“ This is the genealogy of Jesus , the Messiah, son of David , son of Abraham “ Matthew 1:1
Two of the biographies of Jesus of Nazareth that are recorded in the New Testament have genealogies of Jesus. And they are different. Mark, another of the book of the life stories of Jesus, does not have such a list of names about who Jesus is related to in his life. What is the purpose of these lists of people at the beginning of the book ?
In the ancient culture, it was important who is your grandfather or even your great-great- grandmother, as to your status in the society. The family histories of Jesus go all the way back to Abraham and Adam. Matthew begins with Abraham and gets to Jesus, while Luke begins with Jesus and goes all the way back to Adam ( and the beginning of time according to Genesis ). So, as an ancient , it would be important to have Jesus connected to the story. The most radical nature of Matthew’s genealogy is that three women are included . As a patriarchal society, there would be no reason to put those names in there. What is Matthew, and Luke, trying to do ? And both of them include King David in their lists .
As you look at your own family, what person in your family makes you important ? Do you have a famous aunt or a war hero uncle that offers you status in the society ? Do some of your relatives have a lot of money , and you tell people that you are related to them ? Or do you have politicians in your family, and you tell people that they are part of your clan ?
Or more importantly, who do you not want to talk about in your family ? In 1940, my uncle committed suicide in an mental health hospital in Brandon, Manitoba. My dad only told me one time about this event. He said that he was the only one of his siblings who came to the funeral/memorial service for his brother Henry, and he asked, “ why would they do that ? “ I have no idea if my version of this story is true. I had never heard it before ,and I have not done any research on it ? Our family chose not to talk about this uncle who ended his life in 1940. Who do you not want to talk about in your family ? And what does this person and her/his story shape your own history because you never talk about it. ? Who are the villains in your own family history ?
All of our stories are sacred and holy, even with kinfolk who make us embarrassed . Maybe I embarrass the family history as well . The lists in the Bible help us to connect to our past, and are able to look into the future. They are not perfect people in the biblical family stories . None of us live in nice neat families .
We have been attending St. Jacobs Mennonite Church in the last 16 months, and we were interviewed by someone there recently to tell part of our histories . And she said more than once, “ we cannot include everything in your life in this interview”. The church wants to get to know you a little bit. Then they can fill in the blanks.
With all of our sins, foibles and life experiences, God walks beside, and never leaves us. What stories do you tell, and what stories do you leave out ? Read the life histories of Jesus of Nazareth, and try to relate your relatives to his story.
Fred Redekop
Ponder Anew 