The first chapter of Matthew starts out with a genealogy of Jesus...super exciting! Ok maybe not, but check out verse 17: "Thus there were 14 generations in all from Abraham to David, 14 from David to the exile to Babylon, and 14 from the exile to the Christ." My mind is blown. There is a plan, and it isn't mine, and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it. 14 generations between all of the most significant events in human history! 14 generations between the time Abraham is chosen to be the father of the nation of Israel, from whom the Savior of the World would come, until David, the 'man after God's own heart' and Israel's most famous king. Then 14 more generations and Israel is banished from God's presence for turning their backs on Him, and finally 14 more generations until Jesus finally arrives. I don't know what the significance of 14 generations is, but as I am a little OCD myself, I think this is awesome! If nothing else it shows that God meant to do exactly what He did from the very beginning. He isn't just making this stuff up as He goes along! That is a pretty comforting thought.
Keeping that theme, look at the birth of Jesus. It happens in such a weird way. Who has a baby without having sex? Just Mary. Why is it important? Because it was prophesied that the Messiah would be born of a virgin! There is a plan, and if you are willing to look for it, you can see that Jesus meets all of the expectations of the Messiah. God wasn't playing around with these prophets in the Old Testament. Some people think the Old Testament isn't worth anything. But let me pose this question to you, if we didn't have all of the prophecies about Jesus, how would we know what to look for? How would we know He wasn't just good at magic tricks? In a more practical sense, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for my ancestors either, so the Old Testament and it's figures are fairly important in the life of Jesus. If I still need more proof, Jesus quotes the Old Testament all the time!
I love verses 22-23 of chapter 1, "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel'-which means, 'God with us.'" I don't think I give that enough thought, God with us. God, who doesn't need me for anything, came down here? Really!? It sounds kind of crazy truthfully. The truth of the matter is that He could have just started over. He spoke everything into existence once, He could do it again. It would have probably been even easier than sending Jesus down here! I'm sure Jesus would have been for it! 'You mean I don't have to die a terrible death!? Awesome!' But that isn't what happened. Instead Immanuel, God with us, came to save the world. Heroes never take the easiest road, and Jesus is no exception.
Enjoy the Journey
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