When you re-read the Christmas narratives in the Gospels, you will inevitably come across the geneologies - the list of names in the line of Jesus. What lessons can we learn from the geneologies?
Here are a few lessons from the genealogies:
1) God's plan is bigger than your past mistakes
Jesus' genealogy is filled with scandal. You have prostitutes and egomaniacs and evil tyrants in the mix. One of the less savoury stories involves Judah and Tamar. I'll spare you the sordid details, but a father-in-law propositions a daughter-in-law who he thinks is a prostitute. And a child is conceived. You could call her children, Perez and Zerah, a mistake.
In fact, in our day, this pregnancy would have been a prime candidate for abortion. But they were more than that. They were part of God's master plan. They were part of the genealogy of Jesus. Can I offer a simple reminder from the genealogies? God is bigger than your sexual mistakes.
2) Who goes before you isn't as important as who you leave behind
Many people who come from dysfunctional families are afraid that they are destined to make the same mistakes their parents made. You wonder if it's in your genes. Can I remind you that you aren't your parents and your parents aren't you. You can break the cycle. You can rise above the mistakes they made. You can leave a legacy. Jesus had some messed up ancestors!
3) You can be part of His genealogy
I love this promise in John 1: "To as many as have received him, to them he gave the power to become children of God." When you put your faith in Christ, you become part of His family,
His genealogy, His legacy!
