Matthew 1:1-17: Genealogy
Tuesday, January 7, 2025
As commentary explains the issue of genealogy, the purpose of Matthew’s inclusion of this long list of who begat whom serves to describe the fourteen generations in this listing, 14 being the numerical value of the letters in the name David. I once heard an entire lecture on numerology and the Hebrew alphabet, concepts important to Matthew’s audience, the Jewish people at the time of Christ. The salient point here is that Matthew was making the case that the man Jesus was indeed the long-awaited Messiah who springs from David’s line.
Yet, despite this affirmation that emanated from their way of thinking, despite the many signs and fulfillments of Old Testament scriptures and the prophets, the people refused to accept the evidence before them. We might ask why; and the answer is – because they wanted to.
When Jesus came into his family, his town, his country, his culture, he upended many of the long-held tenets. He came to set the world on fire, to cause discussion, to move the people out of their comfort zone. He did this in his own time and he continues to do this with us today. He does this with an inversion that startles and even frightens us, but that also transforms us.
We might turn to Paul to better understand the genealogy we share with Jesus. Paul explains to the Galatians, and he explains to us . . . When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God. (Galatians 4:4-7)
Family was important to my parents – both the generations before us and the generations to come. These cohorts formed a foundation on which Mother and Dad stood and from which they drew strength as they met the daily challenges of life. We need to practice standing and stretching. We need to practice patience and forgiveness.
Today we read of Jesus’ legitimacy. Let us reflect on our own legitimacy as his adopted sisters and brothers. Do we share his patience? Do we share his love for those who curse us? Do we share his love for doing God’s will? Are we legitimate heirs of the redemption Jesus has gifted to us?
For more information on Jesus’s Family Tree, visit the PBS Frontline site at: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/jesus/tree.html
For details on this tree, for comparisons of Luke’s and Matthew’s genealogies, visit: http://www.complete-bible-genealogy.com/genealogy_of_jesus.htm
Tomorrow, loving our enemies.
Adapted from a reflection written on February 4, 2008.
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