Thursday, December 10, 2009

Family Trees
By Carolyn Hulliberger

“A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham…”
Matthew 1:1

Recently, I was contacted by a complete stranger on my Facebook account. She was working on the Hulliberger Family Tree, and as it turns out, she is a distant cousin, of sorts, to my husband. In the ensuing conversations, she sent a picture of my husband’s great-great-great grandfather Henry, with all of his sons. I couldn’t help but wonder about these ancestors. What were they like? Was Henry a hard worker? Did he treat his family well? Was there love and laughter in their home? Would he be someone that I would be proud to know, or distance myself from?

For many of us, the questions about our ancestors could go on and on, and that is part of the fascination with genealogy research. The problem is that research may tell you the “who” and “when” of those who have gone before, but few know the “how” and “why” of the characters of our personal history beyond a couple of generations.

This is not the case with Jesus. The New Testament opens with 17 verses detailing the connection from Jesus all the way back to Abraham. Consider some of those listed. There are heroes of faith…Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. There are those of colorful reputation…Rahab and Tamar. There were those who were just plain evil…Manasseh and Abijah. And many others who were quite ordinary. At least 42 generations are represented, and the Old Testament chronicles many of their stories in terrific detail.

Regardless of the individuals in His lineage, Jesus came just as promised…the son of a virgin, a descendent of Abraham, of the line of David. His pedigree included king and harlot, Jew and Gentile, faithful and faithless. God used each generation to bring about the perfect circumstances for His Son’s birth.

This Christmas, as you read the story of our Savior’s birth, don’t rush past the genealogy. Instead, reflect on those whose stories play a part in bringing our Messiah to us.

GOING DEEPER:
1. What do we learn about the character of God based on the diversity of Jesus’ genealogy? What does this tell us about Jesus’ purpose on earth and the plan of salvation?

FURTHER READING:
Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38

Along with caring for her husband, two children and the dog, Carolyn is an Office Representative for State Farm Insurance, serves as a small group leader for Wednesday p.m. Bible study, and is the treasurer for Women’s Ministries.
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