Mt 1:1-17
1The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2Abraham became the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. 3Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar. ... Boaz became the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth. Obed became the father of Jesse, 6Jesse the father of David the king.
David became the father of Solomon, whose mother had been the wife of Uriah. 7Solomon became the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asaph. ... 10Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amos, Amos the father of Josiah. 11Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the Babylonian exile.
...Zadok became the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, 15Eliud the father of Eleazar. Eleazar became the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, 16Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Messiah.
17Thus 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.
Reflection
Son of David, Son of Abraham: The genealogy of Jesus as presented by Matthew shows the continuity of God’s providential plan from Abraham to Jesus Christ, the culmination of his saving plan. The divine action begun in Old Testament times was maintained throughout the ages until the coming of Christ in whom God fully reveals his saving purpose.
The lineage into which Christ is inserted provides the background for the entry of God-become-man into human history, embracing everything in it including frailty. A close examination of Jesus’ ancestry lays bare great sinners: David, great king but adulterer; Solomon, excellent ruler but womanizer and sometime idolater; Manasseh, who did evil in the sight of God; and Isaac’s son Jacob, who stole the birthright of his older brother Esau. And yet, God’s providential plan came to pass. Of Mary, wife of Joseph, son of Jacob, son of Matthan… was born Jesus who is called the Messiah.