Awkward Family Christmas | The Awkward Family Tree
About this series:
This series aims to bring a sense of authenticity and relatability to the Christmas story, reminding us that God’s grace and purpose are often found in the midst of our most awkward and challenging moments.
About this talk:
Scripture: Matthew 1:1-17
Matthew starts his record of Jesus’ life very deliberately with a genealogy. Despite a resurgence of interest in family trees, to our modern ways of thinking these first lines may seem an odd way to announce the Saviour. However, in the ancient world (and in some cultures still today) it is hugely significant to highlight who you belong to, the family line you come from. ‘In Jewish history the most natural and essential way to begin the story of a man’s life is to give his genealogy’ (Dennis Wright). In ancient days, a genealogy says, “This is what I am,” in the way a modern c.v. does.
In particular Matthew wants to show that Jesus is, v 1, “the son of David [and] the son of Abraham” because the Messiah was promised to be descended from David (2 Samuel 7:12; Isaiah 9:6-7; Isaiah 11:1; Jeremiah 23:5-6) and the one through whom the blessing to the nations would come (Genesis 12:2-3; Galatians 3:7-9,14,29). These credentials were essential to Jesus being known as the Messiah promised throughout the OT storyline.
It’s not a complete genealogy (some generations are missed out altogether), but that is not problematic in terms of ancient genealogies. As N. T. Wright comments in this regard, ‘The Maoris...can give several different genealogies for themselves, depending on which ancestor they want to highlight and how much intermarrying has taken place.’
Significantly, women are included in the genealogy, which would have been very unusual in such times. So we have Tamar (v 3), Rahab (v 5), Ruth (v 5) and Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba (v 6). Three were Gentiles, three were guilty of adultery, two of being a prostitute, one of whom was involved in one of the most sordid events in the entire OT. And even the rest of the characters in the genealogy sinned greatly. Yet Jesus is not ashamed to ‘lower himself’ to us and to call us his brothers (Philippians 2:6-8; Hebrews 2:11).
In summary, Matthew is telling us a number of things:
That Jesus is descended from David’s line through which the Messiah was believed to come and from Abraham, through whom God’s blessing would come to the nations. That Jesus was fully man as well as fully God. He is actually descended in real time history from a known family line.
That God’s grace and redemptive power is so great that he uses imperfect men and women to fulfil his purposes.
That Jesus’ mission is global; his genealogy includes both Jews and Gentiles. He has come for the nations, as is highlighted when Matthew quotes Isaiah 9:1-2 (in Matthew 4:15-16).
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