Matthew
1:1-16.18-23.
The Book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham became the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar. Perez became the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab. Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab. Boaz became the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth. Obed became the father of Jesse, Jesse the father of David the king. David became the father of Solomon, whose mother Bathsheba had been the wife of Uriah. Solomon became the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asaph. Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah. Uzziah became the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amos, Amos the father of Josiah. Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the Babylonian exile. After the Babylonian exile, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel the father of Abiud. Abiud became the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor the father of Zadok. Zadok became the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, Eliud the father of Eleazar. Eleazar became the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Messiah. Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means "God is with us."
Food for thought
As we celebrate today the birth of Mary, the mother of Jesus, we cannot fail to notice the role of women in the life of Jesus and in ours. Today's gospel is about the women and the woman that brought us the saviour. The gospel reading about the pedigree of Jesus contains women, besides men. Jesus came from both men and women.
The Book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham became the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar. Perez became the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab. Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab. Boaz became the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth. Obed became the father of Jesse, Jesse the father of David the king. David became the father of Solomon, whose mother Bathsheba had been the wife of Uriah. Solomon became the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asaph. Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah. Uzziah became the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amos, Amos the father of Josiah. Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the Babylonian exile. After the Babylonian exile, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel the father of Abiud. Abiud became the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor the father of Zadok. Zadok became the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, Eliud the father of Eleazar. Eleazar became the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Messiah. Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means "God is with us."
Food for thought
As we celebrate today the birth of Mary, the mother of Jesus, we cannot fail to notice the role of women in the life of Jesus and in ours. Today's gospel is about the women and the woman that brought us the saviour. The gospel reading about the pedigree of Jesus contains women, besides men. Jesus came from both men and women.
And
when we look at who these women were, and look at what they did, the matter
becomes even more amazing. Rachab, or as the Old Testament calls her, Rahab,
was a harlot of Jericho (Josh.2:1-7). Ruth was not even a Jewess; she was a
Moabitess (Ru.1:4), and Moabites were a curse to the Jews. The law itself lay
it down, "No Ammonite or Moabite shall enter the assembly of the Lord;
even to the tenth generation none belonging to them shall enter the assembly of
the Lord for ever" (Deut.23:3)? Ruth belonged to an alien and a hated
people. Tamar was another case: she seduced and slept with her father-in-law,
for refusing to give her his son for husband (Gen.38). Bathsheba, the mother of
Solomon, was the woman whom David seduced from Uriah, her husband,
(2Sam.11-12). And Mary? Well, she was the wife of Joseph.
Be it as it may, there is something very lovely in all of this. Here, with these women, we see the essence of the good news of God in Jesus Christ, for here we see the barriers going down.
(i) The barrier between Jew and Gentile is down. Rahab, the woman of Jericho, and Ruth, the woman of Moab, find their place within the pedigree of Jesus Christ. Already the great truth is there that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek. Here, at the very beginning, there is the universalism of the gospel and of the love of God. We shouldn't label anyone as foreigner. We are all children of God.
(ii) The barriers between male and female are down. In no ordinary pedigree would the name of any woman be found among names of men; but such names are found in Jesus' pedigree. The old contempt is gone; and men and women stand equally dear to God, and equally important to his purposes. We must stop all kind of discrimination towards women.
(iii) The barrier between saint and sinner is down. Somehow God can use for his purposes, and fit into his scheme of things, those who have sinned greatly. "I came" said Jesus, "not to call the righteous, but sinners" (Matt. 9:13). In Jesus' pedigree we find both saints and sinners! Here at the very beginning of the gospel we are given a hint of the all-embracing width of the love of God. God can find his servants amongst those from whom the respectable orthodox would shudder away in horror.
The gospel leaves it clear that in Christ, there's neither Jew nor Greek; there's neither male nor female; in Jesus God can use both the good and not so good. God can use us all, men and women. He used the man Jesus to save us, and he used the woman Mary to get Jesus born. "Of her was born Jesus who is called the Messiah."
Be it as it may, there is something very lovely in all of this. Here, with these women, we see the essence of the good news of God in Jesus Christ, for here we see the barriers going down.
(i) The barrier between Jew and Gentile is down. Rahab, the woman of Jericho, and Ruth, the woman of Moab, find their place within the pedigree of Jesus Christ. Already the great truth is there that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek. Here, at the very beginning, there is the universalism of the gospel and of the love of God. We shouldn't label anyone as foreigner. We are all children of God.
(ii) The barriers between male and female are down. In no ordinary pedigree would the name of any woman be found among names of men; but such names are found in Jesus' pedigree. The old contempt is gone; and men and women stand equally dear to God, and equally important to his purposes. We must stop all kind of discrimination towards women.
(iii) The barrier between saint and sinner is down. Somehow God can use for his purposes, and fit into his scheme of things, those who have sinned greatly. "I came" said Jesus, "not to call the righteous, but sinners" (Matt. 9:13). In Jesus' pedigree we find both saints and sinners! Here at the very beginning of the gospel we are given a hint of the all-embracing width of the love of God. God can find his servants amongst those from whom the respectable orthodox would shudder away in horror.
The gospel leaves it clear that in Christ, there's neither Jew nor Greek; there's neither male nor female; in Jesus God can use both the good and not so good. God can use us all, men and women. He used the man Jesus to save us, and he used the woman Mary to get Jesus born. "Of her was born Jesus who is called the Messiah."
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