October 19

Matthew 1, Luke 3:23-38

Genealogies of Jesus

Today's passage may not seem like much at first glance. It's just appears to be a list of names of people in Jesus' lineage. But it is so much more than just a list of names. It is the story of God's plan for salvation for all people. It's an incredible story, because these people in Jesus' lineage were far from perfect. They were flawed, sinful people who were willing to be used by God to accomplish great things.


Let's take a look at some of these people:

Abraham - doubted God's promise to make him the father of many nations
Isaac and Jacob - both showed favoritism toward one child over another (or others)
Judah - slept with his son's widow, thinking she was a prostitute, participated in selling his brother Joseph into slavery
Rahab - was a prostitute
King David - committed murder and adultery
King Solomon - married foreign woman and worshiped their false gods
King Manasseh - was wicked and unrighteous
Adam and Eve - were the first to sin against God, causing the fall of all mankind

God had a plan for our salvation before the creation of the world and He carried it out by using flawed and sinful people. What does this mean for us today? It means we don't have to be perfect or know everything or have it all figured out in order to do great things for God. (It's impossible for us to accomplish anything on our own.) All we have to do is have a willing heart and God will do the rest.