The genealogy of Jesus
Let’s face it: genealogy passages are the biggest yawn in the Bible. We think of them as rather unimportant because who cares about the begats and begottens? Yet at the same time, 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching and reproof.” If that’s true, that includes genealogies.
At the opening of Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 1:1-17), we are introduced to the ancestral line of Jesus; perhaps the most least interesting part of the Christmas story. However, this genealogy is of the utmost importance to the original audience.
Abraham to David (v.1-6a)
Unlike in the Gospel of Luke, Matthew starts his genealogy with Abraham not Adam to target the Jewish audience who saw Abraham as the beginning of the Jewish race. Why Abraham and not Adam? From Abraham, the genealogy goes on to mention four women: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba (also known as Uriah’s wife) which is very unusual. Rahab and Ruth weren’t Israelites and Tamar, Rahab, and Bathsheba were famously known as “sinful” and imperfect women. So, why were they included? At the end of this part of the passage, we find David, who was included perhaps because of God’s covenant with him; the promise that David’s descendants will rule over the kingdom of Israel forever (2 Sam. 7:12-16). Why mention David?
To answer all the ‘why’s, we need to think like Matthew. Perhaps Matthew was trying to show God’s sovereignty and grace; how through Abraham and David, the new, promised king would both be a blessing to the whole world and Israel’s ruler of it’s own kind; and how God is able to use foreigners and imperfect people to accomplish his will.
David to Exile (v.6b-11)
Verse 6-11 spans a whole series of Israelite kings who reigned, some more famous than others (like Solomon), however, Matthew skips a number of wicked kings and didn’t address them using their royal titles. Why? This shows that Matthew never regarded all the kings after David as the promised king; none of them could fulfill God’s covenant with David. The author wanted the focus to be on Jesus, the only one who could fulfill the promises God had made to David.
Exile to Messiah (v.12-17)
In this last section, God’s faithfulness is most evident because when the One arrived, we know that he is a lineal descendant of Abraham and of King David. For the Jewish audience this meant that Jesus Christ had a literal right to sit on the throne of Israel. Herod was perfectly justified to fear this baby as Jesus was rightful heir to the Israelite throne.
Hope for all
Now, what is the relevance to Christmas and why is it important to us? If Jesus is the King of the Jews who died for both Jews and Gentiles, this means He is the one who will bring blessing to all nations. Christmas is the awesome commemoration of when Gentiles were finally part of this epic story of God trying to save humanity through the nation of Israel. Everything this genealogy teaches us aren’t wise gems of the past, but are realities; the reality that Jews and Gentiles (us) can now be one big family under God through Jesus. So let’s celebrate Christmas on the 25th December (and everyday).
Dear God,
Thank you for showing us your mercy through the lineage of your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank you that when we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we become part of God’s eternal family. Thank you that we can have the confidence as God’s sons and daughters, never forsaken or forgotten. We pray for continual boldness to be witnesses of this gospel.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen