OCT 28

Matthew 1:16-17
Memorise Matthew 16:16
"...thou art the Christ, he Son of the living God"

A genealogy is a family tree. Names of significant people are recorded in the family tree for purposes of tracing one’s ancestry. The Bible also uses genealogies to record significant events and information involving the people in these genealogies.

For example, we see that in Matthew 1, the lineage of Christ can be traced back all the way to the royal line of Judah, focusing on His Kingship. This genealogy proves that Jesus was indeed the Son of David, the one who would sit upon the throne and rule from Jerusalem. Verse 16 focuses on something of great importance, and that is the birth of Christ through Mary within Joseph’s lineage. This is indeed a most pivotal event in human history as it focuses on the fulfillment of all the OT prophecies concerning the birth of the Messiah, without whom all of mankind would have no hope of salvation.

The Gospels are accounts of events surrounding Christ’s birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension, proving the veracity of OT prophecy and God’s promise right from the very beginning in Genesis 3:15 that a Saviour (seed of a woman) would be sent to defeat Satan and man’s greatest and final enemy which is death. Because Jesus is at the very heart of the Gospels, His genealogy is found there so that there can be no doubt regarding the His identity and the fulfillment of God’s promises regarding Him and His purpose.

In Matthew 16:13 Jesus asked His disciples about His identity, “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” To this, they merely rattled off what other people thought of Him. Jesus was not interested in that. Instead, He asked again, “But whom say ye that I am?” This shows that Jesus considers the correct knowledge of His identity to be critical to His disciples (and to us believers also), and the genealogies in the Gospels serve this purpose so that we truly know who He is personally rather than who other people think He is.

Thought: Do I know Jesus the Son of God personally or do I merely acknowledge His identity as such?
Prayer: O Lord, help me walk more closely with Jesus as He reveals Himself to me through my life's experiences and Your Rod.