Genealogy of Jesus

We don't usually enjoy reading genealogies where someone begets someone who begets someone and on and on.  But in the Bible we find that genealogy is especially important.  There are many ways that we can describe the main theme of the Bible.  One of those ways is to say that it tells of the family of Jesus, beginning all the way back to the first man.  And it is interesting that the Bible is the only book that gives the complete history of man, starting with the creation and the first people.

As we look at the Old Testament we see that it begins with Adam and Eve.  They had sons Cain and Abel, but Cain killed Abel so the Bible has a bloody beginning.  The third son was Seth; and Seth is important because he is in the lineage of Jesus.  If we follow the lineage of the family of Jesus through the OT, we see that it goes from Adam to Seth to Seth's son, and his son, and his son....right on down to Jesus.  Along the way we read of Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, later David the king and on down to Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus.

The importance of genealogy is emphasized when the New Testament begins with the genealogy of Jesus. The very first chapter of Matthew gives a complete summary of the family of Jesus.  The first verse says, "The book of genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham."  We know that Jesus is not directly the son of these two men; the Bible uses this language to mean that He is a descendant of these.  And the fact that these two men are referenced in this way is a credit to each.  Abraham was a great man of faith, the father of the Jews and the one who received the promise from God that is first given in Genesis 12.  David was the greatest king of the OT and one described as "a man after God's own heart."

And so, while we don't usually like to read long lists of names, we can see that this is quite critical to understanding the Bible and how it all ties together.

Thanks for reading again.  I hope you have a great week.