Descended from kings
Matthew Chapters 1 – 2
It might seem odd to be reading of the birth of Jesus during Holy Week when our thoughts are on his death, but it’s always good to be reminded that Christmas and Easter are chapters of the same story, and both share elements of joy and tragedy.
Long before the birth of Jesus, in the era of the kings we have been reading about, the prophet Isaiah said a virgin would conceive and bear a son who would be called Immanuel, meaning, “God is with us.”
This prophecy took place when the kingdom was divided, and when God’s people were surrounded by enemies on all sides—hope for the Messiah was not born in the good times of King David and King Solomon, but in the uncertain and chaotic times that came later. Hope for the Messiah was always hope for light in the darkness.
Now as we’re in Holy Week, remember that the end of Jesus’s life, like its beginning, was hope for light in the darkness.
Notice, too, that the genealogy Matthew begins his gospel with is divided into three sections. The first section contained a lot of names we read about in the fall, but the second section contains names we have just read about in the books of Samuel and Kings.