In Context with Other Big Deals of History
Matt. 1:2 ¶ Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
Matt. 1:3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,
Matt. 1:6 and Jesse the father of David the king. ¶ And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah,
Matt. 1:7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph,
Matt. 1:11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
Matt. 1:16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
Matt. 1:17 ¶ So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.
It looks like we’re skipping a rock over the genealogy of Jesus here, and we are. Look at the things that stand out in this section. All of the history of the Jewish people is hanging on a few tentpoles according to Matthew.
Abraham is the start. God called Abraham His friend and reached out to him from the start. Abraham obeyed and believed and God called him righteous. As in “Alright with God.” To be alright with the maker of stars and strawberries is a big deal.
Then the generations went on until King David took the throne. It was the Golden Age for Israel. They were expanding and prosperous, with the greatest of kings and the wisest of princes a kingdom could ever ask for.
Then crisis struck as the entire nation was exiled to Babylon. It would live as a constant reminder to keep the Law, to stand firm in faith in Yahweh, and to always remember His discipline and His mercy. Not only did the Babylonian exile represent God’s mercy because He brought them back to Israel, but it justified all of the prophets that tried to warn them. In hindsight, Israel put all kinds of faith and trust in the words of the prophets.
And then, Christ is born! The the context of Abraham, David, and Babylon, comes Christ. Moses isn’t even in this historical list! What about the Exodus, the wilderness, or any of the prophets?
These events are all bigger. There would be no Egypt or wilderness without Abraham. There would be no kingdom of Israel without King David. There would be no validation of the prophets if there were no Babylon. And there would be no salvation without Christ.
Take that in and savor it today, apart from the usual hubbub of Christmas.
When Jesus came and was born, it was on a level of magnitude in history along with Abraham, King David, and the Babylonian exile.
Let’s live that emphasis today.
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