Merry Christmas 2016!!! Perhaps my interest in genealogy began in my childhood Sunday School class when we read the remarkable story of the virgin birth of Jesus, the Messiah, in the King James ...

Its Jesus’ genealogy from Matthew Chapter 1. “Abraham begat Isaac” and so on for 42 names. But God put it in the Bible, so perhaps its more interesting and helpful than I thought.

The genealogy isn’t just a glimpse back at the past. It’s a way to remember the future. So it’s appropriate that Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus is often read during the Advent season.

Matthan the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ” (Mt 1:14-17). Find today’s readings here.

One thought for our reflection though: the proclamation of this genealogy should remind us of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. God, immortal, invisible, the One only-wise, dwells no longer in ...

When one looks at the individuals listed in the genealogy, one might think Jesus would have preferred to ignore or deny some of these connections. There are thieves, abusers, liars and cheats.

The idea that we all could be descended from Jesus takes some getting used to. After all, if we're all descended from Jesus, and Jesus is the son of God, that's a pretty illustrious bloodline.

Jesus goes up on to a mountain to teach and there talks about the law. He looks like Moses. Jesus delivers five different sermons of this sort, just like the five books of Torah.

Matthew cited the genealogy to establish the authenticity and credibility of Jesus (as if He needed any), but remember that Matthew was writing to a tough, skeptical audience.