Participating in the Genealogy of Jesus Christ

Matthew 1: 1-17

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

Whenever we tell of the Christmas story, we used to begin with the couple Mary and Joseph. However, the evangelist Matthew insists that the Christmas story has to begin with the genealogy of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:1-17).

Yet there is no glamour found in this genealogy; on the contrary, it's a deteriorating genealogy. So, there must be something intriguing there, to draw our interest to understand why!

Matthew's genealogy is divided into three phases, each phase containing fourteen generations. 

At the end of first phase, King David is ushered in, "and Jesse the father of David the king ......" (1: 6a), at this point this genealogy reaches its highest point.

In all the names listed in the genealogy, only David has the title of a king and but he also retains a criminal record: "And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah" (1: 6b)!

After this climax point, King David's dynasty went downhill, and finally at the end of the second phase of the genealogy, the Israelite nation perished: "and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon ......" (1:11a).

The third phase begins immediately, starting with a string of unknown minor characters in the conquerors’ land, they appeared but shortly vanished. From royal family becoming commoners, from glamour reduced to memory. This third group of fourteen generations passes by likes smoke.

That is why I say, this is a declining genealogy!

If this is our own genealogy, we will want to bury it, not letting it be known to people. But again, who can choose their own family line?

We are not born with choices for our nationality, races, gender or upbringing environment. We have to accept them, even with grudges how much one dislike them. Some people may accept and take responsibility whether in honour or in shame, but some people we see, tries hard to escape.

The Holy Son Jesus Christ Embraces a Declining Genealogy

If there should be someone who is able to choose his own family line, that person must be Jesus, given that he is the Son of God, incarnated on earth! But this Son of God, the only person who has a right to choose his own genealogy, he embraces a declining genealogy.

Isn’t it true that the Son of God can do as like those martial arts heroes, suddenly appears into the scene intervening to combat evil, restore justice and then disappear right away?

Why must he give up the identity of an outsider, but counted himself as a member of the disgraced family?

By doing this, he thoroughly embraces the human tragedy, shame, struggle, defeat, to be his painful experience and heritage. For this reason, this declined genealogy will always be known after (till our modern times) as the genealogy of Jesus Christ"(1: 1).

I think that, God through Jesus Christ Incarnate is telling us that as long as it is our human and flesh genealogy, God would heartily embrace it to make it the genealogy of Jesus Christ. As long as it is our story, he would embrace it to make it his story.

God loves us so radically that he accepts us to a degree far more than we could have imagined. For the dark side, defeat and humiliation inside us that we ourselves even choose to ignore, Jesus would bear it without regret. As long as they come from us, they always belong to him as well.

Now the problem is not with God but is with us. Do we really believe that God loves us to that unimaginable degree? Are we still indifferent to God’s love?

As Jesus Embraces Such Genealogy, We Have Hope for a Better Tomorrow

This genealogy is surprisingly neat: three times fourteen generations, no more and no less! It is concluded this way: “So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generation.” (1:17)

14 is a multiple of 7 and 7 represents completion. Historically each fourteenth generation completes a phase and marks a beginning of a new phase. The number computation of genealogy tells us two important truths:

First of all, God the Father does not embrace us only from the day when the Son incarnated. God already loves humankind since the ancient years, and throughout the highs or lows in history, his loving-kindness to us never ceases.

Second, God is never out of control, nor is He helpless, even though history pans out how difficult those times might have been, as every fourteenth generations matured, the historical direction shifts according to His will without exception.

Finally, when the time comes to the end of the fourteenth generation of the third phase, this God who is always in control intervenes through the Son into the human genealogy. He revitalizes this declined genealogy by the power of His grace.

In the genealogy, besides King David who has a special title, Jesus also has a special title, three times he is addressed Christ (1: 1, 16, 17); Christ is far more superior than king.

David as king alleviates the genealogy to its peak, but he is also entangled by human weaknesses, culminated with the downfall of the Davidic dynasty. Conversely, Jesus who is Christ, the Messiah, delivers a way out for the predicament of that genealogy. Jesus breathes in life to the dead.

The main issue here again, is not that God is determined to save us through Christ, but rather are we open to God, to believe that He can change us even from the darkest side inside of us?

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ is for Everyone to Participate In

The traditional Jewish genealogy only mentions names of males, but this genealogy of Jesus Christ listed five women's names - Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Mary (except Beersheba is known as the wife of Uriah, highlighting the sin of David). This point is worth for us to ponder over.

These four women are not qualified (according to Jewish customs) to be included in the genealogy. However, due to their acts of faith, a wonderful shift of the genealogy history is triggered. For this reason, their names are included in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. They are remembered by name each time we read Matthew 1:1-17.

This aspect reveals to us that Jesus Christ’s genealogy is an open genealogy. For anybody who is willing to offer up themselves for the truth, to embrace the Truth—Jesus Christ, he could participate in the genealogy of Jesus Christ!

The genealogy of Jesus Christ is made up by a variety of minor characters like you and I, those who are willing to offer themselves for God to use. And by God’s grace, we can overcome individual weaknesses; taking up our responsibility, an act of which could enable us to have a share in the genealogy of Jesus Christ, and make changes to our lives and the society at large.

Application

Before Jesus was born, God through forty-two generations of people, drew the genealogy of Jesus Christ. But after Jesus' death, resurrection and ascension, who then shall be among the names follow after Jesus' genealogy? Who are those willing to continue advancing Jesus' work?  Is it you and I?

Whenever we share the gospel with non-believers; or when we forgive people who wrong us; or when we give a helping hand to people in Christ’s name; when we open our homes to the sojourners; when we willingly put aside our busyness to give others a listening ear; or when we say " I'm sorry " to people whom we hurt; or when we take courage to be responsible people ......

In the above acts, we are continuing the genealogy of Jesus Christ, by participating in God's will and Jesus' ministry.

Today, are you willing to offer yourself for use by God, to participate in the continuation of Jesus Christ's genealogy? May the Spirit touch our hearts and empower us to act accordingly!