Scripture Passage: Matthew 1:1-16

The genealogy of Jesus as shown in Matthew 1 is a passage that many of us skim past, but there are several powerful reminders we see in this passage that have real implications on how we live our lives.

Jesus is a real person in real history.
The story of Jesus is not to be compared with Greek mythology, folklore, or local legends. The Biblical accounts are of real places and real people–able to be verified and confirmed like any other accurate historical account. What does this mean for us? The story of Jesus is not just a cute bedtime story. What we read in the Bible is the real-life love story of a God who is pursuing his creation to bring them back into a restored loving relationship.

God’s timing is perfect.
In the genealogy we see that God chose a specific place in the order of these generations to have Jesus enter the world. Galatians 4:4 says, “When the time came to completion, God sent his Son…” There were many generations longing for a savior. Have you ever asked God, “Where are you?” In the same way that Jesus came in his perfect timing, God works in our lives according to His perfect timing.

Jesus came for freedom.
There are amazing layers of meaning in the genealogy shared in Matthew 1. One of which is the significance of the number of generations documented in the passage. The symmetry and symbolism point to Jesus being the fulfillment of the Jewish tradition known as the year of Jubilee–a special time when slaves are set free and debts are forgiven. Galatians 5:1 says, “For freedom, Christ set us free.” Jesus did not come to condemn us or institute new laws to follow–rather, He came to provide a way for us to find freedom in a relationship with Him.

Think About It & Talk About It:

• How does it impact your life knowing that Jesus was a real person living in a real place in history?
• How has God shown up according to his perfect timing your life?
• What is something you are waiting on God for right now?
• What does it mean for you to know that Jesus came specifically to provide freedom and not judgement on you?