January 1, 2016

INCESTUOUS PROSTITUTION, MURDEROUS ADULTERY, AND JESUS. ALSO KNOWN AS HOPE.

Matthew 1:1–17

Jonathan Pokluda
Friday's Devo

January 1, 2016

Friday's Devo

January 1, 2016

Central Truth

Jesus gives us hope. Everything about His life points us to a future hope. Even when we look backward at the people who came before Jesus, we are pointed forward to hope because The Most Perfect Human came from really messed up people. 

Key Verse | Matthew 1:16

[A]nd Jacob [was] the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. (Matthew 1:16)

Matthew 1:1–17

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 1 1:3 Greek Aram; also verse 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king.

And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, 2 1:7 Asaph is probably an alternate spelling of Asa; some manuscripts Asa; also verse 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, 3 1:10 Amos is probably an alternate spelling of Amon; some manuscripts Amon; twice in this verse and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, 4 1:12 Greek Salathiel; twice in this verse and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

Footnotes

[1] 1:3 Greek Aram; also verse 4
[2] 1:7 Asaph is probably an alternate spelling of Asa; some manuscripts Asa; also verse 8
[3] 1:10 Amos is probably an alternate spelling of Amon; some manuscripts Amon; twice in this verse
[4] 1:12 Greek Salathiel; twice in this verse

Dive Deeper | Matthew 1:1–17

Have you ever needed hope? Matthew, the author of this Gospel, did. He was a tax collector. People viewed him as a thief and a traitor. He took their money and gave it to an oppressive government that killed their friends and family. People hated Matthew. Jesus, however, gave him hope with two powerful words: "Follow me." When Jesus was criticized for hanging out with Matt and his buddies, His response defined His mission: "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:32) Jesus came from sinners, for sinners, to save sinners. This is the hope we have. 

In this passage you have a list of people who represent stories and  who lead to the single most polarizing Person ever to live. They all were in need of, and point to, hope.

In verse 3 you read Tamar. She was a widow without hope and resorted to taking matters into her own hands. She dressed up like a hooker and tricked her father-in-law into sleeping with her because she wanted a baby (Genesis 38). Bored yet? Jesus is coming. 

In verse 5 you read Rahab. She didn't just dress up like a prostitute on one devious occasion; that was her everyday profession! Without hope, she was left to sell her body for profit, until given the opportunity to hide Joshua's spies from the king of Jericho (Joshua 2). *Yawn* Jesus is coming. 

In verse 6 you read David. Why does it say the mother of his son, Solomon, was another man's wife? You remember this story. King David is walking on the rooftops while his men fight in his battle. He sees the wife of one of his best soldiers when she has no hope of seeing her husband soon. He takes her for himself and has her husband killed (2 Samuel 11). Boring? Jesus is coming.

Everyone before Jesus needed hope like you do, and He came from them, for them, to give them that very hope. He died for the most heinous acts of man, including your sins and mine. Jesus is coming back and invites us into His Kingdom. Live this year with that hope!

Discussion Questions

1. What are names that you recognize in Jesus' genealogy? Can you recall their stories? 

2. What are names you don't recognize?

3. How was Jesus' family more dysfunctional than yours? Do you find hope in that?

4. What will you do this year to prioritize pursuing a deeper relationship with Jesus?