Finding Our Roots

Matthew 1:17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.

Quickword: Finding Our Roots

Harvard University Professor Henry Louis Gates host a program on PBS where he traces the roots of guest of this show. As Professor Gates reveals to his guest their family tree often times there are some surprises. As we come closer to celebrating the birth of the Christ, today in our Quickword I thought it appropriate to retrace some of people in the genealogy of Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew.

- King David, a man describe as a man after God’s own heart was also a man who was deeply flawed and sinned that lead to catastrophic consequences that affected his family and the family of others.

- Judah, the older son of Jacob who along with his brothers sold Joseph into slavery

- Rahab who was identified as a prostitute but found favor and was found to be righteous in the sight of God at the conclusion of her narrative

- King Ahaz, known to be the worst King in Judea. King Ahaz had his own son burned to death as a human sacrifice yet he is in the family tree

- King Solomon against the direction of God took foreign wives. Out of love for them, Solomon “did evil in the eyes of the Lord” by worshipping the gods of his wives and building altars and high places for the deities.

- King Joash started his reign well but took bad advice from his officials which led to the children of God turning their back on God.

These are just some of the persons in the 42 generations that preceded the birth of Christ. Many if not all of us have some issues in our family roots, the good news is that as believers in Christ we have been grafted into the family of God. We have been made right by the broken body and shed blood of Jesus Christ. Often times, society will attempt to use our family background to discredit us but God looks beyond all of our faults and meets our every need. We are part of the family of God!