One with Us

Reading: Matthew 1.1-17

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We hear quite a bit these days about identity fraud. There are unscrupulous people out there who will even go as far as assuming the identity of a recently-deceased person – with fake driver’s licences and credit cards. That would be rather more difficult in a society where identity is defined by a whole genealogy!

In Jewish society one’s genealogy was treasured. In our society, some people are passionately researching their genealogy. It can be a fascinating hobby, but be warned – you may find some “skeletons” in the cupboard! Of course, if some ancestor came to Australia as a convict, that may now be a matter of pride!

A devout Hindu approached a Christian missionary in India wanting to read some of the story of Jesus. The missionary looked through his resources and gave the man a copy of Matthew’s gospel. As the man went off, the missionary wondered how the Hindu would cope with all the “begats” in chapter 1.

A week later the Hindu returned quite excited. “He has a genealogy! He’s one of us!” That is in stark contrast with the Hindu deities.

We tend to skip over the “begats”, anxious to get onto the “important stuff” – the birth of Jesus. Yet it is “A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham” (v 1).

The Lord had said to Abraham, “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12.2-3). So Jesus was in the line of Abraham – one of the chosen race through whom God was revealing his purposes to the human race.

But Jesus was also in the royal line of David to whom God had promised, “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever” (2 Samuel 7.16). With all the ups and downs of national fortune, that didn’t look like the situation at the moment, but the Jews looked forward to the promised anointed one, the Messiah, and the restoration of David’s kingdom.

That’s why Mary and Joseph had to go to Bethlehem to register in the census. As we read in Luke 2.4-5, “So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.”

The genealogy is organised into three fourteens. This was for ease of memorisation. So some names had to be skipped without compromising the integrity of the whole. But the “awkward” elements in the genealogy are not only there but highlighted.

Traditionally, the genealogy recorded the father’s line. But four women are mentioned by Matthew. We read, “Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar” (Matthew 1.3). The house of Judah is the royal line, but what is this reference to Tamar? Judah’s first son, Er, married Tamar but died without leaving any children. So the next son, Onan, was expected to lie with Tamar to produce offspring in the name of Er. He refused and also died. Judah told Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s house until my son Shelah grows up” (Genesis 38.11). Judah had no intention of giving his third son to Tamar, fearful that he too would die. Judah’s wife died and Shelah had grown up and nothing was happening. So Tamar disguised herself as a prostitute and became pregnant to her father-in-law and gave birth to the twins mentioned in the genealogy.

Next there is Rahab, the prostitute of Jericho. The two spies whom Joshua sent to spy out the city “entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there” (Joshua 1.1). She protected the spies and obviously came to a healthy fear of the God of Israel. She could see that judgment was coming. Her house was built into the wall and a scarlet cord hung out the window through which she had lowered them to safety would be the promise of protection for her and her family. She receives mention in the genealogy.

Then there’s Ruth, the Moabite widow who returned to Bethlehem with her widowed mother-in-law, Naomi. We recall Ruth’s commitment as Naomi began her sad journey back to Bethlehem, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God” (Ruth 1.16). Boaz says to her, “May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge” (2.12). After going through the proper procedures, Boaz married Ruth. They had a son, Obed, who became the grandfather of David.

As we follow the line from David – “David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife” (Matthew 1.6). Matthew doesn’t mention her name – Bathsheba – but rather records the sordid affair that led to her being in the list. David wasn’t with his men in the battlefield. One evening walking around the roof of his palace David saw a beautiful woman bathing. He knew that she was the wife of Uriah the Hittite – a soldier in the army – but sent for her and slept with her. When she sent him word that she was pregnant, David did all he could to cover up and ended up arranging for Uriah’s death. So the record of David’s rule is – “David had done what was right in the eyes of the LORD and had not failed to keep any of the LORD’s commands all the days of his life – except in the case of Uriah the Hittite” (1 Kings 15.5). And it receives a mention in the genealogy.

Why draw attention to these awkward and irregular elements in the genealogy? The coming of Jesus was about the grace of God. As we read in Hebrews, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin” (Hebrews 4.15).

Jesus was truly one with us – Immanuel, God with us, come to redeem us from the thralldom of sin.

And the angelic word to the shepherds is truly a word for all people – “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2.10).

PRAYER: Eternal Father, when you planned the coming of your Son, your chosen race was far from perfect, far from ready, and your chosen line had all the marks of human brokenness and sin. You sent Jesus to be one with us, but, unlike us, to be the sinless one and to give his life for sinners. Amazing love! Amazing grace! Thank you, Lord! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Christ is Here!

Hear the strains of carol-singing,

bells are ringing,

Christmas coming.

Many lights on houses twinkle –

hang the tinsel,

give the cheer,

Christ is here!

Dismal night so long and gloomy –

come, be roomy!

Here’s another

needs to know the Father’s loving

and his giving –

spread the cheer,

Christ is here!

Angels from the realms of glory

told the story.

Shepherds heard it,

saw a Baby in a manger –

heaven’s Stranger

come to earth

for his birth.

Hear again the carol-singing,

bells a-ringing,

Christmas coming.

Open wide our hearts to greet him,

here to meet him,

welcoming

the King of kings!

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Except where otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the New International Version, © International Bible Society, 1984.

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