Josh Benner

Tag: genealogy

  • The most dysfunctional family: the genealogy of Jesus

    The most dysfunctional family: the genealogy of Jesus

    The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. -Matthew 1:1

    Matthew’s gospel begins with introducing us to the genealogy of Jesus. It is linking Jesus to David, the great King of Israel and to Abraham, the man through whom the Lord had established his covenant. 

    He will come from the family of both of these men. 

    This genealogy shows us that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. 

    And as we study his life, we see that Jesus is the fulfillment of the divine plan working through history where God sent Jesus into a world that was sinful but Jesus was without sin. Jesus came to fulfill the plan of God, to live out the will of God, to speak the word of God, and to show the righteousness of God. 

    But in all of his perfection, and goodness, and glory, Jesus was betrayed. Even this was part of the divine plan because it had to happen. Jesus came into a world that was dead in sin and died. But he died so he could be raised to life. And it is through his perfect life, his death, and his resurrection that everyone who believes in Jesus can be forgiven. 

    We could never earn God’s forgiveness on our own. But because Jesus is Lord, he is able to forgive. Because he died and rose, he showed his power over physical life and death. And because he lives today, it is Christ and Christ alone who can give eternal life. 

    So verse 1 introduces the genealogy. Verses 2-16 give further elaboration on a genealogy that leads from Abraham to Joseph to Jesus. 

    It can be easy to skim through it like it’s just a list of names but it’s a list of names that points us to the gospel, to the grace of God, to the mission of Christ, and to the providential hand of God working throughout history. 

    Abraham to David

    The first section of this genealogy takes us through the patriarchs of Israel. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 

    The genealogy also introduces us to four women, not unprecedented in the Old Testament, but generally rare to list women in genealogies. 

    Focusing on the women in the first part of the list: these women are fairly prominent in the Old Testament, but they’re not THE MOST prominent women in the Bible. No mention of Sarah, the wife of Abraham through whom the promise of a son was fulfilled. No mention of Rebekah, the wife of Isaac and mother of Jacob. No mention of Rachel, the beloved wife of Jacob. 

    But Matthew mentions Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheeba. 

    You have Ruth, who might be the most morally spotless and unimpeachable woman in the Old Testament. Her first husband died and then she married a distant relative of the deceased husband and had a son. Boaz was her husband. Obed was the son. 

    But then you have Tamar who was also a widow. And she disguises herself as a prostitute and tricks her father-in-law into sleeping with her and conceives a child. That child is a link in the line of Jesus conceived through deception and trickery. 

    Rahab had also been a prostitute. 

    Lastly, there’s Bathsheeba, who was taken advantage of by King David and then David later had her husband, Uriah, sent to the front lines and killed in battle so that he could marry her. The relationship was forged in adultery and murder. Jesus is descended from killers, prostitutes, and adulterers.

    Mission

    One of the commonalities between the four women is that none of them are Israelites. 

    Tamar and Rahab are Canaanites. 

    Ruth is a Moabite. 

    Bathsheeba is a Hittite. 

    And so part of what these four women are doing from the opening of this gospel is showing us that Jesus is for the whole world. 

    This line that leads to Jesus is a picture of the world. 

    Borrowing an idea from Tim Keller. 

    This line gives us kings and prostitutes. Men and women. Jews and gentiles. Saints and sinners. But God works through all of them to bring Jesus into the world. 

    The gospel is good news for the whole world. Matthew ends this gospel by giving the Great Commission and sending the disciples out into the world to preach the good news. And we have a picture of the gospel for the whole world in this opening genealogy. 

    David to the exile

    The second section of the genealogy goes from David, the great King of Israel through his genealogy and the kings of Israel. 

    It might be easy to assume that the Israelite kings were good, but as you study the Old Testament (in particular, the books of 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles, you learn that most of the kings are wicked and show little love or reverence for God). 

    Solomon is the son of David. He spent lavishly on big projects for Israel. 

    His son, Rehoboam had similar lavishness and had to continue raising taxes. Things got so bad that during his reign, Israel was no longer a unified nation. This is one of the most important events of the Old Testament. 

