Matthew 1:1-17
The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judah and his brethren; and Judah begat Perez and Zerah by Tamar; and Perez begat Hezron; and Esrom begat Aram; and Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; and Salmon begat Boaz by Rahab; and Boaz begat Obed by Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; and Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon by her that had been the wife of Uriah; and Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asaph; and Asaph begat Jehoshaphat; and Jehoshaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Uzziah; and Uzziah begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Ahaz; and Ahaz begat Hezekiah; and Hezekiah begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amos; and Amos begat Josias; and Josias begat Jechoniah and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon: and after they were brought to Babylon, Jechoniah begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zerubbabel; and Zerubbabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor; and Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud; and Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.
Chances are you have never heard a sermon about the genealogy of Jesus. As you experienced just a moment ago, it is not very captivating to listen to or read; but it's included in the Bible for a reason...more than one, actually. And, like everything else we preach about here at Cross of Grace, the reasons are all good news.
It helps to understand that lineage was incredibly important in the Ancient Near East at the time. One’s identity was very much tied to one’s lineage. People in the powerful conquering kingdoms of the time (such as the Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, etc.) would proudly trace their ancestral heritage back to claim their identity and authority over others.
Like every Hebrew, Jesus’ lineage begins with Abraham. What we tend to forget from our vantage point in history is that Abraham was nobody special. He was not a powerful king who ruled over people. The Egyptians, Assyrians, and Babylonians looked at descendants of Abraham as inferior people. Abraham was a nobody and anyone who traces their bloodline back to him is also a nobody.
The Hebrew people, however, viewed Abraham as the highest example of faithfulness to God. They were honored to be a people descended from a perfectly faithful nobody from nowhere special. It suited them just fine. And, as it turned out, it proved to be a powerful link to Jesus as the Messiah. Matthew, who is writing to a Hebrew audience, seems to think it is quite important to make the link between Abraham and Jesus of Nazareth: a son of a carpenter from some backwater town -- a nobody from nowhere special.
Here’s an interesting aside. Recall the reference to the fourteen generations from Abraham to David, the fourteen from David to the Babylonian exile, and the fourteen from the Babylonian defeat until Jesus. Numbers were very symbolic for the ancient Hebrew people. The number seven represents wholeness and perfection. The number fourteen is seven two times, which means it is doubly-special and doubly-perfect. That’s not a joke. The number fourteen is referenced in scripture in significant times related to the matter of salvation. Hebrew people who heard this genealogy would immediately recognize that Jesus is not just a descendent of King David (whose name in Hebrew is a numerical link to 14), but also the groupings by 14 connote expectations for perfection and salvation. Just a few verses into the gospel and people are already captivated and eager to learn more about this Jesus guy.
But here’s where things get really juicy. Included in Matthew’s account of Jesus’ genealogy are five names of women: Tamar, Ruth, Bathsheba (although she is referenced as “her that had been the wife of Uriah”), and Mary. The names of women were not typically included in genealogies at this point in history, due to the belief that the seed for humanity was passed through men only. No Hebrew person would have expected or needed to know which women were in Jesus’ ancestry. But here are five women, and what a crew they are:
Tamar pretended to be a prostitute in order to get pregnant by her father-in-law, Judah (which, it should be explained was something he was obligated to do in the first place.
Rahab was not even Hebrew, but she did help hide two Hebrew spies in Jericho, which ended up helping Israel take over Jericho.
Ruth was also not a Hebrew. If you recall from the Old Testament book that bears her name, her husband died and she stuck by her Hebrew mother-in-law, Naomi; eventually convincing Boaz to marry her.
Bathsheba was bathing on the roof and became the object of King David’s lust, which so consumed him that he violated her and had Bathsheba’s husband killed on the military frontlines, so he could have her all to himself.
And Mary, a nobody from nowhere special, who was a model of faithfulness.
Matthew includes these women because they all inform who Jesus will prove to be throughout the gospel:
Jesus, like Tamar, will hold the Hebrew people to their sacred obligations.
Jesus, like Rahab, will welcome and be of service to people beyond his own culture and religion.
Jesus, like Ruth, will sacrifice everything in order to take care of the marginalized and neglected people in society.
Jesus, like Bathsheba, will be the object of others’ warped passions and suffer abuse for those passions.
And Jesus, a nobody from nowhere special, like his mother, will be a model of faithfulness.
Jesus’ genealogy is a beautiful composition that illustrates God’s redemptive plan transcends expectations and borders, welcomes the strangers, includes the excluded, takes care of the unwell, is gritty and tangible, transforms suffering, and is good news for all nobodies from nowhere special, just like us.
Amen.
