The Christmas Ancestry

 By: Joanne Viola

 

The commercials have begun reminding us of various gifts we can give for Christmas. It is curious how one such gift is can help one discover their ancestry.

What is it about this time of year that causes us all to want to know our ancestry, where we came from, and the history of our families?

Opening up to read in the Gospel of Matthew, we find that, he too, was interested in ancestry:

“This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, 
a descendant of David and of Abraham.” 
(Matthew 1:1, NLT)

Matthew did not take us back to the beginning of mankind. He did not start with Adam and Eve. And this is the only Gospel account which does include the ancestry of Christ.

Ancestry was obviously important as the Old Testament is filled with genealogies and yet, in the most important of all genealogies, Matthew does something entirely different. Why?

“Matthew did not write to tell us about himself. He wrote to give us a picture of Jesus Christ, the long-awaited Messiah.

 (from The Wiersbe Study Bible, page 1389)

Matthew was writing to establish that Jesus is not only the long awaited Messiah, He is the One who fulfills all of the Old Testament prophecies.

This is a royal ancestry.
And more.
This is an ancestry proving the faithfulness of our God to His Word.

The very names – David and Abraham – are meant to bring us back to two covenants God made with His people.

• God’s Covenant with Abraham. God called Abraham to leave his country, relatives and family, and go to a land which God would show him. He told Abraham that all people would be blessed through him. You can read of this covenant in Genesis 12 and 15.
• God’s Covenant with David. God formed this covenant with King David in which He promised to provide the line of kings promised to Abraham, which would lead to the King of Kings. You can read of this covenant in2 Samuel 7:8-13.

Matthew was making certain all people for all of time would know that God is faithful to His Word. He will do exactly as He said.

“I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, 
not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.” 
(Matthew 5:18, NLT)

 

Reflection: 
Do you ever wonder about the past generations in your family? Are you the first in your family to honor Christ this Christmas or will you be carrying on a family tradition? May you find a renewed joy in being a part of this spiritual ancestry.

 

Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash