7 day plan

Lessons from Matthew

Day 1 of 7

NIV

Matthew 1:1

The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah

1This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:

Series Introduction:  The Gospel of Matthew is filled with a wealth of wisdom. In this short series, Rob Buckingham unpacks a few gems to encourage your faith.

Further Reading: Matthew 1:16-17 “…and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah. Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah. ‘

Reflection:  Have you ever wondered why the Holy Spirit inspired Matthew to write a genealogy? They’re not exactly riveting reading.

In Bible days, genealogies took their name from the first person listed – in this case, Abraham. But the genealogy in Matthew 1 is named “the genealogy of Jesus Christ” – the person listed last – and herein lays an amazing truth: God often saves the best for last!

Consider 1 Corinthians 13:13, “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love” – the one that is listed last. When Jesus turned water into wine, he saved the best for last (see John 2:10; Matt 19:30).

One of my not-so-pleasant memories of school was being picked last for sport. But life has an exciting way of reversing things. Maybe you sometimes feel left out, but God can turn things around. He often saves the best for last!

Prayer:  Lord, I am so encouraged by your Word today. I relax in your presence and trust you with my life, fully believing you can turn everything around.

Days

Matthew 1:1-25

The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah

1This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:

2Abraham was the father of Isaac,

Isaac the father of Jacob,

Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

3Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,

Perez the father of Hezron,

Hezron the father of Ram,

4Ram the father of Amminadab,

Amminadab the father of Nahshon,

Nahshon the father of Salmon,

5Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,

Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,

Obed the father of Jesse,

6and Jesse the father of King David.

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,

7Solomon the father of Rehoboam,

Rehoboam the father of Abijah,

Abijah the father of Asa,

8Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,

Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,

Jehoram the father of Uzziah,

9Uzziah the father of Jotham,

Jotham the father of Ahaz,

Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,

10Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,

Manasseh the father of Amon,

Amon the father of Josiah,

11and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.

12After the exile to Babylon:

Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,

Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

13Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,

Abihud the father of Eliakim,

Eliakim the father of Azor,

14Azor the father of Zadok,

Zadok the father of Akim,

Akim the father of Elihud,

15Elihud the father of Eleazar,

Eleazar the father of Matthan,

Matthan the father of Jacob,

16and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.

17Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.

Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son

18This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

24When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.