Wednesday 1 November 2023

Luke 3:23-38

²³ Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph,
the son of Heli, ²⁴ the son of Matthat,
the son of Levi, the son of Melki,
the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,
²⁵ the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos,
the son of Nahum, the son of Esli,
the son of Naggai, ²⁶ the son of Maath,
the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein,
the son of Josek, 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 Melki,
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 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 Eber,
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 Mahalalel,
the son of Kenan, ³⁸ the son of Enosh,
the son of Seth, the son of Adam,
the son of God.

Have you ever traced your family tree? Every family tree has a multitude of characters and stories which may be a source of pride, wonder, shame, amusement and much more, but can also give a sense of belonging or being part of something bigger.  My family tree has some branches that are pretty shady (for all the wrong reasons). Jesus ‘inherited’ this family tree from Joseph who stood in as his earthly father, and there are some legendary connections in there. For the Jewish community the family line told the story of where you fit and belong in the community, and it also show’s evidence of Jesus being a fulfilment of prophecy. Jesus spiritual heritage however cut to the point. He was The Son of God. Likewise, while we all have an earthly heritage, we also have a spiritual heritage. The New Testament several times refers to us Believers as being the adopted Sons and Daughters of God (Eph 1:5, Heb 2:10,11). Our spiritual heritage tells us where we fit and how we belong in the Kingdom of God. We are not the product of random chance or genetics but are chosen and loved by our Heavenly Father, welcomed into His Kingdom through the sacrifice of Jesus. So next time someone in your earthly family spins a yarn about the antics of some ancestor, remember that you and I also share a great spiritual heritage of which we can be proud and grateful.

Heavenly Father, I thank you so much for all that you have done for me. Thank you for accepting me into Your Kingdom. Thank you, Jesus for dying for my sin so I could be adopted by God. Help me to remember that I am your chosen child. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Written by Christine Knight