Talking Points with Pastor Lucas: The Book of the Genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham
Biblical genealogies are a curious thing. All those difficult names to say and the endless list of generations all make for some stellar reading. What better way can you think of than spending your time reading an endless list of names? Truth be told, most of us don’t much care for reading genealogies unless we need some good bedtime reading to put us to sleep. In other words, they are boring!
However, genealogies can be rather fascinating when you dig into them. With each name mentioned in a genealogy there is a story to tell. If you’ve ever done a family tree you will recall how that process allowed you to discover the history behind each family member. Each name has a story to go with it—people, places, events, tragedies, and triumphs. What story goes with your name?
The genealogy of Jesus is indeed a fascinating account to read. Still not so sure? Reread that list of names in Matthew 1:1-16. The list starts with a man named Abraham. What’s the history on this guy? It reads like this: He leaves his homeland for an unknown country; he and his wife are nearly killed on several occasions; he gets his maid pregnant at his wife’s request; is the first to be circumcised and pass on that custom (ouch!), and at age 100 he has a son with his 90-year-old wife. Still bored?
What about some of the women on that list? What’s the story about these ancestors of Jesus? Verse three mentions Tamar. What’s her story? She marries a great-grandson of Abraham who dies. Her father-in-law, Judah, (the grandson of Abraham) then pledges to her his youngest son in marriage. He takes back the pledge. She then pretends to be a prostitute, gets pregnant by her father-in-law, and reveals her father-in-law is the father. Still bored? Soap operas can’t even match up to this stuff.
Or what about Ruth (Matthew 1:5)? What’s her story? She is a Moabite foreigner who marries an Israelite. He dies. She stays with her mother-in-law Naomi, goes back with her to Israel, looks for leftover grain in a harvest field, meets a guy named Boaz, uncovers his feet one night (a curious marriage proposal indeed), marries him and has a son named Obed, who turns out to be the grandfather of the mighty King David! Still bored?
The genealogy of Jesus appears to be merely a list of names but in fact is full of God’s redemptive history revealing deep truths about our mysterious yet gracious God. Beneath these names there is an incredible story about the people who God uses to bring forth and prepare the way for the coming of his son, Jesus Christ. Within that list of names there is scandal, loss, pain, rescue, redemption, promise and joy. There are people of wealth and people of poverty, people of virtue and people of vice. Yet, God still used them all to bring forth his only begotten Son to redeem the world.
Indeed, the genealogy of Jesus is a fascinating conglomeration of people. Likewise, the people of the MN South District are a fascinating conglomeration of people as well. We all have stories to tell and histories behind us, maybe some not so different from the ancestors of Jesus. And yet we are all equally redeemed by the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
The gospel of Matthew intentionally begins with a genealogy. He shows us who Jesus came from. Matthew then unpacks the story of Jesus and shows who he came for. He then ends his gospel account with the record of Jesus sending his disciples to “all nations” (you and I included) to baptize, teach, and make disciples (Matthew 28:19).
You might say that it’s the continuation of his family genealogy—his baptismal genealogy. As we are baptismally brought into his family and as we reach out with the Good News of Jesus Christ to bring others into this family, we can celebrate how the genealogy of Jesus continues on, adding all kinds of new names and new stories behind those names, and each part of the redemptive story of our Savior Jesus Christ.