Genealogy of Jesus

Take a few minutes to catch up, tell stories, and laugh together. Trust and friendship take time to build. If you’re launching a new DNA, one person should tell their story — what do we need to know about you? Next week, have another person in your DNA share their story.

This week, we began a new series: "Prepare The Way" through the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew is the first of four accounts documenting the life, teaching, and ministry of Jesus. How do we best learn to follow in the ways of Jesus? By understanding who he truly is, by examining his life in his context.

Matthew starts with a genealogy, a list of names. While we may be tempted to overlook this list, these names tell us a story of God’s faithfulness! As Pastor Sean said, “It was through this list of broken people that God sent his Son to step into the pages of human history.”

Read Matthew 1:1-17 CSB.

So, what do we learn about Jesus through this genealogy?

1. He is the Savior

• Jesus (Hebrew: Yeshua; Greek: Joshua) means “Yahweh saves” or “the Lord is salvation.”
• Matthew 1:21 // "She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
  
  

2. He is the Christ (Messiah)

• Messiah (Greek: Christos) means “Anointed One."
• Throughout the Old Testament, there were promises made of a coming, anointed one - a Messiah, who would deliver God's people.
  
  

3. He is the Son of David

• 2 Sam. 7:12-13 // “‘The Lord declares to you: The Lord himself will make a house for you. When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up after you your descendant, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever."
• God also promised David that there would be an honored son from his family line that would reign on the throne. This is something the prophets spoke of explicitly multiple times (see Isaiah 9:6-7, Isaiah 11:1-3a, 10, Jeremiah 23:5-6). For the people who had been waiting for centuries for these prophecies to be fulfilled, Matthew makes sure they know that Jesus qualifies for the role as a member of the house of David.
  
  

• This is the furthest name back Matthew mentions, and one of the most, if not THE most significant name in the lineage entirely!
• Genesis 12:1-3 // "The Lord said to Abram: Go from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
  
  

Based on this passage, we see a few incredible things. 

• God will form a covenant people.
• God will give them a promised inheritance on earth.
• God will use them to accomplish a global purpose.
• Jesus is the centerpiece of God's plan for humanity.

God's promise is worked out through Abraham's family line, through the nation of Israel, and eventually culminated in God's own son, Jesus Christ!

Questions to Discuss:

1. Do you know much about your own family lineage, about the previous generations who've gone before you? What is something your family is known for?
2. Pastor Sean encouraged us to be curious as we dive deeper into the Word. What are some practical ways you can do that? Are there any names in the passage we read today that you want to learn more about? Why? 
3. Through the genealogy, we see how God’s plan can work even through broken people/families. Are there opportunities you haven't pursued/stepped into because you believe you are “too broken” for them? How would your life look different today if you truly believed that God can use you no matter what you've walked through? 
4. Examine your heart, knowing that Jesus is the centerpiece of God's plan for humanity, is there anything at the centerpiece of your life that is conflicting with this reality? In other words, is there anything you are idolizing above Jesus? If you're comfortable, share these things with your group.

Dear Heavenly Father,
We thank you for these names, the many people who went before us. Please remind our hearts today that you can redeem any story and use us to share the Gospel no matter what we've walked through. May we have curious minds as we study your Word this week!  
In Jesus’ name, AMEN.