Word to the Wise
Saturday, December 18, 2010 - Friday in the Third Week of Advent
[Genesis 49:2, 8-10 and Matthew 1:1-17]The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.....
In the last couple of decades of my father's life (he lived to be 91) he compiled two volumes of information and stories about our family. One of the books is composed of entries from his mother's bible, along with newspaper articles about significant family events and anecdotes. The other volume is filled with professional genealogical data about my family on both my father's and mother's side. These two volumes are treasured possessions. They are not meant to "prove" anything other than be records and memories that may be almost a kind of historical DNA. The genealogy of Jesus Christ in the Gospel of Matthew is different. Matthew has a definite purpose in mind that appears in the very first line when he speaks of "Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham!
Many people have a tough time with this passage. There are too many names that are unfamiliar and hard to pronounce. Deacons and Priests do not look forward to working their way through it. Yet, it has much to say about Jesus. It first of all acknowledges him as the Messiah by calling him Jesus CHRIST. It then speaks of him as Son of David and Son of Abraham. Thus he is the fulfillment of God's promises to Abraham, the first patriarch, and to King David. The first two sections of the genealogy then show how this might be possible. The third section of the genealogy, however, is composed of "nobodies" but it does make clear that Jesus is the legitimate son of Joseph because Joseph accepted him. We learn how this happened in the gospel story that follows about Joseph and his way of responding to Mary's unexpected pregnancy!
This genealogy had partially the purpose of reassuring the early Jewish-Christian community of the identity of Jesus Christ. His lineage is not without "problematic" pregnancies and some difficult and downright sleazy characters! In that respect it is like all other genealogies, and it definitely makes him more "human" by that acknowledgment. God definitely writes straight with crooked lines! I urge all my "Beloved Congregation" to take a second look at this genealogy and realize its true purpose - the preaching of the Good News about Jesus Christ. It's the reason for this season! AMEN