Deeper Reflection
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW BEGINS WITH the genealogy of Jesus Christ from the time of Abraham.¹ This is because Matthew was writing with a Jewish audience in mind.² Right from the beginning, Matthew made it clear that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah prophesied about in the Old Testament. God had given Abraham the promise of great blessings,³ the fulfilment of which came through the person of Jesus Christ, who was from the line of Abraham and King David. Jesus the Messiah was the one who would bless all the nations of the earth through his life, death, resurrection and ascension. This royal genealogy included people of different ethnicities, backgrounds and social statuses. Both Jews and Gentiles were included. Further, the women mentioned in verses 3, 5 and 6 were considered scandalous persons in the society, yet God still used them for His glorious redemptive purposes.Some of us may wonder how God could use us after what we have done in the past. Others may feel that our lives are out of control and that God is absent. Today’s passage shows us that God’s hand was at work in and through the generations, orchestrating His plans to bring them to fulfilment at His appointed time. Some parents among us may feel discouraged that our children are going down a different path and worried that they will not turn back to walk with the Lord. Our faithful, covenant-keeping God reminds us today that He is at work in every generation. Let us trust in the Lord, continually serve Him and do not give up!

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¹ Unlike the other Gospel accounts by Mark, Luke and John. ² In Hebrew tradition, they began the story of an individual by listing his genealogy. The Hebrew word toledot means “generations”. We see this word in the genealogies of different individuals in the book of Genesis, for example, Adam (Gen 5:1); and Noah (Gen 6:9). ³ See examples in Genesis 12 and 22.