Living on Hope: Day 5 Reflection
Matthew 1:1-17
The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah
1 This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,
Perez the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
4 Ram the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse,
6 and Jesse the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,
7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asa,
8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,
Jehoram the father of Uzziah,
9 Uzziah the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amon,
Amon the father of Josiah,
11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah
and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.
12 After the exile to Babylon:
Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,
Abihud the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
14 Azor the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Akim,
Akim the father of Elihud,
15 Elihud the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.
17 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.
Reflect.
How many generations of ancestors can you trace back in your family?
Response
What are your feelings about being able to trace your ancestry or not being able to trace it? Do you consider ancestry important? Why or Why not? What positive traits in yourself can you link to your heritage? Who are you like in your family? Whom do you want to be like?
Response
Shifting your thoughts from your biological family to your “faith family,” Who has taught you about God? Who taught that person or those people? Name the denominational traditions from Which your faith has grown.
Response
What difference, if any, does it make to you that Jesus’ lineage is traced in the
Bible? Why do you think this passage is included in the Gospel of Matthew?
Response
Rest.
Picture in your mind two or three people who have nurtured you, who have taken care of you. Give thanks for their lives and bless them.
Pray a breath prayer.
For the next twenty-four hours, make your breath prayer an expression of gratitude for life. Use this prayer or one of your own making: “Creator God, thank you for life.”
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