Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah. Matthew 1:16
When we think of character traits of leaders and people of influence in the world, humility is probably not a word that immediately comes to mind. We expect leaders to be bold, strong, and good communicators, but humility is a characteristic that is easily forgotten. While we may overlook the importance and value of humility, make no mistake, God never does. Throughout Scripture, we find out how vital humility is in each and every person. Christ Himself lived a lifestyle of humility from the very beginning. He was born into humble circumstances. He displayed humility throughout His entire life on earth, ultimately giving up His life so that you and I could be rescued from all the wrong things we have ever done.
Matthew 1 begins with a genealogy of Christ. At the very end of this genealogy, Matthew writes, "Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah" (Matthew 1:16). To us reading this timeline, the fact that Jesus' earthly parents were Mary and Joseph is not surprising. In fact, it is an expected piece of news. To people alive during Jesus' day who knew them, Mary and Joseph would have certainly been unlikely candidates to parent the long-expected Messiah. This is not the family that the Savior of the world was expected to be born into, which must have made Jesus seem like an underdog to many people. Although Jesus is the Son of God and the King of Kings, He was not born into royalty. It is believed that Mary, His mother, was a young teenager when the angel came to her and announced that she would have a son. Joseph, the man Mary was engaged to during this time, who took on the role of Jesus' earthly father, was a carpenter, not a king. There was nothing outwardly spectacular about Mary and Joseph. By all accounts, they were ordinary people. No person observing their family would have believed that they were the earthly parents of the Savior of the world.
Jesus' family background was so surprising that later on in the book of Matthew, the people from His hometown, Nazareth, mocked Him after they saw Him teach in the synagogue. "Where does He get this wisdom and the power to do miracles… He's just the carpenter's son, and we know Mary, His mother," they said (Matthew 13:54-55). The people in Jesus' own hometown were so unimpressed by Mary and Joseph that even when they saw Jesus teaching from Scripture and performing miracles, they did not believe Him. As a result, Jesus only did a few miracles there.
Make no mistake, Jesus' life circumstances may have made Him seem like an underdog to the people who knew His earthly parents, but He is the Savior of the world who rescued you and me from our sins. The question is, will we believe in Him? Will we believe that He is the Savior of the world? Will you trust Him with your life? Will you share about Him and what He has done in your life with the people around you? His circumstances were certainly humble, but He changed the world. Praise God for Jesus, the greatest gift we will ever receive.
Although some believed He was an underdog as they observed His life circumstances and the family He was born into, Jesus grew up to conquer sin and death and rescue people from their sins. If you have never placed your faith in Him, will you believe in Him today? Simply pray to God and admit that you know you are a sinner in need of a Savior, tell Him you believe that Jesus is His Son who died and rose from the dead to rescue you from your sins, and commit your life to Him. If you have committed your life to Him, write about that time. In your notebook or journal, reflect and remember the difference He has made in your life and thank Him for everything He has done for you.
Read Matthew 1:1-25 (NLT)
This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham:
Abraham was the father of Isaac.Isaac was the father of Jacob.Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers.Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar).Perez was the father of Hezron.Hezron was the father of Ram.Ram was the father of Amminadab.Amminadab was the father of Nahshon.Nahshon was the father of Salmon.Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab).Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth).Obed was the father of Jesse.Jesse was the father of King David.David was the father of Solomon (whose mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah).Solomon was the father of Rehoboam.Rehoboam was the father of Abijah.Abijah was the father of Asa.Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat.Jehoshaphat was the father of Jehoram.Jehoram was the father of Uzziah.Uzziah was the father of Jotham.Jotham was the father of Ahaz.Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah.Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh.Manasseh was the father of Amon.Amon was the father of Josiah.Josiah was the father of Jehoiachin and his brothers (born at the time of the exile to Babylon).After the Babylonian exile:Jehoiachin was the father of Shealtiel.Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel.Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud.Abiud was the father of Eliakim.Eliakim was the father of Azor.Azor was the father of Zadok.Zadok was the father of Akim.Akim was the father of Eliud.Eliud was the father of Eleazar.Eleazar was the father of Matthan.Matthan was the father of Jacob.Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah.
All those listed above include fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah.
This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.
As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son,and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”
When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.
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