    I also think this is one of the most overlooked facts about Israel’s history. Within two generations of David, Israel had split into two kingdoms. You had the Davidic monarchy ruling the smaller portion in the south, and an independent Northern Kingdom. The north and south never reunite. 

    What this genealogy reminds us of is that even though the monarchy did not reign and the land was lost, that the line was not forgotten.

    When Jerusalem fell, that might have looked like it was the end. But God was still at work. That’s what all of this shows us.That God has been at work throughout time and history. 

    When Jesus went to the cross. When the disciples saw their beloved teacher brutally crucified, they thought that it was all over. 

    But it was only just the beginning. 

    Throughout church history, people have tried to persecute the church, ban the Bible, kill Christians. Yet God’s word has been preached. His church has persevered. 

    And many of us, I’m sure, have stories in our own lives. Times that seemed hopeless. Times where it seemed like there was no way out and yet God brought us through, God brought redemption. 

    God continued to work through this line because the Lord is faithful to his promises. 

    He was faithful to his promise to Abraham of providing offspring. He was faithful to to his promise to David by providing a future king whose kingdom would never end. 

    Exile to Jesus

    While the first two sections of the genealogy begin with people. The third section begins with an event. 

    Most of the people in this last list are actually unknown. We just have their names. 

    I mentioned earlier that the kingdom of Israel was divided for most of its history. This genealogy is focused on the southern kingdom. After generations of sin and numerous prophets who had warned southern Israel and their kings, they were conquered by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. and they were exiled from the Promised Land. 

    It is a divine judgment from God upon an unfaithful Israel. They lose the kingdom, they lose Jerusalem, the temple is destroyed. The people are deported to a foreign land. The darkest days in the history Ancient of Israel. 

    Yet through all of that, God is still working. 

    Matthew ends this third genealogy by finally arriving at Joseph and Mary and then to Jesus. 

    Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. 

    From Abraham to Jesus. We see the sovereignty of God. The faithfulness of God. We see the plan of God. And we see that the Messiah has come into the world. 

    This genealogy a powerful reminder of God’s work throughout history. 

    All throughout history, God has been at work. We see him at work in this genealogy that leads to the Lord Jesus. 

    But that also points us to his mission for the world which is God’s redemptive purposes and gospel through Jesus Christ to redeem a sinful and fallen humanity. 

    And so it’s important to understand what God has done throughout history but also what God is doing in the world today. 

    The Old Testament points forward to Christ. The Old Testament points forward to the king from the line of David. The gospels are the fulfillment of those promises in Christ.  

    The church’s job today is to share that good news with the world. 

    And so we look at this genealogy at the beginning of the New Testament. 

    It’s not just a bunch of names to skip over so we can get to something more interesting. 

    Rather, these are the chapters in God’s story leading up to Christ and in his work of bringing redemption to the world. To the glory of God. 

    Abraham, David, and exile. 

    Abraham was promised a son. Jesus is the ultimate son from the line of Abraham. 

    David was promised a king would come from his line who would have a kingdom which would never end. Jesus is the true king who ushers in the kingdom of heaven. 

    The exile looked like the place where Israel ended. In our sin, we are all exiled from God. Jesus is the one who returns us to fellowship with God. 

  • Sermon: The King is Born – Matthew 1:1-17

    The Gospel of Matthew begins with a genealogy. It can be tempting to move past this to the next section, but this genealogy is a picture of the history of God’s people. It points us to the gospel, to the mission of God, to the power of God, and to the promise of God.

  • Why do Matthew and Luke give two different genealogies for Jesus

    Why do Matthew and Luke give two different genealogies for Jesus

    The gospels of Matthew and Luke both give genealogies for Jesus. 

    But they’re different. 

    Not just a little different. 

    From David to Joseph, they’re almost entirely different. Only two names are found in both genealogies in that time period. The genealogies are much more similar from Abraham to David. Matthew has an extra name. That’s not so unusual. Ancient genealogies are not always exhaustive. So person A can be referred to as the father of person B but it might actually be his grandfather or great grandfather, etc. 

    When you get to David, the genealogies diverge in two different directions. 

