Day 1 – September 7, 2026 – Matthew 1

In Joshua 2:1 we read that the spies of Israel went to look over the land and began by staying the night in the house of a prostitute named Rahab. It is said matter of fact, but in our ears today it rings harshly and we wonder why did they choose that house? The first chapter of Matthew contains the geneaology of Jesus where we see the family history of the one who is called the Messiah. The fact that Jesus is the Messiah is mentioned by Matthew twice in this chapter. But it isn’t only Rahab. We read about Ruth who was a foreigner like Rahab and yet is within the line of Jesus.

Finally, the story of the birth of Jesus lays before the scandal of Mary being with child and not yet being married to Joseph. The history of the person Jesus is not a straight line and it is not clean at all. We often imagine that in order to get ahead in this world things have to line up for you perfectly. Not with God, God allows us all to embrace the vision and the future that he wants for us, a vision that we find in Jeremiah 29:11 that states very clearly for all of us: “I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and future.” What a great beginning to our time togethe as we read through the Gospels.