Day 5 in the Advent Blog Tour.  Yesterdays reflection was by J. R. Daniel Kirk, and  tomorrows reflection will be by Scot McKnight .

Advent Blog Tour
Matthew 1:16-17

“16Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary—of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Christ. 17So there were fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen generations from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen generations from the exile to Babylon to the Christ.” Common English Bible (CEB)

As I was reflecting on these verses I noticed right away that “the Christ” is mentioned twice.  It means the “Anointed one” and I cannot help myself by repeating what the Anointed One came to accomplish as Jesus reads from Is. 61:1-2

18The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me.  He has sent me to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to liberate the oppressed, 19and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor….“Today, this scripture has been fulfilled just as you heard it.” Luke 4:18 CEB

This has been the anticipation of the coming Christ.  The one who would come and show the love of the Father to restore broken relationships, loss of being, and the lost of meaning.  It is this divine love that motivated the greatest anticipation in human history.

In the prior verses I see some uncommon mentions.  I suspect that if this was your family tree you might even blush to mention them.  But yet here they are, and what’s even more fascinating is the mention of 4 women.  Here in the very genealogy of the coming Christ, in his very own blood line are the scares of fallen humanity.  Specifically as I think of the adulterous affair between David and Bathsheba.  I cannot help but think that the mention is there to remind us that it is sinners that Christ came for.  For many of us we are no longer waiting, but have already experienced the fullness of his redemption and the coming of the Spirit.  But what about those that have not come to know him?  They are still waiting, without any anticipation for they have not yet come to their senses.  But we who hold this truth should share the story of the greatest anticipation in human history that has unfolded in the life of Christ.