Matthew 1:1-17 - I understand that geneologies are important and wonder what the significance of 14 generations from Abraham to David, 14 generations from David to the exile in Babylon and 14 generations from th exile to the Messiah might be.
Matthew 1:20-21 - Joseph was told from the beginning that the child that Mary was carrying was going to "save his people from their sins." As a parent the pressure of raising a child is pretty heavy but I wonder what Joseph and Mary thought about during the pregnancy before the birth. I also like that the angel of the lord appeared in a dream to Joseph.
Matthew 2:9-10 - How does a star move to be over the location of Jesus's birth, and I wonder would the Magi call themselves christian or say that they were used by God?
Joseph had a few more dream angels to direct and protect him and Jesus.
These are my thoughts as I read Matthew asking God to help me see more. It is hard to focus and the cares of the world seem to constantly encroach on my time and thoughts. Lord help me to hear you more clearly and be able to ignore the things of the world that are distractions.
i'm looking for what kind of a man jesus was, and right now he's not a man but a baby. so my thoughts are more random:
ReplyDelete1. god speaks through dreams. sometimes quite clearly.
2. jesus knows first-hand about family drama, teen pregnancy... he was birthed within roiling human emotion (joseph's betrayal, shame, confusion, fear, faith, abstinence, obedience)
3. so many children murdered because of jesus' birth. did he grieve this knowledge when he grew up? (makes me think of the grief for being responsible for another's death in the film rachel getting married.)
4. joseph had to pack his young family up and flee in the middle of the night, not knowing what their future held. i think our life is uncertain and sometimes scary, but jesus' early years were full of trauma and upheaval. he started out with no place to be born and ended without even a foxhole, a wanderer. why do i think we Need stability and predictability? as parents they moved with confidence because their faith was in the Rock of Ages, much more reliable than "financial security."