Tuesday 17th of December
The ancestry of Jesus Christ, the son of David.
Matthew 1:1-17
Why does St Matthew start his gospel with the ancestry of Jesus? St Matthew was writing to the Jews, whereas St Luke was writing to the Gentiles. Matthew emphasised that Jesus was the Messiah, the fulfilment of God’s promises to His chosen people. Jesus was the descendant of Abraham, the father of all the Jews and of David, the great King of their people.
We can reflect on what it means that God planned that there were 3 lots of 14 generations from Abraham to David, to the exile of the Jews from the promised land and then to Jesus. God promised salvation to His people and planned for thousands of years how to save them. How did we hear the Good News? Did we hear about Jesus from our family or friends? The person who shared their faith heard the Gospel from another person. Our story of salvation can be traced through generations back to Jesus and then back to David and Abraham. Thank you Father for planning our salvation since You chose and saved Abraham and for sending us Your only Son.