We all have an interest in where we came from. We are also interested in other people’s stories. We ask each other, “Where did you grow up?” and “Who are your parents?” Yet, sometimes we may withhold some details in our family tree or the events surrounding a loved one’s conception and birth. Not Matthew. In the opening of his gospel, he stuns the world with an unlikely list of names found in Jesus’ family tree. There is no pattern of righteous, just a list of everyday people. Matthew wants us to see what kind of people God chooses to work with. I am surprised and yet I’m not.
God is Closer Than You Think
Jesus is found in the unlikeliest of places.
Against what you may have been told Mary and Joseph likely stayed beneath someone’s home, because there were no guest rooms in Bethlehem. In their day, this is where people kept their animals. Not in a stable but a dark damp cave.