December 15, 1999
FAMILY LIFE SERIES:
Matthew provides eye-opening
start to gospel
___* Matthew 1:1-25
___By Stacy Conner
___First Baptist Church, Muleshoe
___In our "hit the highlights" culture, Matthew's genealogy of Jesus the Messiah seems a little lengthy. "Don't give me the background, tell me what happened today!" is the cry of our generation. ESPN made a name for itself by showing only the most spectacular plays and the final score. "Just give me the highlights," seems to be the mantra of our generation.
___A "show me quickly" attitude misses much of the heart of Jesus genealogy. Found among the heroes of the faith, like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David were a few surprisingor reluctant faces. Matthew seemed to go out of his way to mention that Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar.
___You remember the story. Tamar was the wife of Er, Judahs first born. Er, lived a wicked life and was put to death by the Lord. Tamar managed to secure a future for herself when she was mistaken for a prostitute by her father-in-law, Judah (Genesis 38). While Matthew lists the genealogy of Jesus, he could have easily skipped over this rather seamy episode of Judah's life. Yet he specifically mentions Tamar. Why?
___Listed among the lineage of Jesus was Rahab. Rahab was the prostitute who assisted the Hebrew spies to escape from the city of Jericho. Why was she mentioned? Also mentioned was Ruth. She was made famous for her faithfulness to her mother-in-law, later marrying Boaz. But why was Ruth singled out in such a significant position?
___The inclusion of these three women raises the fact that the genealogy seems to have a few glaring omissions. Where was Sarah? Why were Rebekah and Rachel omitted?
___I want to offer a couple of ideas. The genealogy of Jesus was proof Jesus did not just stumble into the role of the Messiah. He was part of fabric of God's saving purpose. Jesus was the fulfilment of God's saving purpose. Jesus was the Messiah in the linage of salvation history from the father of the faith, Abraham, to the house of David. Jesus did not just assume the role of Messiah. He was a descendent of the house of faith.
___The inclusion of these three previously mentioned women, to the exclusion of those who were more mainstream, perhaps says something about Jesus' inclusion of Gentiles and women. Each of these would have been standing outside the traditional house of faith, but not with Jesus. Jesus' ministry was marked by associations with "sinners," such as prostitutes, tax collectors, the demon-possessed and the suffering.
___The genealogy of Jesus was not simply a listing of family heritage. Instead, it was a story of God's revelation to man. And sometimes, God reveals himself in very unanticipated ways. Speaking of surprising, how about this? The Son of Almighty God came as a baby boy born to a young virgin with a surprised fiance, from an obscure Galilean village, to redeem mankind from its sin. That is an eye-opening start to the gospel story.
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