Welcome to our journey with Jesus. It was interesting reading texts of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany at this time of year. We begin our 90 day reading with the gospel of Matthew. Chapter 1 begins with a long list of the genealogy of Jesus. I find it interesting to note there are four women named Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Mary and one alluded to as Bathsheba is not named. Although the Gospel of Luke will focus on the story of Mary and the Annunciation of the birth of Jesus, this gospel is written from Joseph's perspective with revelations coming to him in dreams. We also see in this gospel how Old Testament prophecies are being realized in Jesus' birth and life.
Chapter 2 tells of the coming of the wise men from the East here called Magi. Here we also have two quotes from the Old Testament from the prophet Micah and Jeremiah. There are also two more dreams of Joseph warning him to flee to Egypt and then to go to the region of Galilee where they settled in the city of Nazareth. And in each of these references are made to other Old Testament prophecies and their fulfillment, "I have called my son out of Egypt" and "he will be called a Nazarene."
It is clear from these first two chapters that the author wants to show the readers that Jesus is connected to and descended from both King David and Abraham and that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies. Also with the Magi coming from the East and Jesus living as a foreign refugee in Egypt there is also a connection here with the wider world. Perhaps the name Emmanuel meaning "God with us" might include more of us rather than some of us.
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