Fourteen Generations

~~~ Genesis 49:2, 8-10 ~~~ Psalm 72 ~~~ Matthew 1:1-17 ~~~

The genealogy of Jesus is lengthy and thorough enough to convince
 anyone who has questions about where Jesus came from.

 ...the total number of generations
from Abraham to David
is fourteen generations;
from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations;
from the Babylonian exile to the Christ,
fourteen generations.

Having spent some time researching my own family genealogy
going back fourteen generations is quite far.
The genealogy of Jesus was important...
It had to fulfill the Old Testament prophecies.
But does it really matter today for us to know this list of people?
Personally, I do not need proof of the blood line to believe in Jesus.
This long list of names does not influence my beliefs.
Not to mention they are some challenging names to pronounce.

The genealogy of Jesus directly connects with the Genesis reading...

Jacob called his sons and said to them:
“Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob,
listen to Israel, your father.

Generations before the birth of Jesus
 were preparing for this special event.
They had been vested with the responsibility
 of carrying on the prophecy.

As the birth of Jesus is only a week away it is good
 for us to be reminded of the many years before his coming.

How different would your life be today if you knew
 hundreds of years from now someone in your family
would discover the cure for cancer?

Having this knowledge passed down from
generation to generation might be very important.

Drawing upon both biblical tradition and Jewish stories,
Matthew portrays Jesus as reliving the Exodus experience of Israel
 and the persecutions of Moses. His rejection by his own people
and his passion are foreshadowed by the troubled reaction of “all Jerusalem”
to the question of the magi who are seeking the “newborn king of the Jews” 

The birth of Jesus fulfilled all of the prophecies
 and in effect ended the genealogy line.

Contrary to some beliefs we have no reason
 to believe that Jesus fostered any children.

Today might be a good time to consider your own genealogy.
A day to be grateful to what has been passed down.
Today our faith is strengthened through
the listing of fourteen generations.

Blessings passed to us from history.
~~~Peace~~~

Royal Lineage

~~~ Genesis 49:2, 8-10 ~~~ Psalm 72 ~~~ Matthew 1:1-17 ~~~

 

It is official Jesus has the correct lineage...

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ,
the son of David, the son of Abraham...

If you have ever delved into your family genealogy you know

how fascinating and frustrating it can be.

A few years ago I spent several hours of many days

 researching my family's relatives.

The most frustrating discovering was how often

 my grandmother's name was misspelled.

Years ago the census takers came door to door and wrote down the information

given to them by the person who answered the door.

My grandmother had an unusual name, Lygia,

and too many times it was recorded as Lydia.

I also found that once the woman was married

her maiden name was sometimes omitted,

which makes it even more difficult to trace.

 

 

 Tracing the blood line for persons of the royal family is very important.
Keeping the blood line pure is of utter importance.
So it is not surprising that the blood line for the house of David
would need to be preserved and recorded.
 

 We have been Blessed to be a part of this blood line
 because we have been redeemed by this royal blood.

The prophecies have been fulfilled.
The royalty that has been passed on to us is not one of power and gold crowns.
Our king was not an earthly ruler.
Our king came as baby born in a manger.
Our king rules with the power of unconditional love.
Prepare for the Blessings from our King.

The Lineage of Wholeness

~~~ Genesis 49:2, 8-10 ~~~ Psalm 72 ~~~ Matthew 1:1-17 ~~~

 

Today in the gospel from Matthew we are given seventeen verses

listing the genealogy of Jesus.

The older I get the more my ancestral history has come to be valued.

When you are young you don't think too much farther back

 than your grandparents.

It is difficult for children to grasp the concept

that their parents were once little children just like them.

 

In an effort to teach the value of ancestors teachers often

give the family tree assignment.

I remember one of my younger sisters getting in trouble

with her teacher for not placing

any aunts and uncles on her family tree illustration.

When in reality my sister was correct.

Our parents are both only children

so we do not have any aunts and uncles.

An entire section of our family tree has no branches.

Really strange when you think about it...

are the branches bare or do they just not exist at all?

 

Establishing the lineage of Jesus fulfills the prophecies,

but it gives us a human connection to him.

We can identify with and understand the importance

of family connections.

Listing, as in a litany, the lineage of Jesus

gives it a formality worthy

of who he is...the Son of God.

 

Life has a rhythm and reciting the ancestors of Jesus

also sustains a rhythm

all of its own.

 

This passage proclaims Jesus as one of us even before the

angel Gabriel appeared to Mary.

The lineage of Jesus was evolving with the passage of time.

 

I do not believe in numerology, but I think you would agree

that some numbers have

specific meaning in the Bible.

That is another whole blog post for the future.

 

I began to explore the number fourteen in the Bible.

Thus the total number of generations
from Abraham to David
is fourteen generations;
from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations;
from the Babylonian exile to the Christ,
fourteen generations.

 

We know that the number seven implies perfection or completeness.

To the Jews the number seven or its multiples was significant.

The seventh day was the Sabbath.

The seventh month was holy and had three feast days.

At Passover fourteen lambs were offered.

 

Thus the lineage of Jesus is connected

for us to perfection and completeness.

When Jesus was born the Old Testament prophecies were finally complete.

From Abraham to the Nativity many generations passed,

 before the coming of the Christ child.

 

 

If one looks closely at this lineage of Jesus you see that there are several

individuals that you would not care to have in your family tree.

 

But here they are in the family tree of Jesus.

Jesus comes into our midst no matter what.

We cannot make the excuse of not being worthy.

We cannot be boastful about being worthy either.

 

Jesus enters into the good times of our life,

as well as the bad times.

 

So I guess one could say that there is some darkness

even in the lineage of the Christ.

What matters the most is that when was born all darkness was dispelled.

His light broke into the darkness making it possible for us

to inherit the grace to live a holy life.

 

This Christmas as your family comes together remember that you

have the light of Christ;

it is up to you to let it shine out to your family.

 

As part of the Body of Christ we are continuing the lineage of

the baby in the manger lying in the hay.