Week 1 Group Questions

Small Group Questions for Matthew 1:1-17
 

1)  All families come with stories – good and bad.  What do you know about past generations of your family – grandparents or great grandparents?  Do you have a favorite family story?



2)  Ask someone to read Matthew 1:1-17 aloud – then as a group make fun of them for butchering the names – just kidding.



3)  Who do you recognize in Jesus’ family tree? What do you remember about their life story?



4)  Jesus’ genealogy is divided into 3 sections – the Patriarchs, the Kings, and the Exile.  How would you describe each time period in a succinct (even if oversimplified) statement?



5)  Matthew’s purpose in this genealogy is to demonstrate to the Jewish people of his day that Jesus is the Messiah – the promised perfect King.  To do that he needs to establish kinship to Abraham, their patriarch, and kingship by connecting Jesus to David.  He establishes that Jesus’ genealogy is legit, but really messy – it includes liars, prostitutes, adulterers, murderers… you get the point. These are the people God used to establish Jesus’ human lineage.  What does that say to you about how God works to accomplish his purposes?



6)  Jesus’ perfection is not a product of being born of man – coming from his family of origin, but from being born of God – coming from his divinity.  It’s the same for us.  We are all born into situations, families, and patterns that aren’t perfect and sometimes are downright sinful.  But it is our spiritual rebirth, that happens when we enter relationship with Jesus, that marks us “perfect” in God’s sight.  What are some “markings” you received from your family of origin that make you feel imperfect?  (**Note: be sensitive to what God wants to do here and to those sharing.  You may need to stop and pray specifically that some of these markings be healed/erased.)  



7)  After everyone has shared, close with a prayer thanking God for working through imperfect people and imperfect families to accomplish his perfect will.