Matthew 1: 16-17
Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Messiah. Thus the total number of generations from Abraham to David is fourteen generations; from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations; from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah, fourteen generations.
My Aunt Jane has always been interested in genealogy. She has already traced our family tree back to Roman times. Now she is writing a book that will share stories of our family a little closer to home. It's not out yet but I know from her posts on social media while writing it that we have some stories of pretty amazing people in our history. But there are also stories of tragedy, loss and even a few miscreants. It's important to know where you come from. Even the parts that you may not be so proud of.
Today at mass we hear the genealogy of Jesus. If you grew up with the King James version of the bible you probably heard this passage referred to as "The Begats". Most people probably think there is no point in hearing all these random names that lead us through Jesus' family tree. But it is. It's important because this genealogy is what connects us to God through Jesus. What I find fascinating is they didn't leave out the controversial people. Right here at the beginning of what is arguably the most retold story of the birth of Jesus in all of history we have a list that includes both saints and sinners. The people on this list include faithful servants along with murderers and adulterers, people who revealed in power and people who trusted in God. What we see in the begats is a clear reminder that Jesus didn't come for the saved, but to save.
