Happy New Year! One turn of the calendar page and it is a whole new year! While every day is an opportunity for a fresh start or a new beginning, there is something about this particular day that reminds us that time is a gift not to be wasted. It is continually moving forward, and it is not promised to us, so what better way to spend it than in God’s word?
Today’s reading is a bunch of names, and you might have glossed over them. I don’t blame you. What Matthew is doing is giving us Jesus’ credentials in very specific but surprising ways. For the Jewish audience, his pedigree is impeccable. Matthew highlights 14 generations from Abraham to King David, 14 generations from King Solomon to the exile, and 14 generations from the return from exile to Jesus (actually, he only names 13, but we go with it)! These are numbers of perfection and completion. But contained within these perfect numbers are stories of imperfect people whom God called for his purpose.
The story behind verse three of Judah and Tamar is scandalous. In verse five, we have Rahab the prostitute and Ruth the Moabite, one of the people groups that were banned from the assembly of Israelites for 10 generations. Oh, and one more thing: In verse six, we see that God used that whole thing with King David and Bathsheba to continue the line of king in Judah.
Matthew’s transparency about Jesus’ story tells us that from the beginning, Jesus is the embodiment of a fresh start. These stories include lying, manipulating, cheating, murder, and sexual immorality, and God moved through all of it to send us his one and only son. Of course, this doesn’t mean we should just do whatever we want and expect God to redeem it eventually. But it does show that when we fall short and behave in decidedly human ways, none of us is outside the possibility of a fresh start in Jesus.
New Year’s Day Reflection:
- Take a moment to confess your sins to God today, trusting that we receive forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ (1 John 1:9).
- Spend time in prayer today, thanking God for all the fresh starts he has given you. If a specific circumstance comes to mind, thank him for helping you in that specific case.