The Ancestors of Jesus Christ

Written by Gordon Smith I’m a member of my local church in Arbroath. We have a newish Minister in our ministry team and she, Judith, asked for volunteers to write a short passage summarising, or reflecting on, one of a number of passages from the bible. The collection will be formatted to become an advent calendar of readings and reflections from individuals.

Several weeks ago, I picked Matthew 1, 1-17, The Ancestors of Jesus Christ, not knowing that a few weeks later the subject of a Rites & Rituals online gathering would be Past Lives. Spooky given that despite it not being a lucky dip, there was little thought in my choice.

Not normally being one short of words, but familiar with the concept of writer’s block, I confess I was struggling to know where to start. Until…………our gathering hosted by Helen, and one line in particular that she used. Here's what I came up with to fit the 300 word brief.

On first reading, Matthew 1, 1-17, is quite daunting read. It’s not that long but, with the title “The Ancestors of Jesus Christ".....

it is largely a list of names, most of them unfamiliar and many of them unpronounceable. There are 47 names, some mentioned twice, in a passage of only 187 words in the Good News Bible!

Even on second and subsequent readings, I found it difficult to see the picture that these pieces were intended to reveal. There are 42 generations referenced between the time of Abraham to the birth of the Messiah.

Putting them in tabular form (I’m quite a visual thinker!) did little to lift my brain fog.

Then….. I looked at the table below as I would a war memorial with those listed having made unknown sacrifices within the periods listed and having, in their own, way shaped the lives of those who were to follow.

We can’t, and don’t need to, know the individual acts of bravery that each of those listed on a memorial have made to ensure that our lives and futures remain in our hands. We can though, appreciate that they were made.

So too with this passage from Matthew. We can’t, and don’t need to, know everything that everyone listed did to shape and prepare the world for the arrival of the Messiah. We can, however, be grateful that they did.

And the relevance to us today? Well, on a personal level, this passage made me think of my ancestors; those who have gone before me, what they did, and sacrificed, to make me the man I am today. It made me think too, of what impact my actions and omissions will have on those who follow me.

After all, we too will be ancestors one day.

Period	Ancestors
Abraham to King David	Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah and his brothers, Perez and Zerah (their mother was Tamar), Hezron, Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon, Salmon, Boaz (his mother was Rahab), Obed (his mother was Ruth), Jesse, King David
David to Exile in Babylon	David, Solomon (his mother was the woman who had been Uriah's wife), Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah, Jehoiachin and his brothers
After Exile to Birth of Jesus	Jehoiachin, Shealtiel, Zerubbabel, Abiud, Eliakim, Azor, Zadok, Achim, Eliud, Eleazar, Matthan, Jacob, Joseph (who married Mary, the mother of Jesus, who was called the Messiah)
Generations Count	Fourteen generations from Abraham to David. Fourteen from David to the exile in Babylon Fourteen from then to the birth of the Messiah