Matthew 1
Matthew 1:1-25
1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:
2 Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.
3 Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram.
4 Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon.
5 Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse,
6 and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.
7 Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa.
8 Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah.
9 Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah.
10 Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah.
11 Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon.
12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel.
13 Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor.
14 Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud.
15 Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob.
16 And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.
20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”
22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
23 “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD, AND BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which is translated, “God with us.”
24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,
25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.
There is a qualification for participation in the plans of God that is quite apart from what men might deem acceptable. All those who carried the bloodline from Abraham to Joseph were far from perfect and many would have been much greater poster children for iniquity than holiness. It seems God will use those from the most reprehensible lifestyle to complete His designed purpose. It’s not so much an identity from a past, but a condition of the heart for a specific time and season that enables and qualifies for connection with His plans. It’s the willingness of that heart to respond with what is needed at that moment that yields the necessary movements of faith, the tools specific for His glory.
This is what was found in Joseph even before there was a heavenly encounter. In him, the one who would be modeling a heart for the One who would lay down His life, there was a willingness to cover Mary’s apparent transgression and protect her from rightful condemnation and punishment. Though not mentioned beyond Jesus’ childhood, there was, in the part he did play, a very precious participation in the care of the Messiah from a heart qualified by its loving compassion and tender care.
In the reception of new life in Christ is a reception of a bloodline that amazingly qualifies us for participation in the plans and purpose of God for this time that we now live. It is quite apart from any previous lifestyle or status. It is, though, from a heart that is broken and submissive to His, that we are enabled for carrying and showing the very image and nature of the Master. It’s this heart, as it is transformed by His, that transforms everything from an outsider, without any purpose, to the chosen by God for only what we can fulfill in our time and season.