Skeletons In God’s Closet

Matthew 1:1-17

Every year when we begin the process of reading the Bible through most of us can hardly wait until we reach the sections of scripture that are filled with genealogical records. We find these passages to be the highlight of our reading and yearn for more opportunities to pronounce names that no one else can say. Of course, I hope you can tell that I’m being a bit facetious!

When I was a younger Christian, I was challenged to read the Bible through in a year. At the end of that year our pastor asked the question, “How many of you read the ENTIRE Bible in the past twelve months?” I raised my hand, though I did so with some measure of trepidation. You see, I had read every part of the Bible except for some of the genealogies, which I only scanned rather quickly. Consequently, I felt like I hadn’t really read the ENTIRE Bible through that year.

Let me help those of you that have read the Bible through over the past year, but didn’t read all of the names in the genealogies...God is not mad at you and there is no reason for you to feel guilty. It’s OK if you only scanned the names and moved on to the narrative sections of the text.

Having said that, don’t allow yourself to think that those names have no significance at all because they actually serve some very specific purposes in scripture. For instance…

1. To the Jewish people it was important to be able to trace their heritage back to a specific tribe of Israel, thus, proving their Jewish heritage as descendants of Abraham.
2. The genealogies were also important to establish legal rights and privileges that were provided to the descendants of a family.
3. They were used, as well, to identify who qualified for certain religious duties such as the Levitical and priestly service at the Temple (cf. Ezra 2:61-62).
4. They demonstrated the reliability of the Bible because they substantiate that the individuals included actually existed and the Bible is not a book of fairy tales.
5. Each individual's importance to God is demonstrated in the genealogies and shows that He cares about them (cf. Matthew 10:27-31; Psalm 139).
6. They occasionally provided additional narrative insights for that specific period in history (cf. 1 Chronicles 4:9-10).
7. They confirm prophecy, showing that the Messiah came through the line of David just as it had been predicted centuries before His birth.

Two of the Gospels have genealogies that are used to trace the lineage of Jesus back to Abraham and even to Adam. These genealogies are vitally important because they demonstrate that Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the OT and had the right to be King of Israel.

There are some interesting facts about the two Gospel genealogies of Jesus. For instance, while Matthew (1:1-16) and Luke’s (3:23-38) genealogies have a few similarities, they also have significant differences in their lists of descendants. The most straightforward answer to the reason for these differences is that Matthew was tracing Jesus’ legal claim to the throne of Israel through Joseph (though He was not his “physical” son), while Luke was tracing Jesus’ lineage through Mary as the actual (“physical”) son of David. Because there was no Greek word for “son-in-law,” Joseph would have been considered the “son” (Luke 3:23) of Heli because he married his daughter Mary. Though in Jewish reckoning it was unusual to trace a lineage through the mother’s side of the family, it is not that unusual in light of the virgin birth itself. Matthew is equally careful not to identify Jesus as the “physical” son of David by using the feminine singular pronoun (“of whom” - 1:16) instead of the masculine singular pronoun. In other words, even though the lineage in Matthew is that of Joseph, Jesus was not His biological Son. And, Matthew seeks to make that abundantly clear! Consequently, both of these genealogies demonstrate that Jesus is the descendant of David (legal and actual) and the rightful Heir to his throne.

Another interesting detail about Jesus’ genealogy is that Matthew divides his listing into three segments of fourteen generations each. He was not intending to list every generation in the genealogy that existed between these three time periods: Abraham to David (2-6), David to the Exile (6-11) and the Exile to Jesus (12-16). Matthew was using a common method of the day of highlighting certain persons and placing them in an arrangement that was more easily memorized. It is likely that he chose fourteen as the number for his genealogical divisions because the number associated with the Hebrew consonants in David’s name equals fourteen (this is called gematria). This was another memorization aid, as well as a means of Matthew further emphasizing that Jesus had the right to sit on David’s throne as Ruler of His people.

As to why the last generation (Exile to Jesus) listed by Matthew only has thirteen names (instead of fourteen), various answers have been offered by scholars. One of the solutions is to assume that since Jesus had to be of the lineage of David, His name should be counted  both times it is used in the list.

William Hendriksen suggests that it is Jeconiah’s name that should be counted twice. He states, “...a little study of what Scripture tells us about Jechoniah soon reveals that two sharply contrasting pictures of this king’s experiences are drawn. All is dark in 2 Kings 24:8–12, as has been indicated. The curse of childlessness is pronounced upon Jechoniah (Jer. 22:30). But in his imprisonment matters take a turn for the better: Jechoniah, the exile, has children, in one of whom the Messianic line is continued (1 Chron. 3:17, 18). By rereading Jer. 22:30 we now begin to understand that the childlessness predicted with reference to the young king meant no more than this, that none of his offspring would occupy David’s earthly throne. Now this favorable change between Jechoniah before his deportation and afterward is in and by itself probably sufficient to justify the fact that he is counted twice. If more is needed, consider also 2 Kings 25:27–30. Cf. Jer. 52:31–34. Jechoniah is freed from prison, is treated kindly at the court of Evil-merodach, king of Babylon, at whose table he dines regularly, and is given a continual allowance. He even receives ‘a seat above the seats of the kings that were with him in Babylon.’ A sharper contrast is hardly imaginable. Matthew knew all this, of course. Throughout his Gospel he is constantly proving that he is well acquainted with his sources. Is it not natural to suppose, therefore, that it was because of these two sharply contrasting pictures that Matthew counts Jechoniah twice?” (Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew (Vol. 9, pp. 125–126). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.)

