The Missing Person - Part 1

Reflective Reading: Matthew 1

Do you enjoy a good mystery? Did you know that the New Testament begins with a mystery? Leading up to the birth of Jesus, Matthew records the family line of Jesus in three sets of 14 generations. Well, one day I decided to count them, and lo and behold, there were only 13 generations in the last set! Don’t believe me? Count for yourself!

Now, maybe there is a reason for this missing person; a deep dark family secret, perhaps? If I had descendants who were prostitutes, guilty of incest, murderers, and liars, I don’t think that I would record their names in a book for everyone to see. However, Matthew seems to hold nothing back! Without any attempt to whisper or cover-up the fact, he reveals that in Jesus’ family line there is treachery, sexual perversion, and severe self-centeredness.

If there really is no attempt to hide these facts, then what’s with the missing person? Oh, don’t think I’m going to just give you the answer! Read Matthew 1 for yourself—and note the names! You may discover the mystery on your own. If you do, you will be blessed immeasurably!

I will even give you a clue to help you find the missing person. If you read Jeremiah 22:24-30, and Jeremiah 52 (particularly the last four verses) you should be able to find them. If you’re still not sure how all the clues fit together, take a look at the last word in Jeremiah in several different Bibles, including the NIV and the KJV. Once you see the difference, you may be shocked, but you’ll be well on your way to solving the mystery!

If you can’t figure it out, join us next week as we learn the identity of the missing person and why he has been left out of the family tree. May the search begin!

Sincerely,

Mark Hamby

M.S., M. Div., Th. M., D. Min.

Recommended Reading:

The White Gypsy book/audio(Ages 9+)

The Lost Clue (Ages 12+)

Spiral Staircase (Ages 12+)