Matthew 1:21 – She will bear a son, and you shall give him the name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.

Lord Jesus, as I read through your family tree it is shocking who gets to make a claim on you. Your family tree is full of sinners, flagrant sinners, public sinners, secret sinners. Sometimes the sins are downright despicable. It’s shocking really. But you’re showing me a vital truth about your coming into this world. You came from a family tree of sinners, though you were thoroughly without sin. You came from this family tree of sinners and completely associated yourself with us and our sin. You so took on the guilt and shame of my sin that God punished you for it. You came from a family of sinners to save sinners like me. This is so comforting to me in so many ways. This means that you understand the struggles that I have with temptation. Though you did not sin, you certainly struggled with temptation. You understand the frailties of my human flesh. You understand what I struggle with so that you can help me. More than that you fought the frailities of the human flesh and you overcame! You, Lord Jesus, rose from the dead. More than that you overcame every temptation of the Devil to save me! You beat temptation because I cannot and do not. And so through your victory I have victory. Lord Jesus, I am in awe that you would share my humanity and take my sin so that I might have victory. I have no sin because you have taken all of mine. Amen.