Tangled Trees
By
Elin Henderson
“…the
genealogy of Jesus Christ the Son of David, the Son of Abraham…”
Matthew1:1 (NKJV)
Let’s face it, most of
our family trees are interesting sights to behold. There are some straight and
lovely branches, and then there are the gnarled branches, and the ones you wish
you could snap off and hide. Usually, our trees are a tangled mess of the good
and the bad.
Jesus was no different
than we when it comes to tangled family trees. On his mother’s side, there were
more than a few gnarled branches. The first chapter of Matthew does a great job
of listing out the key characters in Jesus’ family tree.
Among the many names
there are a few that stand out. He had many upright and godly men in His tree:
names like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David and Solomon. Then there are the lesser
known Uzziah and Jotham, both who “did what was right in the sight of the Lord”
(II Kings 15:34). BUT, there are a few shady characters as well. Do you
remember Rahab? She was the prostitute (not the best career choice) who hid the
Israelites who came to scout out Jericho. Next someone named Abijam. I Kings
15:3 says, “…he walked in all the sins of his fathers…his heart was not loyal
to the LORD his God…” Then Ahaz, who was so bad, he made Abijam look
good (II Kings 16:3)!! On and on it goes through the list - - some good, some
bad.
Jesus truly had a
controversial family tree. It was part of His identity, but He didn’t live in
relation to that. He was a Branch that stood out among all the others. Jeremiah
23:5 calls Him the “Branch of Righteousness.” Why? He lined Himself up with a
different point of reference: His Heavenly Father.
I find hope in Jesus’
tangled tree. It reminds me that my past does not dictate my future. Yes, there
are some great things in my family tree, but you know, there are some pretty
ugly things, as well. My hope and prayer is that as I look to Him, He will
continue to make all things new in my life, including my branch of the family
tree.
GOING
DEEPER:
1. As the holiday season has wrapped up, having brought relatives from far and
wide to remind us of our tangled trees (!), what can we learn from the good and
even the bad that make up our family trees?
2. How can we stand out
as branches of righteousness in the midst of it all this new month…and
throughout the year?
FURTHER READING:
Oakwood’s missionaries Elin Henderson (a registered nurse) and her husband Phil serve as church planters with New Tribes in Mozambique, Africa. Elin is mother to Callie and Elias.