    Matthew’s genealogy goes from David to Solomon and through Solomon’s line. 

    Luke’s genealogy goes from David to another of his sons, Nathan, and Nathan’s line. 

    Both list Zerubbabel and both list Shealtiel and that is where the commonalities begin and end. 

    But why? 

    There are all sorts of theories. 

    And I’ll be honest. Any solution to this problem is purely speculative. 

    THEORY 1 – JOSEPH’S LINE AND MARY’S LINE

    One of the oldest theories which goes back to the early church is the suggestion that they’re giving genealogies for both Joseph and for Mary. 

    Simple. 

    That’s possible but it shouldn’t be assumed, most importantly because the text never tells us that. 

    It would be highly unusual to give a woman’s genealogy in ancient times. Although as one scholar pointed out, a virgin birth is also highly unusual. 

    THEORY 2 – A ROYAL LINE AND A LEGAL LINE

    Perhaps one of the genealogies is royal and one is legal. 

    This is ultimately where I land and what I believe is the most like scenario. 

    What’s that mean? 

    So Matthew’s genealogy goes from David to Solomon to Rehoboam to Abidjan, etc. 

    That is the Israelite monarchy of the Old Testament. They’re the kings.

    Those people can be found in Old Testament genealogies. 

    Matthew gives the kings. Luke does not. 

    But both go through David. 

    So one suggestion is that Jesus is in the line of David, but while the royal line goes from David through Solomon, Jesus isn’t part of the Solomonic line. 

    Is that to say that Jesus is not a legitimate royal?

    It’s not saying that. 

    Perhaps the direct royal line had died off and Joseph was next in line. 

    So in that, Matthew could be giving the line of the monarchy which ends up at Joseph. 

    Even if not, Jesus is the divinely appointed Davidic King. We see several instances in the Old Testament where God makes a choice which goes against birth order. Judah was not the oldest of the 12 tribes. Jacob was younger than Esau. Abel was favored over Cain. 

    Certainly we should not think that either of the gospel writers were just arbitrarily listing names. Luke’s genealogy is interesting because it goes another route off of the Davidic line. Luke is very meticulous and detail oriented in his gospel. He knew the Old Testament. Why did he do that? 

    I think he did it because it was true. That was the line. 

    That does not mean Matthew’s genealogy is wrong. 

    Again, the theory that I think makes the most sense is that Matthew is giving the kings. Keep in mind that the monarchy ends long before Jesus. There are people living in the world today who are descendants of monarchies that are no longer in power. 

    And from the line of the kings, Matthew is pointing to Jesus as the final and ultimate king. That also goes with the kingship theme in this gospel. 

    There are other theories. 

    OTHER THEORIES

    Maybe it’s as simple as Matthew and Luke showing that Joseph himself was related to David from both sides of his family. 

    Maybe Joseph’s parents died and he was adopted and it’s giving the lines of his blood family and his adoptive family. 

    Jesus was adopted by Joseph. Maybe Joseph too had been adopted. 

    And there are other theories. 

    Maybe Joseph’s mom was a widow and his dad had a half brother who married the mother to give Joseph’s father a legal heir and the gospels are giving that genealogy and the genealogy of his biological father. 

    Again, it’s not a new thing that Matthew and Luke have different genealogies. Theologians and scholars have been wrestling with this throughout church history. We have church theologians commenting on this in the third century, but I think it’s safe to say that the question goes back further than that. 

    AN IMPORTANT LESSON ABOUT THE BIBLE

    But here are a couple things to keep in mind. 

    Because sometimes skeptics will point to these different genealogies as a known on the historicity of the Bible. 

    People like to sometimes make it seem like way back in the early history of the church, like they edited the Bible. But the Bible gives us two different genealogies for Jesus and throughout the history of the church, both were left in the gospels because they were original to the books. 

    And that should mean something. 

    It’s a powerful reminder of the efforts throughout the history of the church to preserve the Biblical text and not be editors. But letting the text speak for itself. 

    The Bible is the word of God. 

    All scripture is God breathed (2 Timothy 3:16). 

    Hebrews 4:12 says: 

    the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword

    The Word of God does not need to be explained away. 

