Matthew 1:1 - 17
This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife, Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah, Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.
After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Eliud, Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.
Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.
Okay, be honest. When you saw that the December 17 text for today was a genealogy, raise your hand if you read all the way through it. I thought so . . . I'm not seeing many hands. Count me with you, too.
I'm not a big genealogy reader. I'll scan them for familiar names, but I find it difficult to get too interested in ancient -- or modern -- genealogies.
I'll also confess that I've never gone back into the Hebrew Scriptures to check on the names and generations listed by Matthew as Jesus' heritage. I've never done the intensive, extensive study of Jesus' line to check it for accuracy. And I've read commentaries on Matthew that come out in many different places regarding this genealogy in Matthew 1:1 - 17 . . . including some who say there is no way this is an accurate record . . . and some who say this is the exact bloodline of Jesus. I'm not here to argue either extreme today.
A couple of things do strike me as important in Matthew's genealogy. First, this record echoes the history of ancient Israel. It begins with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, then turns toward David and Solomon. It marks the period of Exile, when the Israelites were captives in Babylon, before running toward Joseph. Within the list there are kings in decline and persons more ordinary than significant. Many of those mentioned are not famous and are, in fact, completely unknown to us.
So the family of Jesus includes sinners, common folks and some who faltered very publicly. His human roots foreshadow the human family that will gather around him later as he heals, teaches and extends mercy to persons in everyday life.
Second, the genealogy is notable for the women who show up in the listing. Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and "Uriah's wife" (Bathsheba) are mentioned in Jesus' origins. It is scandalous that their names are given . . . they are foreign, non-Jewish women who show up in a Israel-centric and male-dominated genealogy.
Perhaps more, the four Old Testament women were each involved in some kind of scandal. In fact, sexual scandal was the common thread in each of their stories.
These scandalous females are so prominent in the list that by the end of the genealogy, Joseph is not introduced on his own merits, but in relationship to Mary. He is the "husband of Mary," though not actually the "husband" of Mary. Joseph's identity is tied to Mary. Mary -- and by association Joseph -- will be involved in sexual scandal as well, as the next section of Matthew will detail.
It seems important to recognize not only that Jesus' life began in scandal (Mary, Joseph, and rumors of illegitimacy), but that his "origins" throughout his lineage were filled with the sexually scandalous.
I want to push the PAUSE button right now. The next part of Jesus' origins come up tomorrow in the text for December 18. For now, I'll say that Matthew makes it clear that Jesus' human origins are important. They give us some idea of who he is and where he is going. When we give attention to his origins, we understand why he was who he was . . . why he attracted to himself those who came to him.
Our own origins are important in spirituality. In a healthy spirituality, we come to see God, ourselves, others, and the world in new ways. As a part of this deeper knowing of our own inner landscape, we become aware of our beginnings, the voices and influences that have shaped our becoming.
For the wounds that have come from some of those origins we need healing. And for the gift that has come in those origins we need to give thanks.
Tune in tomorrow for the next movement . . . I'll offer another perspective on Jesus' -- and our -- origins from Matthew 1:18 - 25.
No comments:
Post a Comment