Tuesday of the third week of Advent Gospel: Matthew 1:1-17 Genealogy of Jesus Christ
In the first part of the Gospel of today (Matthew 1:1-6), Matthew mentions Abraham. When Abraham was called by the Lord, the Lord said to him, “Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s house, and come into the land which I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, making you fruitful and a source of blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you; and all the peoples of the earth shall be blessed through you.” (cf. Genesis 12:1-3) Immediately afterwards, Abraham obeyed the Lord’s will. Even when he was old and had children, God, in order to test him, commanded him to take his beloved only son Isaac to the land of Moriah and offer him as a burnt offering on a mountain which He had designated. With firm faith and infinite trust in God, Abraham obeyed and offered his son, setting an example for us. It is precisely for this reason that the Lord said, “Because you have done this and have not spared your only son, I will bless you abundantly and multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants shall inherit the gate of their enemies; and all the peoples of the earth shall be blessed through your descendants, because you have obeyed My voice.” (cf. Genesis 22:1-19)
Let us emulate the virtue of Abraham, filled with boundless trust in God, and in all things, we will do God’s will, practice His teachings, even if it means sacrificing those we love most for the sake of God.
In the second part of the Gospel of today (Matthew 1:7-11), Matthew mentions a holy king whose name is David. In the Old Testament era, David can be considered a holy king. After Saul was chosen as king (1 Samuel 10:17-27) and was deposed by God due to his repeated transgressions, David remained faithful and protected Saul (cf. 1 Samuel 16:14-23). When he was repeatedly pursued and hunted down by Saul, God, due to his faithfulness to God, repeatedly rescued him from perilous situations and established him as the king of Israel. Under David’s reign, Israel was promised great blessings: “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up a descendant after you, the son born to you; I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a temple for my name, and I will establish his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he sins, I will punish him with the rod of men and the staff of the world; but I will not revoke my Favor from him, as I revoked it from Saul before you. Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.” (2 Samuel 7:12-16)
Let us emulate the virtue of David, fulfilling God’s will in all things, setting a good example before others through our fidelity, and, like David, wisely utilizing the gifts bestowed by God, while constantly praising and glorifying the Lord in our lives.
In the third part of Gospel of today (Matthew 1:12-17), St. Matthew narrates some notable figures during the exile of the Israelites to Babylon. During the reign of Jehoiakim, the Jews had committed evil in the eyes of God before the Lord (2 Chronicles 36:11-15). The Lord sent messengers to warn them repeatedly, urging them to repent, but they remained hardened in their hearts and refused to repent. Therefore, the Lord handed all of them over to their enemies, causing them to be exiled to Babylon, and through the hands of a foreign king, Cyrus, He granted them salvation, allowing them to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple until the coming of Jesus Christ. All of this demonstrates how merciful God is to His chosen people.
Let us imitate Cyrus, who, despite being a foreign king, remained faithful to God, filled with boundless hope for God’s love, and properly prepared his heart and mind to welcome the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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