The Gospel of Matthew opens with the genealogy of Jesus, although it’s a list of names most of which we are unfamiliar with and may be tempted to skip over. It may be a good little bit of historical information, but what does a list of names actually have to offer us? However, don’t we have some appreciation for our own family trees? What might be uncovered when we study our own family histories? If our own family trees contain complex lives full of adventure, courage, deceit, and the hidden faithfulness of God, why shouldn’t the same be true of Jesus?
Jesus is, in the broad historical scope of things, “the son of David, the son of Abraham.” (Matthew 1:1) To call him the son of Abraham is to call him the complete summing up of Israel. Everything Israel was ever called to do and to be is summed up perfectly in Jesus. He is where their story was always headed. To call him the son of David is to recognize his kingship. His crown will be made of thorns and his throne will be shaped like a cross. We’ll spend all of Matthew’s Gospel wondering how someone like this could be the true king of the world.
Two opposing things are true of Jesus at the same time. Jesus is the incarnation of the God who has inserted himself into human history. Jesus is the appearance of the timeless God within time. And yet, it is also true that Jesus does not simply appear out of nowhere. He comes to us from a family lineage through which God was bringing about his mysterious plan. He rises up organically, from within the workings of time and human relationships. Somehow, God defies history and works within it at the same time. This is why Matthew is the first book of the New Testament. Matthew begins with a bridge. All that happened before has brought us here, to Mary and Joseph and their son.
The genealogy is filled with complicated characters. Four women are named (Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba), who are all gentiles. Yes, the story of Israel was not going to reach its perfect end unless God brought in faithful women from other peoples. Their stories are also complicated, finding themselves thrust into situations they never would have chosen for themselves. And even if we wouldn’t condone every one of their actions, we see how they became vessels for the faithfulness of God. Yes, this family tree is full of devious characters. Jacob, Judah, David. God is more than capable of being faithful through their flaws and selfish mistakes.
The Greek word here in Matthew 1:1 behind “genealogy” is “genesis.” Matthew is giving us the genesis of Jesus. Yes, our minds hear that word and return to the first pages of the whole Bible. That’s exactly what Matthew wants us to do. Jesus is not merely the next chapter of the story. He is the new genesis of a new creation. In him all things are being made new. To enter this front door of the New Testament is to embark upon a new beginning where Jesus will take all our flaws and mistakes and breathe the faithfulness of God into them.
As we journey with Jesus through Matthew’s Gospel, we are being made into disciples, followers, students of his. We are baptized into the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And we are being taught, learning from our teacher his curriculum for Christlikeness. This is Jesus’ “Great Commission” to his disciples in Matthew 28:18-20, and it is Matthew’s ministry to us, presenting us to the one who makes us, and all things, new.
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