Of the thousands of people reading this blog post, what are the odds that each of us are the “normal ones” around the Thanksgiving table? Do you really think you are the one that everyone else wishes they were? In less than two weeks our families will all gather together again in dreaded anticipation of what Uncle Joe will say over dinner about someone’s sexual orientation…or whether Aunt Sally will ask where your cousin is this year…the one that’s in rehab.
We all have people in our near and distant past that we generally don’t discuss on a first date or write about in a “Who In My Family I Most Admire” speech from 3rd grade History. We all family embarrassments. All of us…including Jesus.
The first chapter of Matthew includes that long series of begats that we normally skip over when we promise to read through the bible in a year (along with the entire book of Numbers). There is actually some interesting controversy about this chapter.
If you were a Jew during the time of Jesus you would be very familiar with the names listed…and you would be surprised that anyone would claim some of them as proud family members. For example:
– Excluded from the list is Grandpa Jeconiah who managed to inherit the family business and then lose it all in less than 4 months before being sent out of the country. Good job.
– Pappy Jesse was the father of David who murdered a soldier just so he could sleep with the guy’s wife.
– There was Granddaddy Josiah who had to take over the family business at the ripe old age of eight after watching his father Amon get murdered by his staff.
– Oh and Gramps Amon…why did his staff murder him? He spent most of his time burning bibles and putting little statues of himself and his father in churches around town.
– Surely no one ever invited Grandpa Uzziah to Thanksgiving dinner. He was a leper and lived in a separate house out back.
– What about cousin Joram. His dad was Uncle Jehoshaphat (of “jumping Jehosophat” fame). Joram was one of 7 cousins and he ran the family business with his dad. Joram was afraid he would have to share the business with his brothers so he did what any co-business owner would do under the circumstances…he killed all 6 of his brothers.
– And then there is Grandpa Salmon, the father of Cousin Boaz. And who was Boaz’s mom? That would be Granny Rahab, the town prostitute!
So how do you feel looking at Jesus’ family get together compared to your crazy Uncle Joe? Maybe feel like Jesus can relate to your family a little bit? Why would Matthew include this list of crazies in a genealogy that is supposed to connect Him to Abraham? Just maybe it was so that we all might draw a little closer to this man who was not only Creator of the Universe but born of flesh too.
“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).
Only a human could sympathize with our weaknesses and temptations. In His humanity, Jesus was subjected to all the same kinds of troubles that we are so He is able to sympathize with us completely.
Remember this Advent season that the humanity of Jesus is as equally important as the deity of Jesus!
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