For me, the simpler explanation that best fits the context is one that is given by D.A. Carson. He says, “...perhaps it will suggest to some readers that just as God cuts short the time of distress for the sake of his elect (24:22), so also he mercifully shortens the period from the Exile to Jesus the Messiah.” (Carson, D. A. (1984). Matthew. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (Vol. 8, p. 69). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)

Again, let’s not forget that the primary purpose of Jesus’ genealogy is to give proof of His ancestry and show His right to rule Israel. It is not necessary to list every individual that could be included in a list of this nature. It is only necessary to give the family connections that establish His relationship to Abraham and David. Dr. Darrell Bock says, “By modern standards, Matthew’s linear genealogy is artificial because it is not exhaustive...But it is not that Matthew has erred, since he did not intend to work exhaustively and precisely. The fact that David is the fourteenth name in the genealogy, along with the symbolic significance of fourteen as the numerical value of David’s name, explains the artificiality of the genealogy.” (Turner, D., & Bock, D. L. (2005). Cornerstone biblical commentary, Vol 11: Matthew and Mark (p. 36). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.”

Another interesting detail about Matthew’s genealogy is that he includes the names of four women in his list, in addition to that of Mary’s name. The mention of a mother’s name alongside a father’s is not without precedent in the Old Testament (1 Chronicles 1:32; 2:17-21, 24, 26). However, what makes these four names stand out are the details we know about them.

• Tamar slept with her father-in-law (1:3; cf. Genesis 38).
• Rahab was a prostitute (1:5; cf. Joshua 1-6; 6:17; Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25).
• Ruth descended from an incestuous relationship (1:5; cf. Genesis 19:30-38; Ruth 1-4).
• Bathsheba committed adultery with King David (1:6; 2 Samuel 11).

By including them in this record, Matthew would have certainly gotten the attention of his readers and was painting a vivid backdrop for his declaration of Christ’s purpose in coming.

And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins [emphasis mine]. (Matthew 1:21)

These four mothers, in addition to the other individuals listed, whose lives were less than noble, are a reminder of the universal relevance and significance of Jesus’ first coming.

There are three thoughts for us to learn from the genealogy of Jesus:

1. God is sovereign and nothing can thwart His divine plan.

• God had set out to bring His Son into the world at the precise time He came in Bethlehem and nothing could stop Him.
• We can choose to cooperate with God or we can choose to stand against Him, but we will not prevent Him from accomplishing His purposes.
• We should allow God to rule, but where we stand in resistance to His rule...He will overrule.
• God’s plan is not compromised by the sinfulness of mankind, nor is He dependent on the righteousness of mankind for His plan to be accomplished.
• It’s not for us to understand all of His purposes, but it is ours to praise Him even when we don’t understand.
• God is always in control, even when it seems things are out of control.

For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. But God is the Judge: He puts down one, And exalts another. (Psalm 75:6-7)

This decision is by the decree of the watchers, And the sentence by the word of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever He will, And sets over it the lowest of men. (Daniel 4:17)

In the genealogy of Jesus we find adulterers, harlots, heroes, and Gentiles. Wicked Rehoboam was the father of wicked Abijah, who was the father of good King Asa. Asa was the father of the good King Jehoshaphat (v. 8), who was the father of wicked King Joram. What these genealogies show us is that God can use anyone—even the marginalized and destitute—to fulfill His purposes.

2. God uses the weak things of this world to do some of His mightiest work.

• Some of those in the genealogy of Jesus were used, though they possessed no special skills or notoriety themselves.
• Mary and Joseph were two Jewish peasants (though they were righteous individuals) that were chosen for the task of caring for the Christ Child.
• Jesus was born into relative poverty as a tiny baby without any fanfare or notoriety to be the Savior of the world.
• God lifted some of those considered to be the lowest in society and destitute to become a part of the lineage of Jesus.
• Why? Because the foolishness of God is greater than the wisdom of man!

So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength. Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. (1 Corinthians 1:2-29)

3. God can save anyone and turn his/her life into something good for His glory.

Especially from the genealogy in Matthew, we learn that there is room in God’s family for anyone that experiences His life-changing grace.

• There is room for men and women.
• There is room for the rich and the poor.
• There is room for the young and the old.
• There is room for the moral and the immoral.
• There is room for the Jew and the Gentile.
• There is room for liars and truth-tellers.
• There is room for the religious and the irreligious.
• There is room for criminals and their victims.

Matthew is a perfect example of this truth. He was an extortioner who met Jesus and became a pastor and author of the Gospel of Matthew.

God can make something out of nothing, no matter what skeletons you have in YOUR closet!