Unexpected Names in the Family of Jesus……..

 Unexpected Names in the Family of Jesus……..

The two genealogies (Mathew 1:1-17, Luke 3: 23-38) are a résumé of salvation history, of God's way with Israel. Matthew's and Luke's lists stem largely from Old Testament genealogies (see Gen. 10-11 and 1 Chron. 1-3) and Jewish sources.

Matthew gives the legal royal lineage from David through Solomon and Joseph, and Luke giving the natural lineage from David through Nathan to Mary, the former presenting the legal, the latter the natural, physical connection. Matthew’s genealogy traces the lineage of Jesus through Joseph while the one in Luke traces it through Mary.  Matthew traces Jesus' lineage through forty-two generations from Abraham to Christ. Luke traces it from Adam to Christ for more than seventy generations. Study of Jesus’s genealogies reveals the nature of God’s interventions in human history.

Unpredictable graciousness of God God frequently does not choose the best or the noble or the saintly. Genealogy in Mathews Gospel portrays the very nature of God; God is not controlled by human strengths or merits but by God’s own unpredictable graciousness.  God's grace is that he accomplishes his purpose through those whom others regard as unimportant and forgettable.

Unexpected Women in the Genealogy.  In the Genealogy of Jesus we find five women particularly in a patriarchal social setting. In the light of the OT genealogies this is an unexpected item (Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba and Mary).  Each had a scandalous aspect of her life, thus paving the way for Mary as an unwed mother and all were (or were married to) Gentiles. But all of them were instruments in the hands of God to continue God’s redemptive initiatives in the human history. The choice of the women who are mentioned is as surprising as the choice of many of the men as we hear nothing of the saintly patriarchal wives, Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel.

 Lessons from this Genealogy

• God's grace can work with even people like us.

• God’s Redemptive works continues through Unexpected and Forgettable people.

• God breaks the stereotype understanding of holiness and uses the faithful and just.

• The names listed in the list shows that they were loyal to God in their times

• God can use any person irrespective of their caste, colour, gender and class.
•          God Invites all to be the part of  God’s Family

God is gracious and continues his gracious interventions through unimportant and forgettable people.

Rev. Sajeev Thomas (sajeevachen@gmail.com)