A genealogy culminating in Noah and his sons as the new hope for mankind is about its progenitor: Adam. “This is the book of the genealogy of Adam” (Genesis 5:1). A lineage arriving at the world divided in Babel is about its progenitors: Noah and his sons. “Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth” (Genesis 10:1). And the family tree delivering Abram to the beginning of Israel’s narrative proper is about its progenitor: Shem. “This is the genealogy of Shem” (Genesis 11:10). In short, you are important in history because of your ancestors.
Even when the story itself is about the offspring, the ancestor legitimizes the progeny. The Book of Ruth arrives at David, a point made explicit in its genealogy: “Also the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, ‘There is a son born to Naomi.’ And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David” (Ruth 4:17). Yet the headliner for “David’s” genealogy is Perez. “Now this is the genealogy of Perez: Perez begot Hezron… begot Ram… begot Amminadab… begot Nahshon…begot Salmon… begot Boaz… begot Obed… begot Jesse… begot David” (Ruth 4:18-22). Even David is important because he came from Perez who came from Judah, and so on.
Matthew borrows the Old Testament’s genealogical form. He provides each step from Abraham through David and the Babylonian Captivity to Jesus. But the header is directly opposed to the traditional form. In Israel’s history, everyone is made important by their ancestor. John the Baptist rebukes the Jewish leaders for their dependance on their lineage from Abraham (Matthew 3:9), because once Jesus enters the picture, the point of every genealogy is different. Jesus is not important because he came from Abraham or David. Abraham, David, and every patriarch and passing generation are significant only because they arrive at the progenitor, the Son—hence the header in Matthew’s record: “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ” (Matthew 1:1). In short, once the Messiah arrives, you are an important ancestor in history only because of the Son: Jesus. The progeny legitimizes the ancestor.
This week, may our lives make as clear as Matthew’s genealogy that the origin of our meaning and purpose is Jesus.