“The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:”
Here is the book that describes the humanity of the Messiah of Israel, the awaited Christ, the long-desired of all mankind; the description of the man Jesus Christ. While I will discuss more in depth another time the details of the name of Jesus, this name is another way of saying “Joshua,” a great leader of Israel, with the title of Christ being a sort of kingly crown for that Messiah when He was to come. This same name “is as oil poured out” (Song 1:2), for to keep this most glorious of names on one’s lips is both a sign and source of spiritual life. It is as other loves, when the heart is so captivated by another that one cannot help but speak of the beloved, which only draws the heart further into love. It is also important that St. Matthew lays out the lineage of Christ in his book, upon which we will meditate tomorrow, for multiple reasons. The first is that it shows a certain sort of gradual incarnation; there is a greater picture of humanity, into which He descends, that is painted, as well as a picture of God, that will become clearer as we look into the figures and their names that are mentioned. The second is that it shows that Jesus loves everything about you; He comes from a line of kings, murderers, prostitutes, and quite ordinary people. There is nothing that He hasn’t seen before, and from this mixture of people He has taken flesh. So too does He reside within you, as you yourself are a living monstrance, and He takes all that comes with that: Sins past and still being fought, brokenness, illness, extraordinary qualities, what some may find bland, quirks, loves, interests, none of this keeps Him from expressing Himself through you. While His image can always shine through you more clearly, nothing keeps Him from pouring His love and His light upon you.