One Messy Family Tree

Read Matthew 1:1–17.

Wally Haggler wants to do what is right. But sometimes he thinks he can't, because his family is full of convicted criminals. In the Adventures in Odyssey episode "The Green Ring Conspiracy, Part I" (album 53), Wally learns that even though he can't control the actions of his relatives, he can choose to take charge of his life and do good things.

Wally isn't the only one with a family full of unsavory and shady characters. Even Jesus had some shady characters in His family. Today's Scripture passage contains a record of Jesus' ancestors. It's more than a list of funny names that are difficult to pronounce. God put that list in the Bible because He wanted to show us something important about Jesus' ancestors.

All the people on that list played a part in many Old Testament stories. Some of these people were heroes, and some were disappointments. Some were good and honorable. Others were known for lying, cheating, disobeying God, and even committing murder.

It makes you wonder why God would want His perfect Son to come from a family tree with rotten branches. Wouldn't God want Jesus' family to be filled with perfect people who were known for doing wonderful things?

But that's not the way God works. He uses imperfect people to carry out His purposes in the world. He also brings good from bad situations. Jesus came in all His goodness and glory to bring hope to a messy world—starting with a messy manger in a messy stable.

Jesus' lineage shows us that God can do amazing things, no matter what. He can use far-from-perfect people to make His perfect plans come about.

Daily Challenge

Ask your parents to tell you stories about your grandparents or even your great-grandparents. Talk about what you can learn from the wise choices and mistakes your relatives have made.

A New Name

Read Matthew 1:18–25.

What would you think if you came to school one day, and everyone started calling you the Kid Who Always Has Pizza for Lunch? What if your family called you the Child Who Leaves Her Dirty Socks on the Floor? And your neighborhood friends called you the One Who Always Wants to Go Swimming? What if people named you by the things you do?

You probably would change your behavior so you could be known as the Kid Who Always Gets Good Grades in Math or the One Who Usually Has Kind Words.

Did you know that God has a whole bunch of names in the Bible? Because He is so big and powerful and so many other great things, He can't be fully described by a single name. He's called El Shaddai, which means "God Almighty"; Jehovah Jireh, which means "provider"; Elohim, which means "strong one"; and many other names.

In Matthew 1 we discover a new name for God that was given to His Son, Jesus. Did you see it when you read today's Bible passage? Yep, there it is in verse 23: Immanuel. "God with us." The name Immanuel describes a God who walks with us and knows us personally. It's not like the names for God in the Old Testament. Those make Him sound a little scary because He's so powerful and so far above us.

Jesus came to earth as Immanuel—God with us. He ate and drank with the poor and with people who were outcasts. He laughed heartily as He sat around telling His disciples stories. He shed tears when He saw someone in pain. He felt loneliness and fear and pain. Jesus walked alongside people and felt their feelings. He showed that God loves us and wants a relationship with us.

In the Odyssey adventure "Back to Bethlehem, Part 1" (album 10), Connie and Eugene witness the birth of Jesus when they travel to the Holy Land in the Imagination Station. They see for themselves that Jesus is born into a common life, and that His parents are ordinary people. His humble life on earth is a far cry from...