Day 209: Matthew 1-2
I think it's interesting that the New Testament begins with the genealogy of Jesus. The book of Matthew gives us an account of Jesus' ancestry, going all the way back to Abraham. Many of the names are familiar to us because we've just read about them in the OT. Five women are mentioned--Tamar, Rahab, Bathsheba (or the "wife of Uriah") and Mary. These women have their own unique stories. Francine Rivers has even written fascinating reads over the lives of each of these women, which I recommend reading.
This genealogy serves an interesting purpose, I think--to connect the Old to the New. This strategy on the part of the compilers of the Bible--and on Matthew whose book it is that does this--reminds us that this story that's about to unfold of Jesus and the church connects to all those other stories before it. It doesn't come from nowhere but is inherently connected to all that's come before it. To the stories of the Israelites. To the lives of the non-Jews. To the stories of all people on earth. Here we have the greatest story ever told about to unfold. And Matthew connects this story to the Israelite history. What this does for us is show us that the story of Jesus has a context. It didn't just appear out of nowhere but rather was prophesied about beforehand. Jesus's ancestors are God's people, and God sends Jesus to save the world. Welcome to the world, Jesus. What an entry you had.
0 comments:
Post a Comment