Thursday, December 3
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Matthew 1:1
Résumés are important for what they include, but also for what they don’t include. Jesus’ résumé is not the most ideal example of sterling heritage that would highlight the importance of Jesus. In fact, the résumé of Jesus is an example of many of the least likely people you would include.
First, we have a number of sons who were not the first-born in their family. Jacob, Judah, and David usurped the normal birth order to become leaders. We have five women listed, even though these genealogies normally included men only. Matthew seemed to include the least important women, while leaving out other important ones. Three or four of those women are foreigners, not Jewish people. There is a murderer (David) who had a son out of adultery, not to mention the situation of Tamar and the many wives of Solomon. This doesn’t even take into account all the wicked kings listed throughout.
What was Matthew thinking? What was God thinking to provide this heritage for Jesus? Consider what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:27-31:
But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
God can choose and use whomever he wants to accomplish what he desires. God often chooses the foolish, weak and despised so that we can’t take the credit. God alone deserves the glory because it is all because of Christ that we are what we are, and we can do what we can do. Boast in the Lord that, in spite of yourself, your background, or your difficulties, God chose you and loves you, Christian!
