Matthew 1:1-17.  The Gospel of Matthew is a great adventure story by which readers are confronted with the reality that they have been visited by an extra-terrestrial: heaven’s king, Jesus Christ.  Matthew first encountered the king when he was called to be his student, his disciple.  When the Holy Spirit tasked Matthew to write this great adventure story, he prompted him to begin with Jesus’ family line.  Some of the people mentioned in the genealogy suggest reasons for this:

1. The list begins with Abraham.  His name reminds the reader that God has given us a long history of promises he intends to fulfill by his grace.
2. Central to the list is David.  God made a covenant with David and assured him that his dynasty would be an eternal one.  How was God going to accomplish that when the king reigning in Jerusalem in Mary and Joseph’s time was an Edomite puppet to a pagan Roman emperor?  Stay tuned.  The story will show how God will do the impossible.
3. This genealogy is the record of a nation as well as a family.  The Old Testament history that records the birth, progress, triumphs, and tragedies of that nation is seen in the names listed.  Heaven’s king will decide the destiny of that nation. He is their destiny.

LORD, thank you for coming into time and history.  You are heaven’s king, but you are also earth’s Savior.  You are one of us, and know our problems, but you are also God’s solution. Praise your name!