or Gideon was considered to possess a significant blessing.
Finally, the genealogies of the Jews were important in tracing the line of the Messiah. The Old Testament made it clear that the Messiah would come from the lineage of Abraham and would be the Son of David so records of family history were vital.
Matthew and Luke both include genealogies of Jesus in their Gospels to show Jesus’ connection to Abraham and David. Matthew’s Gospel, written for Jews, traces Jesus’ genealogy to Abraham/David. Luke’s Gospel, written for Gentiles, traces Jesus’ genealogy past Abraham/David all the way back to Adam.
I want us to focus this morning on two people in this genealogy of Jesus and they are found in verse 1;
1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:
1. The Abraham Connection; Gen. 12:1-3
1. The Abraham Connection; Gen. 12:1-3
1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
The genealogy of Jesus connected to Abraham is important because it is the initiation of the Abrahamic Covenant that is the fulfilling of God’s promise made to man in the garden after the fall.
15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”
“Seed” is speaking of the promised Jewish Messiah, Jesus Christ. The term “her Seed” is reference to the “Virgin Birth”.
Look back in Mt. 1 for just a minute. Every verse starts with a male name bringing forth another male. The reason for this is that the seed of man comes from the man. Yet look in [v.16].
16 And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.
Jacob begot Joseph, but God begot Jesus through Mary who is called the Christ.
Christ- the Anointed One, Messiah
So when we look back at the family tree beginning with Abraham we see three main blessings;
• God will form a covenant people. God would make Israel into a “great nation.”
• God will give them a promised inheritance on earth. This inheritance would become known as the promised land.
• God will use them to accomplish a global purpose. Abraham and those who come from him [Jesus], will be a blessing to all the families of the earth.
8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.”
16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.
2. The David Connection; 2 Sam. 7:12-16
2. The David Connection; 2 Sam. 7:12-16
12 “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
14 I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men.
15 But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you.
16 And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.” ’ ”
What began as a promise that David’s son Solomon would be blessed and build the temple turns into something different—the promise of an everlasting kingdom. Another Son of David would rule forever and build a lasting House. This is a reference to the Messiah, Jesus Christ, called the Son of David in Matthew 21:9.
5 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.
31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.
32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.
33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
Both covenants are unconditional. God does not place any conditions of obedience upon its fulfillment. These covenants rests solely on the promise and faithfulness of God!
3. Our Connection; Mt. 1:1-16
3. Our Connection; Mt. 1:1-16
We have seen how the genealogy of Jesus ties Him to the Abrahamic and Davidic Covenants that are the fulfillment of God’s promise back in the Garden of Eden.
But where do you and I fit in in this genealogy?
The best way to see that is to look at some of the people named in Jesus’ genealogy.
[v.1] Abraham was a polygamist patriarch who lied about his wife twice.
[v.1] David was an adulterous murderer
[v.2] Isaac was a miracle-baby born to Abraham and Sarah after their carnal plans in having Ishmael
[v.3] Tamar is the first woman mentioned. According to Genesis 38, Tamar was Judah’s daughter-in-law, and it was sinful incest that led to the birth of the twins mentioned, Perez and Zerah.
[v.5] The second woman mentioned is Rahab, a prostitute who was spared when the people of God came into the promised land (Josh 2).
[v.5] Ruth is the third woman mentioned. She was a Moabite (Ruth 1:4), a people known for their sexual immorality, and who at one time were forbidden to come into the assembly of God’s people.
[v.6] The fourth woman mentioned is —Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah. Bathsheba was brought into David’s kingly line through adultery and murder (2 Sam 11).
[v.7-11] Then, picking up with Solomon, Matthew lists the kings in Israel leading up to the exile. A few of these kings honored the Lord, but most of them were evil, leading the people of God into sin and idolatry. This eventually led to the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile to Babylon (Jer 52).
[v.12-15] Matthew finally traces Jesus’ genealogy from the deportation to Babylon to the birth of Jesus Christ.
[v. 16] And last we see Mary, the mother of Jesus. An unwed, pregnant women who was surrounded by rumors of sexual scandal [Mt. 1:18-25]
And on top of all these shady characters that are mentioned in this genealogy, Matthew, a Jewish tax collector, wrote this genealogy to introduce the Savior of the world!
You or I may not be named here personally, and we may not have committed some of these atrocities/sins, but there is one thing for certain that we have in common with all these folks. We are sinners in need of salvation, just like they were!
Never let our background determine our future in Christ!
Close;
Remember I said at the beginning of this message that people often dig into their background to see if they are related to someone important or people of significance.
I can dig into my background and find I’m related to the most important person in History, Jesus. I was placed in His family genealogy on January 9, 1996. I also have a written record of it, it’s called the Lamb’s Book of Life that my Heavenly Father holds in heaven and will use one day to prove my heritage in Him for all eternity.
Are you a part of the “Christmas Genealogy” in Jesus Christ?
21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”