So We Would Know

Our Senior Pastor has challenged the congregation to read through the New Testament in a year, this year. While that doesn't seem like a extraordinary request, I know from previous experience that it will get tough. Nevertheless, today I join hundreds or thousands of others in rising to this challenge by opening my Bible and reading.

Today, we start with Matthew 1 which opens with the genealogy of Jesus. I must admit that I was more interested in this genealogy than I've ever been before. Typically, I just skip through the genealogies to get to the 'good stuff.' But today, somehow, this IS the good stuff.

Giving consideration to why God found it necessary to present us with the genealogy of Jesus, I have three theories;

The first is to demonstrate God's Grand Design, specifically that Jesus (the man) was not an after-thought but had been intended from the beginning of time. In this way, we can more plainly see the thread of God's plan for salvation that winds its way through the Old Testament, the New Testament and into our lives today. This too reveals how the old covenant (Abrahmic) and the new covenant are not separate and unrelated promises but they are inextricably linked together across time and generations.

The second has to do with God's nature of perfect justness or more plainly, the legal ramifications. It is necessary for Jesus to be in the lineage of Abraham, et al so as to plainly establish his authority, his sovreignty and his 'right' to claim the throne. Jesus is no pretender to the throne nor is he some long-lost overlooked branch on the family tree. The blood of Abraham flows in the veins of Jesus and Jesus is the personification of 'the seed of Abraham' which God promised. Thus to establish the unbroken line from Abraham to Jesus clearly established the 'legal' authority for Jesus to ascend to the throne.

The third has to do with God's nature of perfect redemption, this is a spiritual dimension to the genealogy. In the genealogy of Christ we see a variety of men, women and personalities. With only a passing familiarity of the people in this list we can immediately identify prostitutes and adulterers. If God can so use those people in the realization of His divine plan, how then can anyone be outside the scope of being used by God? This is a great relief to a sinner such as I!

So, in considering the genealogy of Jesus, let us look behind the list of ancient names to understand the ancient story of God. A story which now includes the likes of you and me.

Peace,
Carl


Spiritual ramification