June 18, 2024 -- Matthew 1:16-17 -- Some implications of being adopted in Christ
/16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.
Matthew 1:16-17 ESV
Joseph adopted Jesus. Think about it. The genealogy of Luke traces Jesus’ family line through Nathan—not Solomon, as is recorded in Matthew, which is Joseph’s family tree. Mary was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, so that what was conceived in her was brought about by the Holy Spirit. Jesus was not conceived and born in sin because the Holy Spirit stopped the taint, the stain, of Adam’s sin which otherwise would have affected Jesus if He'd only had only earthly parents. But Joseph is Jesus’ adoptive father. Mary is Jesus’ mother; fully by bloodline, Jesus’ mother.
Why does this matter?
Jesus understands the pain many suffer who do not have their biological dad in their life.
Jesus understands the taunts others hear who realize their birth date and their parents’ wedding doesn’t quite line up.
Jesus understands adoption—with all its complications and awkwardness.
How is this helpful?
The grace of God reaches to every place of our brokenness with regards to family and parentage.
The grace of God overcomes our sense of being an outsider to His mercy and kindness.
The grace of God is profound grace precisely because, knowing all our sinfulness, all our wicked heritage and all the sins we’d ever commit, He still chose us in love, in the beloved, Jesus Christ.
The grace of God is unstoppable. The Spirit of God puts us into such rich, deep, true communion with God, initiated by Him, maintained by the salvific work of Jesus, and guarded in us by the Holy Spirit through our good days, our bad days, and our worst days, and our days that are more terrible than our most indescribably worst days.
The Father in heaven has adopted you. Jesus knows exactly what adoption means and He shows never-ending love at His throne of grace. The Spirit gives us a Spirit of adoption such that we do not succumb once again to fear and the trap of feeling like outsiders—the Spirit breaks through the dark night of the soul and whispers to your Spirit—”you have a Father in heaven Who loves you and will never abandon you.”
Today’s prayer is the hymn “My Faith Has Found”
1 My faith has found a resting place,
from guilt my soul is freed;
I trust the ever-living One,
his wounds for me shall plead.
Refrain:
I need no other argument,
I need no other plea,
it is enough that Jesus died,
and that he died for me.
2 Enough for me that Jesus saves,
this ends my fear and doubt;
a sinful soul, I come to him,
he’ll never cast me out. [Refrain]
3 My heart is leaning on the Word,
the written Word of God,
salvation by my Savior’s name,
salvation thro' his blood. [Refrain]
4 My great Physician heals the sick,
the lost he came to save;
for me his precious blood he shed,
for me his life he gave. [Refrain]
https://youtu.be/LWymLT_cCdA?si=IpPNF7EXv6d2sT5H “My Faith Has Found a Resting Place”
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