    Thomas Jefferson was famous for producing his own “bible” where he cut out the parts he disagreed with. That’s not how you treat the Word of God. 

    Matthew and Luke gave those two genealogies, as we have them. 

    And they’re both God’s word. 

    For the skeptics and those who want to use this against the historicity of the Bible or even for the Christian who’s uncomfortable with the discrepancy, that needn’t be so. Just because we don’t know exactly why the genealogies are different does not imply that a solution doesn’t exist. 

    Again, there are no shortage of plausible theories. 

    We just don’t know exactly which one it is. 

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  • Genealogies upon genealogies. Studying Genesis 5

    Genealogies upon genealogies. Studying Genesis 5

    In Genesis 5, we see a genealogy leading from Adam to Noah. 

    This genealogy had been touched on in Genesis 4 in the aftermath of Adam’s son Cain murdering his brother Abel. In the shadow of that sin, we’re introduced to another son of Adam named Seth. He will continue the family line. 

    There are a number of genealogies in the Bible. We often skim through them without always knowing the names. But they’re important for several reasons. 

    Why genealogies are important in the Bible

    1. Genealogies provide a link to Jesus. 

    In the aftermath of the fall, God promised Adam and Eve a future offspring who would one day crush the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15). Throughout Genesis and numerous other books of the Old Testament, we see the continuation of the line which would ultimately lead to Christ. 

    Fittingly, the New Testament begins with a genealogy. 

    1. Genealogies would matter for certain Israelite ministries 

    During the period of the 12 tribes of Israel, genealogy mattered for the priesthood. Not anyone could be a priest. Someone had to be from the tribe of Levi. And to be the high priest, someone had to be from the line of Aaron in the line of Levi. 

    1. Genealogies are a reminder of God’s faithfulness to his promises. 
    2. Genealogies are a reminder of God’s providence and sovereignty. For many generations, we see God at work in achieving his purposes 
    3. Genealogies point to the Bible being a historical book. People might like to treat Biblical stories like fairy tales but that’s not how the Bible itself presents them. 
    4. Genealogies are a reminder that individuals matter to God and that they matter in God’s story. 

    Creation revisited 

    Genesis 5:1-2 says: 

    This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. 2 Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created.

    Genesis 5 begins by pointing back to creation. 

    When the text says this is the book of the generations, that is a literary device in Genesis used to begin new sections of the story. 

    Even though there is now sin in the world, it still remains true that Adam and Eve were created in the image of God. 

    Genesis next points to the continuation of Adam’s line. Instead of continuing the line through the infamous Cain, the line continues through Adam and Eve’s son Seth. 

    Genesis 5:3-5: 

    3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. 4 The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters. 5 Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died. 

    Genesis 5 traces ten generations from Adam to Noah. 

    All of the generations include very long lifespans. Genesis 5 says that Adam lived 930 years, Jared lived 962 years (v. 20), Methuselah lived 969 years (v. 27). 

    How long is a year? 

    Many have been puzzled by the long lifespans in Genesis which are incredibly long compared to normal lifespans today. 

    Some have questioned if the lifespans could actually be dynastic spans rather than an individual lifespan. For instance, the argument goes that Jared didn’t personally live 962 years but that Jared and the next several generations of his children totaled 962 years. 

    It is true that ancient genealogies are not always exhaustive. 

    But a problem with this view is that there are Biblical figures who live long lives (Abraham, Moses, etc) and where numerous events from their lives are recorded along with their ages in those years. Are the lifespans of Abraham and Moses literal while other ages given for other Old Testament figures are dynastic? That seems like a difficult argument to support from the text. 

    Some have tried to make arguments that a year isn’t a year. Maybe a year in one of these lifespans is actually a month. But the problem with this is that some of the father’s  have kids in their 70s, which would mean they were 6-7 years old! 

    Some have argued that the year figures are symbolic. This again becomes challenging because there is no apparent symbolism of oddly specific numbers and overlooks the simpler conclusion that the years are presented as literal. 

    It’s certainly a stretch for modern readers, but the most faithful reading of the Biblical text is that the given lifespans are meant to be taken at face value. 

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