© 2020 by Bethel Bible Church No part of this material may be electronically reproduced without written permission from Bethel Bible Church, 17121 US-69, Tyler, Texas 75703; (903) 839-5007. Cover design by Hillary Dickey Workbook design by Olivia Heaton Writing Team: Leslie Strader, Ross Strader, and Jessie Batson Unless otherwise identiWed, all Scripture quotations in this publication are taken from the New American Standard Bible (NASB). © The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. THE GENEALOGY OF JESUS “What is this doing here?” That—or something like it—is often the first thought that comes to mind when a long list of names appears in the Bible. Most people usually skim or skip over them. But there’s a good reason not to: “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness . .” (2 Timothy 3:16) Because God’s Word testifies truthfully about itself, it is certain that “. whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4) That includes genealogies! Let’s prove this out by taking a closer look at some of these names in the lineage of Christ— specifically the most obscure: the women. What do we learn about ourselves and our Lord from this list of names and the stories behind them? And how can it bring joy? 13 THE GENEA LOGY OF JESUS 2 2 READ MATTHEW 1:1-17 “The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham: 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram. 4 Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon. 5 Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse. 6 Jesse was the father of David the king. David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah. 7 Solomon was the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa. 8 Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah. 9 Uzziah was the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. 10 Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, and Amon the father of Josiah. 11 Josiah became the father of Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. 12 After the deportation to Babylon: Jeconiah became the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel. 13 Zerubbabel was the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor. 14 Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud. 15 Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob. 16 Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah. 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.” LUKE 3:23-38 “23 When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph, the son of Eli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of 14 Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Hesli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, 27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Heber, the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, 38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.” STUDY 1. TAMAR (Matthew 1:3) Read Genesis 38:1–30, a passage that feels almost like an interruption in the story of Joseph. Where was Tamar from and what was her relationship with Judah? Record your observations. 2. RAHAB (Matthew 1:5) Read Joshua 2 and 6:22–25. Who is Rahab? How was she used by God in the life of Israel? NOTE: Rahab’s son Boaz became the husband of Ruth. 15 3. RUTH (Matthew 1:5) Read Ruth 1 to discover Ruth’s origins and to read of her commitment. Write any observations below. Read Ruth 4:13-22. How does this story end? NOTE: Ruth’s son Obed became the grandfather of King David. 4. BATHSHEBA (Matthew 1:6) Read 2 Samuel 11 and record any observations about “the wife of Uriah.” 5. Scandal in some form or fashion is connected to each of the four women listed here. What does the inclusion of these women in the genealogy of Christ communicate about His relationship with sinners or those far from Him? 6. How do these genealogies affirm God’s promises to His people and God’s love for the world into which He sent His Son? NOTE: It is believed that Matthew follows the line of Jesus through Joseph (legal lineage) while Luke’s genealogy traces the line through Mary (blood or biological lineage). 16 ADVENT ACTIVITIES kids & families for Sometimes we find things in the Bible that are confusing to us. Either they are hard to understand or we don’t understand why they are there. But we can trust that everything included in the Bible is from God for our encouragement and instruction. Throughout the Bible, we find sections called genealogies—basically a big list and history of someone’s family. With the genealogy of Jesus, we see that His family record goes all the way back to Abraham! READ Matthew 1:1-6 together: “The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham: 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram. 4 Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon. 5 Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse. 6 Jesse was the father of David the king. David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah.” Matthew 1:1-6 EXPLAIN The genealogy of Jesus shows us that Jesus came from the line of David— just as was promised through Scripture! The genealogy of Jesus helps us see how powerful God is. Something He promised hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus came to be. DO Spend a few minutes creating a genealogy for your family—or a family tree! This may only go as far back as your child’s grandparents. As you look at your family tree, thank God for each person there. There may be things you are stirred to pray for as your look at your family tree; comfort as you grieve someone who has passed away, or restoration of a broken relationship. We can trust God with the details of our genealogies! See note regarding legal versus blood lineage in the main study. Even in the genealogy of Jesus, we see that families can be created in different ways! 17 WEEK TWO notes <<< >>> 18 .