REFLECTIONS TODAY
Gospel • Matthew 1:1-17
People in ancient Israel placed great importance on who their family’s ancestors were. The list of genealogy (Hebrew toledoth) shows where certain families came from and why they were important. Important personages like the patriarchs, kings, and heroes were given their genealogy. Priests validated their claim to priesthood by being descended from Levi or Aaron.
The New Testament provides two accounts of the genealogy of Jesus, one in the Gospel of Matthew (1:1-17) and another in the Gospel of Luke (3:23-38). The family tree of Jesus in Matthew starts with Abraham, while in Luke it starts from Jesus and reaches up to Adam. Matthew is interested in pointing out Jesus as a descendant of Abraham and therefore part of the chosen people, and as a descendant of David and therefore has a claim to be the Messiah.
In Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus, we find the stories of three kinds of ancestors. We find righteous people (with their share of human weakness) in the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and in King David and King Josiah. Then there is the list of unsavory characters, sinners and idolaters: Solomon, Ahaz, Manasseh.
Lastly, some names are not even mentioned elsewhere in the Bible. Then there are women ancestors who had questionable reputations. Matthew is telling us that Jesus embraced our full human nature: graced, but also fallen and weak. The Letter to the Hebrews puts it this way: “He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated all have one origin. Therefore, he is not ashamed to call them ‘brothers’ ” (2:11).
First Reading • Gn 49:2, 8-10
Jacob called his sons and said to them: “Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob, listen to Israel, your father. “You, Judah, shall your brothers praise — your hand on the neck of your enemies; the sons of your father shall bow down to you. Judah, like a lion’s whelp, you have grown up on prey, my son.
He crouches like a lion recumbent, the king of beasts — who would dare rouse him?
The scepter shall never depart from Judah, or the mace from between his legs, while tribute is brought to him, and he receives the people’s homage.”
Source: “366 Days with the Lord 2024,” St. Paul’s, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.