Jesus, the culmination of the whole story
Daily Scripture
Matthew 1:1, 16-17
1 A record of the ancestors of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham:
16 Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary—of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Christ. 17 So there were fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen generations from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen generations from the exile to Babylon to the Christ.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
As we end this week’s study of Jesus’ genealogy, Miles Steele sent us some genealogical frescoes Michelangelo painted in the Sistine Chapel. Miles is a non-traditional student currently studying web design and digital media at JCCC after graduating from KU with a BA in Art History. When he has the time Miles can be found coding at his desk or working on a personal project in the JCCC ceramics studio. To see Michelangelo’s art with Miles’ commentary, click here.
Hebrew genealogies were not for mere record-keeping. Like Matthew’s, they often held symbolic messages. “The three-part division of the record of Jesus’ family tree indicates that the establishment of the Davidic dynasty and the Babylonian exile were key events in Israel’s history. Names (e.g., Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah) have been dropped from the genealogy in order to fit into this three-part division of 14 names each.” * Scholar N. T. Wright summed up the message: “As though to emphasize that Jesus isn’t just one member in an ongoing family, but actually the goal of the whole list, he arranges the genealogy into three groups of 14 names–or, perhaps we should say, into six groups of seven names. The number seven was and is one of the most powerful symbolic numbers, and to be born at the beginning of the seventh seven in the sequence is clearly to be the climax of the whole list. This birth, Matthew is saying, is what Israel has been waiting for for two thousand years.” **
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In our hurry-up world, our vision often narrows to the next hour, the next day, the next week. But God works on a much larger time scale. Matthew’s genealogy pointed to God’s time scale, not ours. As Pastor John Killinger wrote, “We can be sure there was nothing trite or dull about this list of names to the Jewish Christians. They knew stories about each person named. History to them was a web, a ladder, a series of interconnecting events, and now it led directly from Abraham to Jesus…. Imagine God at work through all the centuries from Abraham to Jesus. Then imagine him at work from Jesus’ day until ours. This is the story of a new creation, isn’t it?” ***
Prayer
Lord Jesus, the apostle Paul wrote “when the fulfillment of the time came, God sent his Son” (Galatians 4:4). You are the center point of our world’s history. This Advent, I welcome you in my life and rejoice as you define my course as a member of your eternal family. Amen.
GPS Insights
Resurrection Downtown middle school students
Nick Kauffman collected the response of 20 middle school students from Resurrection Downtown for today's Insights, hence the group photo. We're grateful to have the collective voice of Resurrection's future represented in this way.
This genealogy is confusing. The numbers and the part about the generations are cool, but we don’t really know these people. We sort of understand the symbolism of 7 generations. We remember that God created the world in seven days. So, maybe there’s a connection there? We like the part about Jesus being the beginning of the 7th 7. He’s sigma. How can people wait 2,000 years for Jesus to show up? We feel bad for all the people who never got to meet Jesus. Then again, we never got to meet Jesus. Hmm… maybe that’s the point? Maybe Matthew is telling us that we are just like the people who waited for Jesus thousands of years ago. Maybe that’s what Christmas is about… waiting to experience Jesus along with everyone else. We’re all in this together.
Well, here are some things we would like Jesus (and adults) to know about our generation. Jesus makes us feel like we matter. Adults expect us to get straight A’s all the time, but Jesus doesn’t. People don’t get straight A’s all the time and it’s fine. Like, a C+ in gym class is understandable. Also, friendship is magic and Youth Group is our favorite part of the week. We feel like we genuinely belong here. Oh, and the food is free. It’s also fire. It’s always a surprise and always delicious. We have amazing mentors, too. Youth Group is also a time when we get to connect with people we normally don’t get to see during the week. It’s bussin’.
Final thoughts: Christmas is cool. We’re glad many generations of people waited 2,000 years for Jesus. We think we would have waited, too. Jesus is worth the wait.
Thanks for reading this. We want you to know that we love this Church and you matter to us. We hope you can be patient as you wait for whatever you’ve been waiting for God to do in your life. Happy Advent!
© 2024 Resurrection: A United Methodist Church. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* Eugene Eung-Chun Park and Joel B. Green, study note on Matthew 1:17 in The CEB Study Bible. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2013, p. 6 NT.
** Wright, N. T., Matthew for Everyone, Part 1: Chapters 1-15 (The New Testament for Everyone) (p. 3). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.
*** John Killinger, A Sense of His Presence (The Devotional Commentary: Matthew). Waco, TX: Word Books, 1977, p. 4.
