Scripture Lesson: Matthew 1:1-17 http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=189498268
Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, we did something we had wanted to do for years. We drove to the mountains of North Carolina to find a Christmas tree. This year I had an extra incentive. My dad and I had been planning a trip to Bakersville, N. C. to revisit the area where my grandmother grew up and where my dad lived for much of his childhood. With his death in March, we never got to make that trip. Something I will always regret.
It was beautiful when we finally found our way to McKinney Cove Road. We located a small Christmas tree farm operated by Mary and Charles Wilson. Wilson is one of the names listed several times in the genealogy passed on to us by my grandmother and we were blessed to find multiple connections linking Charles and Mary as part of our family tree. The day was filled with family, lots of wonderful memories and a most reasonably priced, just the right size for our house, freshly cut Frazier fir Christmas tree. I could feel my dad’s presence with us throughout. Not a bad day.
It is interesting that the Gospel According to Matthew begins to share the story of Jesus by remembering Jesus’ family tree. It’s not intended to be a complete genealogy, but it does tie a thread from Jesus to King David and all the way back to Abraham.
Adam Hamilton’s devotional guide: “The Journey-A Season of Reflections,” lists several points that we ought to notice:
“Matthew’s genealogy is a summary of nearly the entire Old Testament, from Genesis 11 to Malachi 4. It captures the stories of the patriarchs, the Israelites’ slavery in Egypt, and the exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land; there is David and Solomon and the divided kingdom, the destruction of Israel and the exile of Judah, and finally the return from exile. Here’s the point: Jesus’ birth is the climax of this entire story of God’s relationship with Israel. Jesus is the end to which the entire biblical story was moving.”
Hamilton also notes that Matthew’s account of Jesus’ genealogy is rather unique in that it includes five interesting women. Who are these women and what do they tell us about Jesus?
Tamar, the mother of Perez, played the role of a prostitute in order to have children after her husband died. Rahab, the mother of Boaz, was also a prostitute as well as a foreigner. Next comes Ruth, who, like Tamar, was a widow and, like Rahab, a foreigner. A familiar name comes next. Bathsheba, probably a foreigner also, was the wife of Uriah the Hittite. She became a widow after King David had her husband killed trying to cover up his affair with her. Finally we have the mention of a young peasant girl, Mary the wife of Joseph, the mother of Jesus.
When I look back over my family tree, I find quite a cast of characters: preachers, teachers, business folk, farmers, the successful, the struggling, folks who have been lifted up and few folks who have been…strategically left off the list. Mostly they were and are just regular people trying to make it in this often challenging world.
Matthew’s listing of Jesus’ family tree, pointing us toward Jesus’ identity and mission, lists foreigners, widows, prostitutes, an adulteress, and a young peasant girl from a no account family. Jesus came to bring hope to the widow, mercy to the sinner, and good news to all of the folks in all of our families, even those who don’t usually make the list.
As together we begin this journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, I invite you to remember your family-the good, the bad, the indifferent. Let’s especially remember those who may have dropped out somewhere for some reason along the way.
Jesus came that we all might know God’s love. Amen.
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