The first half chapter of Matthew establishes the Messiah’s genealogy. From Abraham through Jesus, we see Kings and great men of God, but also screw ups who lived very far from God. We see Israelites, and we see Gentiles (those not members of God’s Chosen people). We see the mighty and the impressive, but we also see the nobodies whom time has forgotten.
Whether great or small, God used each of these people to contribute to who Jesus was. Each one of these lives was essential to the history of the world even though many of them did not live their lives knowing this.
God also knew that each of these lives would sire Jesus. It was all mapped out from the beginning. And yet, each of these were real people living real lives. Each was presented with tough decisions and each made his or hers, whether they knew God was with them or not. And God used them all. Each of their decisions was woven into the tapestry of the story of the coming Messiah that He was creating.
Matthew was placing the birth of Jesus within the context of the history of the Jewish people. He was the culmination of the entire Law and all the Prophets, and Matthew beautifully shows how all of this has conspired to bring us Yeshua (Jesus).
God has a plan for each of our lives. Whether you have been given much and have a high place, or if it seems like your life does not matter in the great scheme of things. Your life is essential to God’s plan! And many of the little, seemingly meaningless things that He asks you to do are in fact building up to much bigger purposes that He has planned in your life and in the lives of others.
Will you contribut? What do you see in this passage?